Isabel Hinojosa ’25
Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Clay Banks via Unsplash
Historically, third parties have not been a viable option in American politics. With our rapidly changing political landscape, will we have more than two options?
Democrats and Republicans have been the two main parties since the 1860s. It is a commonly known phrase in politics that “voting for a third party is a waste of your voice.” The last time a third party was successful was in 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt finished ahead of William Taft, still losing out to Woodrow Wilson.
Historically, third-parties have served to bring attention to issues that are not mainstream and criticize the mainstream. In regard to voting, they have mainly served to split majorities and give the advantage to the party that is not divided. However, these candidates and third parties have had very little media coverage over the years, putting them at an extreme disadvantage.
Yet, the American people are fed up with the current U.S. political climate. Could this lead the way to the downfall of the two-party system? There is convincing evidence that this could be the case in the near future.
In current elections, the candidates the two major parties have put forth have tended to stand for extremes of the ideologies that the party holds. Extremism in the two-party system and moderate ideologies are creating strong polarization in American politics.
As polarization increases within parties, the majority of the public stays in the middle, having disdain for both parties. This extremity may be increasing the likelihood of a prevailing third party being elected. Joshua Green, a political journalist for Bloomsberg Businessweek, presents data that shows the public’s dislike of growing polarization, “82 percent of respondents agreed that the country was too polarized to make progress solving problems, and three-quarters wanted more choices than just the Democratic and Republican candidates.”
Along with this, people are beginning to distance themselves from their original party. Parties are fractured when the party moves in either an extremist direction or a more compromising, moderate direction. Democrats and Republicans are not only becoming more divided, but the division is also growing within the parties.
With these new opportunities, some third parties are using modern strategies to elevate their platform and gain traction in the political arena. One grievance that American voters have is that there is a lack of legislation being created because of the lack of compromise and stubbornness of the two main parties, so they feel that they are not being represented properly in government. Some third parties are first trying to establish themselves in local governments because those governments can make direct changes to the lives of the constituents in that area.
Another strategy third parties use to gain an advantage is finding a strong leader, something that the two mainstream parties have been lacking. This leader should have good communication with their followers and be able to put their desires into words and then political action. People often feel that their voice is not heard in present-day politics, so if a third party can create that feeling for voters, they will be able to earn a following and gain some traction.
This leader should also be a strong campaign leader. Making your presence known and creating alliances is crucial to the development of a new party. Focusing on a single, large issue can attract a lot of supporters that are passionate about that issue. Avoiding issues that are more commonly discussed between the two mainstream parties would be beneficial as to avoid conflict.
The new activists supporting the parties’ issue will be able to mobilize and will be willing to volunteer to campaign and reach out to more people who do not align with either of the major parties. David Reynolds, a professor at Cambridge University, gives the example, “Right-wing groups such as the Christian Coalition have well realized the effectiveness of building from the ground up by fostering active local groups around targeted issues and election campaigns.”
An alternative strategy used by third-party startups is by gaining followers on social media. In an article for the Atlantic, Joshua Green, a political journalist, has written about a specific party called Unity08. Unity08 planned to utilize something past third-parties have not had: the Internet.
Their plan was this, according to Green: “When Unity08 formally launches its website this month, it will begin signing up delegates online. Any registered voter can be a delegate, and can join without having to give up a prior political affiliation. At the same time, the new party’s leaders will begin the process of qualifying Unity08 on all 50 ballots for the 2008 presidential election. The requirements for ballot access vary dramatically from state to state, so delegates and other volunteers will perform the work of gathering the necessary signatures.”
This new system has merit and is a way of drawing a younger generation of voters into a new system to overthrow the long-lived two-party system. Only time and the American voters will tell if these strategies will accomplish something historical.
