Christine Barbour, professor of political science, said she attributes low voter turn-out more toward prosperity than a lack of real choice. The reason we get centrist candidates is that policy is consensus-driven. And that's good for democracy. Many people, including college students, just don't have incentive to vote with the economy humming along. But civic engagement has its crests and troughs, Barbour said.
Some people just think their demands on time are more important.
When there's an economic downturn though, you can bet that more people will be voting.