Bridget Everson Source 2

How prevalent are third parties in politics?

Hirano, Shigeo, and James M. Snyder Jr. "The Decline Of Third-Party Voting In The United States." Journal Of Politics 69.1 (2007): 1-16. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

This article addresses the overall decline in third party presence in politics. Starting around the beginning of the 1900s, these parties took a hit when it came to elections. Before this point they were quite common and sometimes popular but after 1910 they saw a huge decline. They claim that many factors could have, possibly, influenced their presence. The main one is the overall evolution of the United States’ political system. Another element that impacts third parties is the party affiliation factor. In many cases, in order to gain votes and office, third party candidates are absorbed by the two major parties, slowly dissolving the entire third party. Another cause they propose is the idea that after the New Deal the democratic party went further and further left ostracizing the too moderate third parties. All in all, they prove that third parties have dropped off the political radar.

            Third Parties at one time were popular, now they are seen as a fad and irrelevant to America’s democracy. All voices are important to guaranteeing the success of our nation popular and unpopular, making third parties relevant to the political process. If the New Deal made that big of a change in the political party system, won’t the next social reform change it even more: ie Universal Health Care. What more needs to happen before all voices will be heard again? Will things continue becoming more and more extreme or will it boomerang back?

                       

Although it may seem that Hirano and  Levitt have little in common, they share a common idea about partisanship. Hirano states that “There is some evidence that former third-party candidates were more likely to appear as major party candidates following the introduction of direct primaries in the south”(Hirano).  Levitt responds in kind with“And some of the partisan impact observed in the world will be “venally” caused by partisan considerations”. (Levitt) Both can agree that the pressure to conform in order to gain office is common in American politics. They see that parties can be like tribes and strive to gain office, no matter what the requirements. They see this as a dangerous threat to democracy because it dissolves the independent thinkers and nonconforming candidates.

If third parties haven’t been prevalent since the early 1900s, when will the trend swing back? How can the United States guarantee that all voices are heard in political system? Next I will look at how America has tried to solve these questions.