Your A and B: I disagree. It's a lot more complex than that, and it has got to do more about the intelligence and personality of someone than their interest in politics. Trust me, if someone had no interest, then they'd more likely than not wouldn't vote at all.
Maybe it's a cultural thing, but over here, there are many, many people who are voting for the same party again and again, just becouse they always did, what has nothing to do with thinking or reading about what that party wants do do or has done in the last years.
Over here the two big partys are losing percentages to third partys, becouse at least some of those who vote disagree with both of them, becouse the big partys end up doing the same things anyway.
As far as I know, the big partys in America always get at least 90% when you put them together, so there are barely people thinking about voting for someone else, so the big partys don't even have to think about changing something in their behaviour, they willbe reelected - when I see it right, correct me when I am wrong- practically at least every 8 year.
If all those frustrated none-voters(let them be 15% of the population who is able to vote) would vote a third party, then the two big partys would have to rethink about their position. It's about stopping the monopolism.
And if people in generall in all democracys were educated to care more about what hppens around them, then we wouldn't be in this mess, that's where I see the link to enlightment. A democracy works rerally great with a (at least nearly) enlighted population.
