It's all because of the media and the internet. We have an incredible amount of access to information these days (mostly because of the internet).
As bad as it sounds, I am wondering whether or not this is going to be a good thing. I remember an episode of Dilbert that dealt with elections (primarily the idea of internet voting) and the writers brought out some really good points. At one point in the episode, Dilbert hears two people discussing who they're going to vote for, and one of them says, "oh, I usually vote for the taller one". That may sound exagerrated, but I've actually met some people similar to that stereotype. People who always vote a straight ticket fall into the same category IMHO.

Parker and Stone of South Park made this point not long ago (as I'm sure you've all read), and maybe... just maybe not everyone should vote. Before you all rip me to pieces over that comment... I think that this says more of our education system than anything else. Voters need to know what they're talking about before they take part in such an important event.