Third Parties In American National Politics

the president of the United States every four years is the focal point of the

     For hundreds of years, the two party system has dominated the American culture, but many people are confused by what a two party system actually means. Although a two party system is defined as two parties that are bigger than the rest, third parties have greatly impacted elections for over a hundred years. Minor parties still continuously voice their opinions in issues, causing other candidates of either major party to adopt their philosophies. Furthermore, some parties, such as the Reform have actually been successful in obtaining a position, such as governor. Finally, third party candidates have actually taken away votes from a number of nominees over the years.

The American two-party system is the result of the way elections are structured in the United States. Representatives in the Congress and in state legislatures are elected to in single-member districts where the individual with the most votes wins. Seeing that only one party 's candidate can win in each district, there is a strong motivation for political candidates to organize themselves into two competing parties. By doing so, party members and candidates maximize their chances of winning elections. In some countries where there are multi-member districts, parties that win smaller percentages of the vote can often win legislative representation. Consequently, in such systems, there is an incentive to form smaller third parties. Other features of the American system of elections, such as campaign finance rules, the Electoral College, and rules giving party candidates ballot access further reinforce the two-party system in the United States. While third parties rarely win major elections, and never the presidency, they have been successful in changing the outcome of elections by withdrawing political support away from one of the two major party candidates. Whatever American system contains to encourage a two party system typically discourages the emergence of third parties. Ever since third parties have emerged in American political history, their successes have been short-lived. Most third parties try to build their support to become like one of the dominant parties, just

In the beginning, the Press doesn’t find the Third Party candidates very newsworthy. Third party candidates have to try much harder than their major

Jere a logical approach demands a fundamental understanding of the representative democracy that we have. We have a two party democracy, period. Not because other parties do not exist, but because our infrastructure will not allow those parties to govern. Our constitutional framework makes the ascension of a third party essentially impossible, which is why Sanders wisely ran for president as a Dem. Respectfully, a vote for a third party will not change a constitutional structure that supports 2 party government; moreover, only a change in HOW candidates are elected and popular votes are apportioned (particularly in federal and state legislative bodies) will change that. With that understanding, we have an inexperienced candidate who is threatening

Third parties in American politics have had limited influence on a national level due to the winner-take-all nature of elections. While they have had some success in local and Congressional elections, it has been limited, and they have certainly stopped short of reaching the presidency. One significant exception to the marginalization of third parties was the Progressive Party of 1912. Their influence was bolstered by Theodore Roosevelt’s popularity, public disapproval toward Taft, and the mass agreement with policies of the Progressive Party.

This is undeniable due to the fact that for a third party to have a chance at winning an election, they would have to disproportionately sway enough States to win, which in itself is an extremely difficult task for an alternative party. Nonetheless, this would almost certainly result in an election won by a very small margin. The marginal division that arises from a three party system could cause the least favorable party to win by a split vote because of the other two parties. This would thereby create national division that would prevent progress from being made, serving as an issue for the electoral system. In fact, history has shown that third parties can botch an election. An example of this is the 1912 Presidential election, where Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party split the republican vote by gaining 27% of the vote and allowed Woodrow Wilson of the Democratic Party to win. This election was not the only one of its kind. A similar event took place in the 2000 election between Al Gore and George Bush where Ralph Nader of the Green Party was believed to take a significant amount of votes away from Al Gore, causing his loss. However, these events do not happen frequently because the Electoral College system encourages third party movements to eventually join the two major political parties. If an outer party were to join with a major party, they would have more success getting what they want, but they would have to compromise some of their stances to accommodate the major party. This system inhibits political unions to occur within the government and forces them to transpire within political parties. Therefore, although some contest otherwise, the two party system is more convenient and sufficient than other party systems because it allows for continuity and stability in the government. The Electoral College, subsequently, is necessary

The campaign process limit third party success because only two parties dominate the modern American political process; the Democrats and Republicans. American politics operate on a two-party system, the Democrats and Republicans who dominates voting in most elections and elected offices. These two parties are associated with liberal and conservative views individually, and nearly all elected officials are allied with one of the two. The Democrats and Republicans have more funding and a bigger chance a succeeding in an election than a third party, or any party running in an election other than the major two. Another important thing is ballot access laws often mandate that candidates pay an excessive number of fees or collect a large number

The Libertarian Party is the largest third party in America. Most people don’t even realize that there is a third choice. Most people accept that you have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I argue that making that decision still results in evil. In most other

Third parties include all of the minor political parties in a country. Currently in America, for example, that includes all the parties that are not the Republican or Democratic party, which are the Green Party, Libertarian Party, Prohibition Party, etc. Although the America’s winner-take-all system and electoral college primary election system prevents third parties in winning general elections and causes them to be limited to the local levels, they still are very important in the country. They serve a variety of functions, such as presenting and emphasizing new ideas to debate and serving as a precaution in case popular discontent. Third parties are either splinter parties, which branch out of

The case studies, Perot and Nader, give historical context to the persistent necessity of third parties. Their third-party campaigns changed American political history through the reasons they arose, the effects they have, and their lasting impacts. Perot presented alternative views and issues in a race that was seen as “politics-as-usual”(Toner). Nader presented himself as an oddity in a race that lacked clear contrast between the two major candidates, “a vote for Gore, is a vote for Bush.” Perot’s campaign can be credited with focusing national attention on the national deficit, forcing the two parties to adapt and develop their own agendas. Nader's campaign can be credited with changing history by splitting the Democratic vote and indirectly

Today’s economy centers itself around the political parties today that are created with the intent of efficiently demonstrating the many shared opinions of thousands of individuals across the United States. Among them all, the two parties that attract the most attention are Democrats and Republicans who are often seen constantly creating tension among each other and campaigning/competing for political control in our country. But there are other parties such as third or minor parties whom are denied chances to express their views. These parties are considered minors in the increasingly competitive environment of the United States. From a public standpoint, minor/ third parties are considered less attractive because they are formed with the intent

Smith gives an overview of third parties by explaining their role in elections, listing the current third party candidates and their parties, and explaining why they rarely win. This helps readers to know more about third parties and their current role, which helps them better understand the rest of the information presented in the article. The article also includes colorful graphics that better explain concepts in the article. These graphics also keep the reader engaged by presenting information in a different way. Finally, the author provides evidence about how the current unfavorability of the major party candidates may allow a third party candidate to gain political status. The author’s appeals to the audience and command of the information help her article to be concise, informative, and

The two party system in the United States has been intact for many years and, despite the fact that many smaller parties have sprouted up over the course of the years, it is unlikely the political system in America will ever accept a third party political group into the primary course of voting. From the very beginning of the American democracy system there has just about always been two major forces in presidential elections. In addition, if you examine the number of votes received in presidential elections, it is rare that a third party gets a single vote from the electoral colleges. There are two primary reasons behind this.

Even though it seems like America is due for a strong third party, I do not see its feasibility