Some obstacles that third parties face include voters believing that their vote for a third party candidate is a waste, since that candidate is unlikely to win. Also, third parties usually focus on a single personality or a single issue and that can lead to less popularity among voters. However, the most significant obstacle a third party faces is the winner-take-all system, where in the majority of states, the presidential candidate gets all the state’s electoral votes with the highest percentage of votes. This basically takes all the chances of a third party wining a presidential election.
Our political system is comprised of a two party system that has existed since our country's inception. While the Democrats and Republicans are the dominant parties, there are third-parties such as the Libertarians, the Tea Party, the Green Party and many others. While they are small and a third party candidate has never won a presidential election, they can have a significant effect on the outcome. Such examples include the Elections of 1912 and 1992, two years in which the election was changed by the actions of a third party candidate. This also applies to our current presidential election in which one of the Republican frontrunners, Donald Trump, has vowed to run as a third party candidate if he feels mistreated.
The electoral college is unfair to the third party because they don’t get votes from the electoral college. Based on the presidential election from 1980 and 1992, it have show that the third party don’t get electoral vote(Doc B). The third party have a disadvantage which make it impossible for the third party to win the election because of the “winner take it all” system. According to George Will, he say that it discriminate smaller party and only help the main two parties(Doc E). The electoral college supports a two party system, discourages third party, and thereby restrict choices available to the
It’s highly unlikely for the third-party to win, but if they managed to receive enough votes it would mean that neither of the two major parties wins the majority (241). In 1948, 1960, and 1968 third-parties have been able to receive electoral votes leaving the possibility that they shift and skew the major party candidate’s opinions and decisions. This is too much power for third-parties to just able to disrupt an election
Democrat or Republican? I am a democrat. My first reason why I support the democratic side is because I believe that the wealthy needs to pay more taxes. My second reason is that I believe in quality, affordable healthcare.
Although the Progressive party didn’t win the elections, the party gained 27.5% of the popular votes, the most in third party history (What is the history of "third parties" in the United States?). Third parties form on the basis of reform principles and have flourished more during eras of movements such as the Civil Right Movements. It is when third parties challenge major parties with social justice issues that third parties gain attention and major parties are challenged with the issues and ideologies in debates and
A citizen would not be wasting their vote by voting for a third party candidate because it is not a waste of a vote if they believe in the person you vote for or if they believe it is the right choice. For example if the citizen agrees with the candidates policies they will be voting for the right reasons. This is because they are not voting for anyone just because they are popular and are said to win. A citizen should want their message to be advocated to america through someone who believes in their message. That someone will promote issues that the citizens want to be heard.
For example, though the two main political parties are the Democratic and Republican party, there are many other parties, such as the Green Party, the Socialist Party, the Constitution Party, and the Libertarian Party. During this time period, both supporters and opponents of the Constitution were concerned with the political instability produced by rival factions. The state governments had not succeeded in solving this problem; in fact, the situation
However, when it came to the electoral vote, Clinton won 69% and Bush won 31% while Perot got 0% (Doc B). Candidates in third parties rarely ever win to become president and sometimes even get no electoral votes at all. Many of these smaller parties are often overshadowed by the bigger main two, Democrats and Republicans, leaving no room for other independent ideas or opinions. As Geroge Will states, “The system bolsters the two party-system by discouraging independent candidacies…” (Doc E).
(Josephson, 2016) On the other hand, the idea that people avoid third-party candidates and choose between the major two-party system may discourage voters from going to the polls. Augments against the Electoral College say “It makes it very hard for a third party to break through at the national level and increases the risk that a third party could spoil a candidate’s chance of winning, which in turn discourages people from voting for third-party candidates.” (Josephson, 2016) Voters from every state whether large or small should feel confident that their vote
Another innate flaw in the Electoral College is it “damages the chances of third-party candidates [to make] a serious bid for the White House because such candidates rarely gain enough voter support to win entire states” (Newton and Rich, “Point: Electoral College”). Despite this, the presence of third party candidates can tip the popular vote in individual states, therefore affecting the total outcome of the election due to the “winner-takes-all” allocation of electoral votes. Such was the case with Ralph Nader, a Green Party presidential candidate, whose 1.6% of the popular vote in Florida was one of the factors that “shifted the state from Democratic nominee Al Gore to Republican George W. Bush” (Black, Minnpost). It is cases like these that hurt the overall case for third-party candidates, whose attempts to achieve office get dismissed by the general American public and other political parties. In the months surrounding the 2012 election, Republican campaign aides and officials were attempting to prevent Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson’s place on ballots out of fear that his presence would steal votes from Mitt Romney, the Republican Party candidate (Rutenberg, NYTimes).
Although the United States has a two-party-dominant system, the country has always had more than two parties. Third parties have influenced elections. Parts of their programs were adopted by one or both of the major
During the start of our world the framers of the Constitution despised the thought of their being political parties, many thought of political parties as being illegitimate they were unanimously against them and the emergence of the third parties in and their impact on politics in America was a strong one. The thought of having no parties didn’t last long and the very first third party came forward, the Anti-Masons. The Anti-Masons appeared in 1828 under the lead of Clay Whig after the disappearance of William Morgan. This third party was highly opposed to Free Masonry because back then you couldn’t become anything or move forward in society unless you were a Free Mason; this was near impossible considering that there was favoritism in that
Finally, it will be argued that the modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two parties have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the United States Congress since 1856. The Democratic Party generally positions itself as centre-left in American politics and supports a modern American liberal platform, while the Republican Party generally positions itself as centre-right and supports a modern American conservative platform. (Nichols, 1967)
Americans strive to fight for what is right. Americans who vote will vote for the candidate who shares the same political views as the voter. It is fascinating how unconsciously Americans, as voters, oftentimes forget to take the time to contemplate why the candidate that shares the same views as us is right. Political parties have led us as a nation through dark times, such as the Great Depression, they serve as a vital lifeline for our government. Without any political parties there would be not representation, voting would become exceedingly complicated than it should be, our government would change entirely.
