Every election season there are 2 big options on the ballot, you can vote Democrat, or you can vote Republican, and you’ve been told that voting 3rd party is a waste of time. After all, they have won every presidential election since 1852 and controlled Congress since 1856, so their influence runs deep in the country, but people are unhappy with the 2 party system and despite saying that voting 3rd party is a waste of time, they still complain that there are no other options. Ironic, seeing as there is a deep dissatisfaction with the 2 main parties.
The 2 biggest 3rd parties are the Green Party and the Libertarian Party, but they never seem to get votes as party politics always dominate each election without giving the 3rd parties a chance. Looking at the numbers, the Green Party’s best showing in an election came when they got 2.7% of the total vote in 2000 with Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke. The Libertarian Party’s best showing came in 2016 when they received 3.27% of the total vote with Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. Also, one cannot forget to mention Ross Perot and James Stockdale, who ran as independents in 1992 and won 18.9% of the popular vote. When your party’s best performance still gets less than 20% of the total vote, that’s when you know that things need to change.
So what exactly can be done? The answer is surprisingly simple, the change can be made by the Commission of Presidential Debates (CPD), who set up the debates. They have a rule about 3rd parties which can be found on their website, CPD.org. https://www.debates.org/about-cpd/overview/
“The CPD’s third criterion requires that the candidate have a level of support of at least 15% (fifteen percent) of the national electorate as determined by five national public opinion polling organizations selected by CPD, using the average of those organizations’ most recent publicly-reported results at the time of the determination. CPD will rely on the advice of a recognized expert or experts in public opinion polling in determining the polls it will rely upon. The polls to be relied upon will be selected based on the quality of the methodology employed, the reputation of the polling organizations and the frequency of the polling conducted. CPD will identify the selected polling organizations well in advance of the time the criteria are applied.”
Long story short, a potential 3rd party candidate must have at least 15% of the vote across 5 polls that the CPD will choose, which is absolutely insane. The fact that this rule exists is one of the many reasons that the country is locked in a 2 party system. The rule should be changed to only the top 4 parties should have a shot at the debate. Making the rules more inclusive would introduce people to more parties, which could very well sway many allegiances and help grow 3rd parties.
After all, the Founding Fathers tried everything in their power to prevent a 2 party system from happening, as it would only split the country, but adding 3rd parties would take the edge of off the partisan bitterness that divides the left and right. Let’s leave off with this, voting for 3rd parties should not be considered a waste and if enough people voted as passionately for a Green or Libertarian as they would a Democrat or Republican, something interesting can happen. If a 3rd party candidate can receive over 5% of the overall vote, the Federal Election Committee will give the party upwards of $10 million to put towards a future campaign and they will be classified as an official minor party and show up on more ballots. So the next step is clear, if you tire of the 2 party system and want to see real change, help get the 3rd parties to 5%. Every vote counts and this is how you create change.