Ben Lazaroff AP Government 2004 #3 Homework Essay

11/29/11

In regards to third party candidates, there are two main, opposing positions of argument as to whether one should vote for them. Some voters claim to place principle over party, and vote for a third party candidate whose views more closely align with theirs, The counterargument, on the other hand, is presented by voters who see third party votes as a waste because of their sheer improbability of winning (the latter is depicted by the political cartoon). However, the figurative statement made by this cartoon does have some evidence because of the many obstacles faced by the many third parties that have unsuccessfully attempted to win an election in the United States. One major factor preventing a realistic chance for an independent candidate in elections is the winner-take-all formula of the electoral college. As it is established in the U.S., a candidate that wins a plurality of votes in a particular state wins the entirety of that states electoral count. This limits a third-party from gaining any significant influence in an election because it is extremely difficult for them to win the largest percentage of votes from a particular area without being affiliated with one of the two main political parties. In fact, Ralph Nader received 19% of the popular vote in his presidential campaign, but was unable to win a single point from the electoral college. In European nations, where a runoff or playoff system dictates political elections, victory for an independent candidate would be much more plausible. However, we have no such system, and unfortunately, our ballot requirements are just as difficult and preventative of a third-party election winner. States require a potential independent candidate to gain an enormous amount of signatures (up to 750,000!) and fork over filing fees of approximately eight thousand dollars to get on the presidential ballot in all fifty states. These numbers are daunting, and even the high-profile Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was unable to get his name on the 2000 presidential ballot in three states. While third parties may not find themselves on the winning end of many elections, they have certainly found alternate methodologies to influence government. For instance, they have introduced new ideas, such as those proposed by the Progressives in the early 20th century. Many of the issues they discussed were adopted, such as the direct election of Senators and the secret ballot. Third parties may also serve to clarity the positions of the major-party candidates by acting as a fallback. Essentially, they serve to bolster the ideologies of either the Democratic or Republican candidate by appearing to be more extreme in order to make it seem as though the major candidate is more centrist, and therefore more appealing to the general public.