Voter participation in the US continues to set new records for apathy, while the partisanship of those that remain steadily increases, the nation suffers from overheated debate and perpetual gridlock in D.C.
The answer is a system of compulsory voting, preceded by a Federal mandate that all states allow mail-in ballots. Imagine a country where politicians would have to pander to everyone, someone might listen. Imagine also a country of citizens who start tuning in to the issues.
Australia provides the best model, having had compulsory voting for over 90 years. Evidence of the system benefiting one party vs another have not surfaced. Their system isn't perfect but with consistent voter participation over 92% and recent polls showing 75% public support - it's better than ours.