Low voter turnout is NOT a significant problem in the United States. According to the different political campaign strategies, the different political campaign strategies led to lower voter turnout and less political participation of the general public. to Steven Schier in his book “Payment Due: A Nation in Debt, a Generation in Trouble”. Different public and private interest groups may associate these slowdowns with changing political strategies and lobbying of the government. Political participation and low voter turnout should not worry us and do not pose a major problem in the United States. The low level of political engagement which Schier predicts will be around 50% of citizens can be explained in many ways. One of the reasons for this low level is what Martin Wattenberg highlights as citizens' lack of party identification. People tend not to identify with a party and therefore not vote only for that party. Wattenberg argues that some saw implications in the lack of partisan identification that seemed quite threatening to democracy (Wattenberg, 23-25). Keefe points out that “strong supporters are fewer than in the past. Split-ticket voting is common everywhere. Most voters do not view parties in a favorable light (Keefe, 74). The lack of party identification has given rise to the rise of accommodation parties. Accommodation parties have prevented the number of citizens engaged in politics from remaining as high as it once was. If the party doesn't stand for something, people aren't as interested in taking a stand alongside the party. In the 2000 elections, 2 accommodation parties ran accommodation candidates against each...... middle of paper ......y. Both major parties ensure that people who share the same fundamental ideas and fundamental goals for the country, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, remain in power. Schier's concerns are valid, but ultimately the political structure of the United States will continue to function. The presidents may no longer be distinguishable from one another, but they will still have the same general goals and perspectives. The average American citizen may not be interested in politics and may not participate in politics, but politics in general will remain the same. The elite will rule the country and the average citizen will express their opinion by voting or following the stories of other voters. Politics may be exclusive, but the exclusive elite are chosen by the masses. Timothy J Penny, Steve Schier. Payment due: a nation in debt, a generation in difficulty