Americans vote in such small numbers not just because they are apathetic, but also because the concerns of the public are never articulated by the politicians. So, voters are sick of having the so-called freedom to elect the lesser of two evils , and no other alternative exists. There also is the financial aspect of the elections. Money not only talks in America, it rules. The candidate with the most money wins.
Money buys elections.
Politicians get money from big businesses, which demands in return a politician s allegiance to corporate status quo interests. Any change is impossible as long as politicians are responsible of private instead of public interests. The act of voting is worse than useless if business elites decide who will run and who will win. This is precisely why wealthy Americans vote and the poor do not. The wealthy are capable of affecting election outcomes with the money they spend to buy politicians.