As of 2004, the United States ranked 139th out of 172 countries in voter turnout, with only 57% of eligible Americans voting in the last presidential election. The reasons for this are many – from frustration with politics as usual, to work commitments that make voting on Tuesdays difficult or impossible – but there is no denying that democracies rely on robust citizen participation in elections and at all levels of government. This topic includes information about candidate positions on: public financing of elections, third-party and independent campaigns, government transparency, lobbying, presidential power, weekend voting, instant runoff voting, and voting representation for the District of Columbia.