In my last blog post, I discussed the political polarization in America. I think one main thing that can keep bipartisanship alive in America is third parties and independent voters. Third parties are not nearly as powerful in the United States as they are in other countries that do not have a two-party system, but third parties are still extremely important in our political system.
Some of the most notable third parties that you may know is the American Independent party, Libertarians, and the Green Party. There are over 100 registered third party organizations in the United States, but not all of them are well-known.
Notably, third parties have made many decisions that have impacted America greatly. Some of these have been women’s suffrage, child labor laws, reduction of working hours, income tax, and social security. None of these life-changing decisions would have been possible without third parties and independent voters.
Not only were third-parties important in the past, but they are also critical in today’s political environment. Third parties mainly focus on one significant problem that is impacting America. They build their entire platform around this issue and raising awareness for it. While this may be a downfall for winning elections, it brights light to major problems in America. Most of the time, the major party candidates try to stay away from these issues, but third-parties drag them into discussing how they will handle certain problems. Third parties and independent voters base their support on issues and who will solve them.
Third parties can actually impact election results for the major two parties. For example, during the 2000 election Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader took votes away from Al Gore, causing George Bush to pull through and win. George Bush was willing to accept the terms of the Green Party, and therefore got its support.
Third parties affect bipartisanship because independent voters cast votes based on issues, not party loyalty. These days, many people vote Democrat or Republican based on their party loyalty. We see more often people choosing the “straight ticket” option, instead of focusing on issues the candidate is addressing. Independent voters keep the issues addressed and candidates moderate. There are many benefits to bipartisanship that come from being an independent party voter.
Although third parties can save American bipartisanship, they face many problems when building their platform. Just some of the problems third parties face are monetary, outreach, and the structure of the United States electoral college. The electoral college is catered to a two-part system, instead of a multi-party system.
Although it is almost impossible for independent parties to get elected, they still help America significantly. Independent voters keep a much more moderate stance, and could be the saving factor of bipartisanship.
I never considered the importance of third parties. Most of the time I am stuck between disliking the two party system and wishing that the electoral college didn’t favor it so much. However, you bring to light how much they still do for the country even when they are more supressed. I agree that voting should be based more on issues, not just the political party the candidate supports. In the end, their policies are going to impact the country, not whether they are democrats or republicans. I like how you brought to light how independent voters play this important role and I would like to see more people focused on the issues at hand and not the politics involved in them
Before reading your post, I had little to no knowledge about the role third parties play in our political system. Honestly, all the previous knowledge I had was not the most accurate! I think third parties are quite interesting and could prevent people from voting as “straight ticket” voters. Being able to vote on issues that truly matter to you is something I think is important. However, I do know about the hesitation people have when casting their votes for third parties, since they typically do not win the overall election. I think this is a topic that should definitely be researched more and reformed to see how we can better our voting systems.