Questions tagged [third-party]

In some countries (e.g. the United States) political power tends to fall to two major political parties. Politicians not belonging to these major parties are typically referred to as "third party" candidates, even if they belong to no party at all. Use for questions surrounding the politics of running and functioning politically outside of the major parties.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
17 votes
8 answers
8k views

Why do 3rd party voters in the US seem to lean right politically?

In the United States, there are 2 major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. However, not every vote is cast for one of those parties when other candidates run. In ...
Number File's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
182 views

Who pays and organizes the primaries of third parties?

In the US, primaries for the presidential election of the two major parties are usually funded and regulated by the state government. Is this also true for the smaller parties? In that case how is it ...
Franz Ferdinand's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
177 views

Why does a third party never reach the end phase of elections in the US? [duplicate]

In the US there are always two parties that get the major parts of the votes. A third party (like the Green Party) never reaches the end phase. I could imagine three (or more) men or women arguing in ...
Deschele Schilder's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
478 views

Why isn't there a bigger presence of 3rd parties in the US Senate or House of Representatives?

Many people say that voting for a 3rd party in a presidential election is pointless. And under the rules, this is pretty true as it is a winner takes all system. The Senate and House of ...
Pollman's user avatar
  • 1,646
4 votes
0 answers
62 views

Are there any studies/ data sources into whether Republicans or Democrats suffer the most under the presence of 3rd parties?

I am looking to explore the impact of 3rd parties on mainstream political parties in the United States. Not necessarily at the federal level but at state level too, and across any branch of the ...
Hamish Gibson's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
132 views

Why don't we see more independent presidential candidates in the US? [duplicate]

As I understand it a person does not actually have to be either the Democrat or the Republican nominee to run for president in the US, why then are independent candidates, at least for that position ...
Neil Meyer's user avatar
  • 1,173
1 vote
1 answer
278 views

Who are the third party electors

This question is about the electoral college. From what I understand, the way the electoral college works is that each party appoints electors for their party, based on state-specific rules that ...
John's user avatar
  • 4,899
35 votes
1 answer
7k views

Is there objective proof that Jo Jorgensen stopped Trump winning, like a right-wing Ralph Nader?

Breitbart is pushing the theory that if Jo Jorgensen hadn't run, Trump would have won (assuming that he didn't). Is this correct? Is there objective proof that all (or enough) of her votes would ...
Statsanalyst's user avatar
  • 1,615
2 votes
4 answers
435 views

Can a third-party candidate “donate” their votes to another candidate?

Is there any provision in US constitution which allows one candidate, say Jo Jorgensen, to “donate” their votes in a given state to another candidate?
user avatar
20 votes
6 answers
7k views

Is it still theoretically possible for Kanye West to become the US president in 2021?

Famous rapper Kanye West is running for US president, but... West has qualified for ballot access in 12 states. Kanye West 2020 presidential campaign It appears theoretically impossible for him to ...
Rebecca J. Stones's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
251 views

Why do black Americans vote for third parties even less than other Americans?

I was reading through an exit poll, and I found that only 3-4% of Black American voters voted 3rd party in the 2016 election. 6% of American voters voted 3rd party and polls indicate that that number ...
Number File's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
374 views

Which states returned the most third party votes in the 2016 presidential election?

I'm curious about which states in the 2016 US presidential election got the most third party votes. I want the top 5 states by percentage down to 1/10 of a percent that shows what the highest 3rd ...
Number File's user avatar
25 votes
4 answers
11k views

Is there any rule or law stopping Bernie Sanders from running as a third party candidate?

This is a yes or no question. If the answer is yes, please explain why. If the answer is no, please explain how come. Note that I'm not asking whether it would be wise, immoral, stupid or "virtually ...
Stand with Gaza's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
192 views

How could a third party candidate with electoral votes decide the choice of president?

In the 1968 Washington Post story announcing Nixon as the winner of the 1968 presidential election, the author made a peculiar point: Nixon’s Illinois victory, which emerged more than 15 hours ...
volcanrb's user avatar
  • 141
29 votes
10 answers
9k views

Why isn't there a serious attempt at creating a third mass-appeal party in the US?

Most people in the US do not identify themselves as either Republican or Democrat (see Gallup data). There seems to be four possible explanations. These independent-leaning Americans prefer more ...
patsy's user avatar
  • 323
11 votes
3 answers
652 views

What do third party candidates for the US presidency expect to functionally accomplish in terms of voting?

Background In the history of the United States presidential election, it is exceedingly rare that a third party candidate does anything other than split votes from one (sometimes two) main parties, ...
isakbob's user avatar
  • 5,400
4 votes
3 answers
3k views

Where would Geoism be placed on a political compass?

Geoism/Georgism is an economic philosophy holding that, while people should own the value they produce themselves, economic value derived from land and other natural resources should belong equally to ...
endolith's user avatar
  • 3,514
3 votes
1 answer
87 views

Have any third parties used Maine or Arizona's public financing in their campaigns?

I cannot find evidence for a third party using the public financing option for either state. I can see nothing preventing it and assume they have at some point. Specifically I'm referring to the $5 ...
Brooks Nelson's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
545 views

Why don't third parties in the United States advocate for Approval/Range Voting?

I've been thinking a lot about governance systems and how a certain governance structure may systemically reinforce certain behaviors. Specifically, it seems experimentally impossible for third ...
user22886's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
224 views

In Massachusetts, can I vote third party if I register as a Republican?

I am currently working on registering to vote, however, I want to know if registering as a Republican will force me to vote for Charlie Baker for Massachusetts Governor. I do not like Charlie Baker ...
7MessRobHackOpen's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
451 views

What exactly was the reason anti-Masonic party disliked Masons?

Wikipedia article on anti-Masonic party seems to suggest a combination of "accused them of disappearing a former Mason critic", and "anti-Elite sentiment, since Masons were usually prominent" as a ...
user4012's user avatar
  • 91.8k
15 votes
2 answers
3k views

Who would be elected Prime Minister if the winning party was "Independent"?

I know this is highly unlikely, bordering on impossible, but what would happen if the majority of seats were won by independent candidates in a general election? Would the independents simply choose ...
Charlie's user avatar
  • 3,006
6 votes
1 answer
677 views

Why are "third parties" viable in many democracies but not the USA? [duplicate]

In the USA it's extremely rare for independent or "third party" politicians to win any elections at the national (federal) level; it's almost exclusively Democrats and Republicans. This has been ...
lightspectra's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
1k views

Why did Gary Johnson's support erode in late October 2016?

We all know that he had been, a few months back, a viable candidate in the Libertarian party, for progressives and conservatives, who were disaffected with Trump as the GOP nominee with his disgusting ...
user9760's user avatar
  • 631
4 votes
1 answer
179 views

Can Gary Johnson or Jill Stein possibly participate in the second or third debates?

No third party candidate met the 15% polling threshold to participate in the 1st debate. If Johnson's or Stein's polling results improve before the 2nd or 3rd debates can they participate? What are ...
kaine's user avatar
  • 424
1 vote
1 answer
311 views

What is Darrell Castle's position on the 9/11 Truth movement?

Darrell Castle, the 2016 Constitution Party presidential candidate, ran for vice president in 2008 under Chuck Baldwin, who flirted with the 9/11 Truth movement. I'm going to try to make this as ...
Mr. Bultitude's user avatar
11 votes
6 answers
2k views

Why don't political parties support independent candidates to the extreme of their opponent to split the opposition vote?

Let's say you're the DNC, why not fund an independent candidacy for a somewhat well-known, legitimate conservative politician who is too extreme to actually get elected, but with views appealing to ...
user1441998's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
293 views

Are laws restricting electoral oversight to particular parties constitutional?

In Tennessee (possibly in other jurisdictions as well), each county has an electoral commission made of five members. Legally, three must be from the party that holds a majority in the state general ...
Stephen Collings's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
241 views

What will it take for a "Third Party" to gain REAL traction at any level in the United States? [closed]

I've been around long enough to be registered to and somewhat involved with a number of so-called "third party" efforts. These include the Libertarian, Peace and Freedom, Green and my very favorite ...
William Cerf's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
919 views

Why didn't Americans Elect field a candidate in the 2012 U.S. presidential election?

Americans Elect was trying to get an alternative candidate on the ballot in the 2012 presidential election. The party was to hold a completely online convention to elect a party ticket to run. ...
WilliamKF's user avatar
  • 1,547