The United States political system has operated using the Democratic and Republican parties for about two centuries. Today, however, this system has lost its original meaning: Parties have become divisive and more focused on namesake rather than actual policy.
When we think of a Democrat or a Republican in the modern age of politics, it is more than just a determinant of their political views. The party characterizes who someone is as a person, and those with opposing views are against them by sheer definition.
In 2004, about 49% of individuals had mixed or inconsistent feelings about their political views. Now, only 39% of people are between political parties and many more have chosen to identify as primarily Republican or Democrat.
During presidential elections, only the Democratic and Republican parties hold primary elections. Due to the usage of the two-party system, third parties only gain about 1% of the popular vote.
The Independent Party and the Green Party are examples of third parties that frequently run in presidential elections. However, people typically don’t vote for these parties, because they intend for their vote to be used on a candidate they feel has a better chance of winning, according to the U.S. Embassy.
It also may take away support from the dominant political party one identifies with. If people from a party choose to vote for a third-party candidate, that could be taking votes from their registered party just for the third-party candidate not to receive enough votes to win.
This is a difficult issue to solve but could be possible if both Democrat and Republican voters agreed upon a candidate who held views from both parties. If enough voters stepped outside of their strict political boxes and voted for a third-party candidate, more goals could be accomplished during that term that would appease a wide variety of Americans.
People also don’t tend to interact with members of the other party and are mostly isolated within their own political bubbles; 98-99% of Americans live in areas separated by party. This creates a further divide between the two parties, each having a distinct, likely negative view of the other, and if they don’t interact, that viewpoint will never be changed.
According to the Pew Research Center, 27% of Democrats view the Republican party as a threat to the nation, while 36% of Republicans view Democrats as a threat. These numbers are significantly higher than they were in 1994, indicating further polarization of the parties. This is likely due to the isolation of the parties because members of each party primarily interact with individuals who agree with them.
These divides make it more difficult for the government and its constituents to function and make progress. If people stay isolated in their parties, they will be unable to listen to those of the opposing party, even though they may share certain views on how the country should be operating.
This is especially difficult when two candidates are running for president and neither is a great fit in the eyes of the public. This is prominent today, in which the two main candidates running in the 2024 election, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, are not popular choices.
As of April 3, 35% of Americans support Trump, 30% support Biden and 29% believe neither would be a good president. This is a significant portion of the nation: 1 in 3 citizens believe that the two most prominent candidates will not perform well as president. This view is also not unfounded; we have seen both of these candidates take office, and arguably neither have made any extremely positive impacts.
This is a situation in which a third-party candidate might be a better fit for the presidency. Due to their lack of affiliation to either party, they will not be ostracized by one party by being part of another. People may be more likely to view them neutrally and listen to their views without being distracted by their party and may find that they identify with their views because they take both parties’ values into account.
The most important objectives that we as a nation should work towards are political progress, equality and the best financial state possible. The battle between the political parties takes away from peoples’ ability to make progress and agree on important issues.
