Question

How have Third Parties influenced American politics and elections?

Answer 1

Practically speaking about the electoral system in the United States, it is true that it works against proliferation of political parties. Interestingly, the Constitution doesn’t say or make any rules about number of political parties or against them, still US government has a two-party system in which candidates from the two major political parties win nearly all elected offices. However, history suggests that it has not prevented minor parties or independent candidates from running for office at the local, state, and national levels. For example, 23 candidates ran for president in the 1992 national election. There are many reasons for creation of third parties, and they had a clear impact on American politics over the years.

There are various barriers which have prevented third parties from electing many candidates in the American politics. First barrier is that mostly US election system is based on winner-take-all system, which awards seats only to the candidate or party who wins the most votes in an election. Therefore, third-party candidates, who have neither the name recognition nor the organizational support provided by the major parties, rarely win the majority of votes. Second, the two major parties frequently incorporate the platforms of third parties into their own platforms. It voters an option to vote for a major party candidate who has adopted that issue because major parties are more likely to succeed. If we look into history, third parties eventually fail to maintain themselves at the local and state levels, usually because one of the major parties skims off their talent by embracing some of the issues that party supporters hold dear. The Populists, Progressives, and Socialists succeeded for a time in winning local and state elections, and even some congressional seats, but their numbers were too small to have a dominating influence.

People typically vote for a third-party candidate because they are trying to send a message to the major parties. That protest vote is often heard. Both the Democrats and Republicans have accepted reforms and programs that originally seemed radical when presented by third parties. The eight-hour workday, women's suffrage, and the railroad rate regulation are good examples.

Third parties lack the financial resources to mount effective campaigns. Today, the cost of running for office is staggering. The two major parties consolidate their dominance of the political system by staging high-profile primaries and national conventions subsidized by taxpayer money. They exclude third-party candidates from most debates, especially those for national office. Although he held around 5 percent support in the polls, for example, Ralph Nader could not participate in the 2000 presidential debates. Indeed, he was not even allowed to sit in the audience, despite possessing a ticket.