America's Multi-Party System Analysis

In recent discussion of Democrats and Republican parties, a controversial issue has been whether or not the U.S. should expand their options from more than a two party system. On the one hand, some argue that there should be more choices other than between the two Democrat Party and Republican Party. From this perspective, voters have more of a variety when they vote. On the other hand, some argue that the U.S. should remain as a two party system. In the words of Gary Johnson, one of this view’s main proponents, “The Republicans and Democrats have spent decades trading power back and forth between themselves, and in doing so, have managed to install a two-party duopoly that completely controls America’s political process.” According to this view, Democrats and Republicans are dictating other parties opportunities to get elected. In sum, then, the issue is whether there should be other options rather than a choice between the Democrat and the Republican Party. I agree with Gary Johnson’s view that the Democrat and Republican Parties are controlling America’s

The bipartisan system within the United States has always been the at the forefront of political debates, with the divide between each party expanding ever further by the day. Politics has seemingly become more about choosing a candidate and blindly supporting them through every action, rather than selecting an individual who stands up for their beliefs. With the recent election, it seems as though all reason has been discarded, and the politically Democratic and politically Republican are engaged in nothing more than a persistent contest between who is the enemy, and who is going to destroy all that is good within the country. Such immature sparring has no place in a modern political system. At best, a reformation of the bipartisan system is entirely

Generally speaking, anyone who lives in the United States of America knows that there are two main political parties—the Republicans and the Democrats. Having two main parties has its advantages and, of course, its disadvantages. For example, in By the People James E. Monroe and Rogan Kersh (301) point out having this type of system creates “predictability and stability.” However, they also declare (301) it can “lead to a gridlock.” This is not a new concept either as there has been a divide since the beginning of both parties. The two parties more often than not disagree on various issues, while rarely agreeing on what is best for the country.

Since the writing of the United States Constitution, the American government has been structured in a way that only truly allows for two parties. Of course there are numerous other smaller parties, however, the key is that these parties are smaller. The most successful way to become elected to a position in the American governmental structure is to have the backing of the Democratic or Republican Party. Over the two-hundred-year history of the United States the parties have changed names and fundamentally altered their core believes. Today, the distinction has become quite clear as the rise of polarization forces a clear, concise difference between the two parties. The Democrats must uphold the liberal ideals while the Republican Party carters to those of a conservative

The two-party system is said to promote governmental stability because a single party can win a majority of political offices and, with less bickering between differing and partisan legislators, govern more efficiently. In a multiparty country, on the other hand, the formation of a government depends on the maintenance of a coalition of parties with enough total strength to form a political majority. The weakness of the ties that bind the coalition may threaten the continuance of a cabinet in power. The stability shown by the government of the United States has not been entirely due to its party system, it has been argued, but has been promoted also by the fixed tenure and strong constitutional position of the president, as well as checks and balances built into the constitution to prevent one branch of federal government from becoming too powerful.

The main political divisions in the United States are into two parties - the Republicans and the Democrats. A recent (Pew Research study) [http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/] noticed a growth in ideological consistency within the parties, with the overlap in conservativeness and liberality shrinking between 1994 and 2014. This polarization of political views could have many effects on the politics of the nation - both in the upcoming (2016) presidential election and societal developments in the future.

Furthermore, the American political system holds not only the national aspect of a two-party system, with its two parties differently constituted, the Democrats are primarily a mosaic of interests making claims on government. As the Republican are destined together much more by ideological agreement.

A deep divide between political parties in the United States is nothing new. Heated, ideological debates can be traced back to over two centuries ago between the founding fathers, most notably between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, who birthed the two party system through their differing views on the extent of federal power. Today, this system continues on, but with a stark and alarming difference between the value and discussions taking place due to the severe polarization that has gripped American politics. Recently factors including the infiltration of party politics by extremism, biased news, and the unrelenting desire of politicians to remain in power has culminated into the disastrous partisanship that afflicts government today.

Some historians have suggested that the two-party system promote centrism and encourage political parties to find common positions which appeal to wide swaths of the

David R. Jones, University of New York, identifies the model of voter decision-making that helps to keep these coalitions accountable to the people. Typically voters will tend to focus less on the actions of the particular candidate and more upon the party actions while voting for a candidate. The two party model that voters use is broken down into three basic parts. The first is party performance, what have they accomplished while holding power. The second relates to policy stances. The policy stance is easily verified based on comments made by candidates or actions taken while in office. The final piece of information a voter may use is based on how the majority or minority conducts itself during the actual running of government (Jones, 2014). If the minority forces an impasse, or even assists the majority in passing legislation, this can greatly impact a voters' voting process. These three factors are used to weigh one party against another. While the current majority in Congress may not have the greatest showing on the legislative side, a voter may still decide that based on recent conduct of the minority the majority is preferable. How a party presents itself to the public is a direct reflection of its organizational

What Is the true purpose of an electoral system? To be able to pick an electoral system the first assumption to be made is that “No electoral system simply reflects voter preferences or the existing pattern of cleavages in a society or the prevailing political party configuration” (Horowitz, 2003). This paper examines the purpose of different electoral systems.

For the most part, America employs single-member districts which means that the electorate only chooses one representative from each district. During presidential elections, every state is given votes through the electoral college which equals to the amount of U.S. senators and House members. Single member districts tend to weaken third parties. In 1992, an Individual named Ross Perot ran for the presidential election and although he gained 19% of the popular votes, he didn’t receive any electoral votes. This happened because the Electoral College leverages the two-party system. To decrease the amount of influence political parties have on the government, other governments like Sweden elect legislators in multimember districts instead of single-member districts, and the number of seats that a party wins is proportional to the amount of its support among voters. For example, In Sweden 310 seats are allocated in 29 constituencies. This helps everyone’s opinions and voices to be

Political parties are closely linked to institutions of governments, the main goal is to get their candidates elected into office. This goal is not only pragmatic but ideological, they want their representative to propose policies based on the party’s platform. There are various types of party systems that exist within democratic political regimes. The success or demise of the party lies within the electoral set-up, along with socio-economic factors. And even similar party set-ups differ based on the country. The many forms and structures of political parties shape the politics of different countries. Operation of those parties is key, and having a voice matters when making policy changes. Countries can have one-party that is dominant,

The United States is a two-party system in the eyes of many, but the electoral system nor the psychological behaviour of American citizens helps to generate a strong third party or an independent candidate to rise to a place of important in the government. Citizens of the US may believe in this as it can be argued that two-parties is a guarantee of good government (Hicks, J. 1933. Pg.

Whoever comes in the government reflects the majority’s desire. In this point, this system tends to be more democratic than the First Past the Post-system in the UK and the voters are encouraged to “vote with their hearts” in the first round and then “vote with their heads”. ( European Politics, pp 134) There is in this system more place and chance for big and small parties.