Third Parties In The United States: A Political Analysis

     In the political system of the United States many barriers and obstacles exist for Third Parties. In the current style of United States politics the Media plays a crucial role in the system, and also posses numerous obstacles for Third Parties. The media often tends to focus on the ?Two Party Horse Race? and neglects the third parties involved in the race. A Third Party Presidential Candidate can not enter into a televised debate unless he has atleast fifteen percent of the popular vote in five major polls. Then there is the process of getting on the ballot in

Third parties offer voters an alternative to the same two parties that run in the presidential election every four years, often with more concrete goals and views, yet there has never been successful third party candidate. For over one and a half centuries, the Republicans and Democrats have held a duopoly over the United States government (Diamond 2015). People have been growing more and more frustrated in their government and the two parties, so why haven’t third-party candidates gained any ground in the political sphere?

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

In order to participate in major elections, third parties must first overcome a myriad of obstacles that have been put in place by both the founding fathers and politicians of our current two-party system. Rosenstone and his colleagues contend that the most important barrier in place to discourage the success of third parties is the plurality single-member districts that are the cornerstone of the American electoral process. Not only do single-member districts elect only one member to higher office, but they also allow such elections to occur without an electoral majority. If voters know that a third party is unlikely to receive a substantial amount of votes, they may believe a vote for the party would be a wasted vote. This requirement for a plurality of votes is especially detrimental for a third party presidential campaign, due to the fact that the Electoral College distributes electoral votes to the winner of each statewide vote (excluding Nebraska and Maine), and the only plausible way for a third party candidate to receive any electoral votes is to be extremely popular in a certain region of the United States. Unlike the two major

“It is a natural evolution of our mass consciousness to begin to see third parties as a viable option; it is reflected in the corrupt and broken two-party system.” Michelle Augello-Page, an author and writer, uses this quote to speak to the frustration Americans feel about the two-party political system. Since the 1850’s, the Democrats and Republicans have received the majority of the popular vote, while third party candidates struggle election after election (Schechter). The two major party candidates don’t always speak to the issues many Americans want to be addressed. Therefore, Americans must consider voting for third party candidates to ensure democracy works for everyone.

Another reason for the insignificance of third parties and the reason for the two party system is the first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system. Unfortunately for third parties, the two main parties always tend to come out with the majority even if they don’t win the popular vote. An example of the unfairness of this voting system is in 2008 the independent party of America managed to get 1 in every 5 votes but still didn’t manage to gain seats. Having said that, FPTP in theory allows for a strong stable government with a hefty majority providing they dominate congress and the legislature.

It truly is a shame that a stigma is put upon anyone who “throws their vote away” by casting their ballot for a third party, for third parties offer an attractive alternative to the “cookie-cutter” positions of the Democratic and Republican parties. The sooner the American public realizes that voting for a third party or candidate not even in the election, the sooner the political climate of the United States becomes an overall better, more specialized, and tame

Third parties in the United States do not win, but they do tend to keep elections interesting. Although third parties bring in votes for themselves, most of them have extreme views on issues. These type of views cannot put a party at the top of a nation that mainly consists of moderate individuals. America has one of the most advanced democracies and as a result has developed the two party system. The reason a two party system overpowers a three-party system is because, ideally, the constitution only has two sides to it, the opposing and the supporting. While the United States has a large two party system, third parties have been around for hundreds of years, they play a large part in presidential elections, and within the national government

Lastly, looking back at past elections, third party candidates have never won an election, because the electoral college is made up of two parties: the republican party and the democratic party. This makes it unfair for the third party candidates because it really never gives them a chance at winning an election (Michael Malice). Some people throughout the country do have strong feelings on the third party candidates, because they take ideas from both parties, to make a strong campaign in order to win the election and be the next president of the United States. They have good intentions and potential, and it is never able to be used because the electors in the Electoral College have different beliefs. Along with that, a change in the presidency

There are two main political parties that dominate politics in the in the United States: The Democratic and Republic Parties. It turns out that these two political parties are opposed to each other on a wide range of issues that affect American public life. Unfortunately, many Americans are unaware of these differences between the two parties and tend to vote their officials into office in an uneducated manner. This often results in the political gridlock that often characterize government business in Washington. The Republican and Democratic Party don 't have much in common but they do have a a lot of things that they oppose from each other. Some issues that both parties have in common support the death penalty. But on issues like abortion Democrats think that should be made legal while Republicans think that it should be illegal. In this essay, I shall examine the ideological positions of either party on a number of these issues in order to define my own allegiance towards either of them.

Third parties fail to achieve electoral victories and representation in modern American politics have been because of the structure of the types of the elections, the ballot rules, and the debate rules. Even if the third parties have equal standards, views, resources, etc., lacking in popularity and significance within the government may increase the chance of not being able to represent in politics. “In order to appreciate the reasons for the Electoral College, it is essential to understand its historical context and the problem that the Founding Fathers were trying to solve.” (Kimberling) In the nation, the political parties brought up concerns and questioning of how electing a president with no such political parties would be possible

The Third Party System was a Democratic Party that was not able to maintain the alliance that was formed with the southern and western farmers once slavery became the main problem in America. The Third Party was created after a sectional dispute that was about slavery that led to the collapse of the Second Party System back in the 1850s. The Third Party divided into two with the Democrats in the South being proslavery and the Democrats in the North being antislavery. In 1860 the party selected two different presidents that represented each of the two divisions and they also found themselves having disagreements on slavery. After the death of Webster and Clay, there was a lack of leadership that was having a big impact. The Republicans, on the

The interesting event known as the 2016 election has offered a good day for the nation’s oldest third party. The Prohibition Party has had its biggest national election results since 1988. The Prohibition Party has received over 5,500 votes from the current ballot results, and will likely have a higher total once write-in ballots from other states are reported. The results are already more than 10 times the party’s national vote in 2012. It is a sign of the hard work the Prohibition Party’s members and their advocacy, and is something to offer hope to those who advocate for temperance and for government in service of family and community.

America is vastly known as a country boundlessly pursuing equality in all facets of life. In this seemingly endless quest for equal opportunity, there has been one lurking negation; our election system. The addition to equal representation in public funding and on the ballot will create variability and allow Americans to entrust their vote in a political format that more closely aligns with democratic philosophy. Therefore, a shift away from a bipartisan, a two party, dominated election system would not only be a healthy change for American electoral satisfaction, but for the future of third party politics. Unfortunately affluence and inherent wealth have played a large role in this divide between a true democratic election and our present biased, broken, and benyne system.

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