Growing Frustration with the Two-Party System

 By Jacqueline Wright 

Stonehill News Staff Writer

“As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration with the Two-Party System," a study released by the Pew Research Center in August 2022, found that more than a quarter of Americans dislike both parties and that nearly 40% wish for more political parties to choose from when they vote. Almost half of young voters said they wish there were more options. 

The study said that 27% of Americans dislike both parties, a significant increase from the 7% who said they disliked both parties 20 years ago. It’s also the highest percentage it’s been within the last 20 years of polling. 

That study also said that 39% of Americans agreed that the statement “I often wish there were more political parties to choose from in this country” describes their views extremely or very well, and another 32% of voters said that the statement describes their views somewhat well. 

Third-party expert Bernard Tamas, a professor at Valdosta State University in Georgia, said that the recent growth in demand for a third party is most likely due to polarization between the Republicans and Democrats, leaving a large number of Americans feeling like their opinions are not being represented.

Independent voters in particular seem to be interested in having another option. The study found that 53% of independent voters who lean Democratic agree that there should be more parties, along with 48% of independent voters who lean Republican. Of independents who don’t identify with either party, 48% were found to agree to this sentiment as well. 

Additionally, 38% of the members of the Democratic party and 21% of the members of the Republican party believe there should be more parties to choose from. 

“People have always wanted a third party, but that doesn’t mean that they then turn around and actually vote for third party candidates,” Tamas said, “People like it on a very hypothetical level.” 

Tamas said that historically, particularly after the Civil War, third parties emerged for the purpose of attacking one or both of the main parties by taking some of its base of support. The third party would do this by advocating for a specific topic, such as economic reforms, and people who were passionate about the topic would give their votes to the third party. The Democrats or Republicans would then adopt the issue that the third party represented and the smaller party would die out because the larger party had absorbed its base. Tamas referred to this strategy as “sting like a bee,” in reference to how bees die after stinging someone. 

Although many may see voting for a small third party as a waste of a vote, Tamas said that historically, third party votes were seen as protest votes. It was a way to challenge the more popular parties, and it had a big impact on the political system. The Progressive Movement, which spanned from around 1890 to 1920, occurred when the Progressive party split from the Republican party, forcing major Republican politicians to lose their seats, according to Tamas.

 Tamas said that although some may be afraid to vote for a third party because it could pave the way for whichever party you dislike the most to win, it's one of the few ways to cause real change in the political system. 

While he described the current public dislike of both parties as a situation well-suited for a third party to gain popularity, he said that smaller parties today have a very difficult time building up the resources needed to run a campaign. In other countries with similar political systems, there is more monetary support for smaller parties. In the United States, there is little monetary support for small parties even though running campaigns is very expensive. Tamas said that growing a party in the United States would take billions of dollars, and most would be fearful of investing their money in an organization that might fail. 

A new third party option did appear earlier this year, led by former Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang. The Forward Party is aimed at gaining support from centrist voters, particularly moderate conservatives. Tamas doesn’t seem to see it going anywhere since the party seems focused on minor issues that don’t draw voters’ attention, such as gerrymandering.

“They’re not selling it in a way that would galvanize people,” Tamas said.

Tamas said younger people today seem to have an overwhelming desire for change, which, given time, could materialize into a third party.

According to the study, almost half of young voters do seem to want another option. Of voters in the age range from 18 to 49, 47% say that they wish there were more parties to choose from. Comparatively, only 35% of those from ages 50 to 64 and 23% of those 65 and older agree with the statement. 

Rebecca Duffy, an 18-year-old student at Stonehill College, is one of many young voters who identifies with the sentiment that there should be another option. Duffy is a self-described Democrat, but said she doesn’t feel that her ideals are represented well by party leadership. For example, she described President Joe Biden as “too moderate.” Specifically, she said she dislikes that he labels himself as “pro-choice,” even though she doesn’t believe he does enough to advocate for abortion rights.

Duffy said although she wishes there was a better option, she is unsure if her concept of the ideal third party would gain enough popularity to pose a real threat to the Republicans and Democrats. However, she said if she knew about a third party that better represented her beliefs, it is very likely that she would vote for it, regardless of how little support it had.

Duffy said that she doesn’t believe that voting for a third party is useless or a waste of a vote, because if enough people also do it, it could potentially be impactful and create meaningful improvements to the voting system.

“It’s better than settling for something I don’t really agree with,” Duffy said