Why Are Third Parties Written Off In American Politics?

Despite being the constant underdog and loser in major elections third parties make some significant contribution to the political spectrum in the United States. Third Party Agendas are taken serious by the Democratic and Republican Parties and specific pieces of the Third Party Agendas are sometimes adopted by the two major parties. Third parties give discontented voters other alternatives. The Republican and Democratic Parties have been known to operate in similar styles and third parties give the voter the opportunity to express their discontent. The third parties in the United States are policy advocates and often are more specific about were they stand ideologically. Often the Republican and Democratic Parties try and take a moderate

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?

I agree with this statement because third parties are not very well known enough to get the presidential election and have never had a party member elected into the presidential office. Third party influence is not very high so even though the option is there, more people are likely to vote for the more well known Democratic and Republican than the third party, which means third party candidate votes

“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.

In order to avoid losing voters to third parties, the two major parties are often forced to adopt positions championed by third parties. To fully comprehend why third parties exist, it is important to first be able to identify the numerous challenges they face in order to gain any sense of credibility.

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.

Third parties have been prevalent in nearly every United States election since the Anti-Masonic Party was formed in 1828—and have carried a foul reputation with them ever since. Traditionally, third parties are seen as voids into which voters cast their ballots, taking away those precious votes from the party that they most represent ideologically. However, this cynical view of third parties—and voting for people who are not running at all—overlooks the fact that, in voting for these parties, there is a certain degree of freedom afforded to the American people, a freedom not only to vote for whomever one wishes but also one to exercise the right of inadvertently and peacefully protesting the main presidential nominees offered up by the main

It is defined as a system where two major political parties dominate voting at nearly all elections that take place and the elected members form part of either party. The two major Parties in America are the Democrats and Republicans. The arrangement is such that all the parties who are elected form part of wither parties and it is very rare that a third party win any seat in the legislature. There are three types of third parties. These are the single issue, the candidate driven and the ideological. The single issue is made up of the peace and freedom and the independent party. The candidate driven is built up of the reform, Bull Moose and the green. The libertarian and socialist form part of the ideological party.

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

First, the two-party system does not create an equal policy in society because it does not allow people to get far if they are not within either of the two parties. The idea of the winner-take-all electoral system is the hostile terrain for third parties because the odds are in favor of the bigger parties (Conray). The bigger parties over the years seem to have the upper hand within the government, and especially within the elections.

Provide examples to support the answer. Note: Consider the political impact of the Republican and Democratic Party if a third party was successful.

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

This is largely because there have only been two parties for so long, and these two parties have made it such a point to make their separation of ideals and beliefs blatant, so the vast majority of the voters have for the most part picked a definitive “side”, so to speak, and have registered as a member of the corresponding political party, that caters the most to their individual ideals. Because of this, it has made it very hard for any smaller parties to gain enough support to

This puts into perspective the disparity that Republicans and Democrats hold against other parties, it would be huge for a third party to get one percent of the vote. He discusses the importance that the Libertarians get at least one percent of the vote because it would help them break through a large barrier. This article concludes by saying that the LP has a good chance of breaking the typical third party barrier. They have the most support as a third party, and among others, they do the best in all

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