Being third in a two-party system

Most of the political power in our country is split between two parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The current reality of our system might leave many voters feeling disenfranchised and underrepresented. Many wonder where independent voters, turned off by both the major parties, should look to for leadership. Some might turn to third-party candidates such as Jo Jorgenson of the Libertarian Party, who held a small campaign event in Bozeman last Friday, Sept. 18.

Only two members of the Senate are listed as independents: Bernie Sanders I-VT and Angus King I-ME. Both caucus with the Democratic Party, and during his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, Sanders ran on the Democratic ticket. Out of the 453 members in the House of Representatives, there are only three independent and third-party members. “Third-party candidates, at least when it comes to the presidential campaign, but also if you go down to congressional elections, don’t win,” said Dr. David Parker, department head of political science at MSU. Perhaps the most successful campaign run by a third-party candidate was led by Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election, in which he received nearly 19% of the popular vote.

The American political system makes it very difficult for third party campaigns to succeed. According to Dr. Parker, “The whole system is stacked against third parties in terms of the electoral structure, the electoral rules, campaign finance and the ambitious candidates preferring to run on one of the major party labels.” For candidates to have their names listed on the presidential ballot, a third-party nominee must satisfy ballot access laws that vary from state to state. Generally, these laws require nominees to prove a minimum level of electoral relevance. Failure to do so means their name will not appear on the ballot in a particular state.

To qualify for the presidential debates, a third-party candidate must clearly show that they have a chance to win. They must also have the support of at least 15% of voters. These are major obstacles for third-party candidates to overcome and inherently give an advantage to the better funded, more well-known Republican and Democratic candidates.

Many third-party candidates still run for office with strong intentions. “[Third-party candidates] bring attention to the issues that are ignored by the two main parties and cause the two main parties to shift,” Parker said. If a third-party nominee becomes popular enough to appear on the ballot, this alerts the Democratic and Republican parties that they need to update their policies and expand their voter-base. On paper, it might seem hard for a third-party candidate to win an election, but the ideas and beliefs they represent can nevertheless transcend party lines and influence those who hold power.