3 Reasons The US Is Desrcibed As A Two Party System

Question 1

What are the three reasons for two party domination in the US?

Answer 1

-winner takes all electoral system
-media + public attention
-the issues with funding

Question 2

What is the winner takes all electoral system?

Answer 2

-FPTP or plurality voting system where candidate with most votes in a district wins

Question 3

What does this system discourage?

Answer 3

-discourages smaller parties because they rarely win enough votes to gain representation

Question 4

What is the main role of third parties in FPTP the voting?

Answer 4

-act as the spoiler vote
-candidates act as spoilers by splitting the vote indirectly helping candidate of one of main parties least aligned with their platform win

Question 5

What is an example of third parties or independents acting as spoilers?

Answer 5

-Ralph Nader 2000 pres election often called sooner
-drew votes away from dem candidate Al Gore leading to George W. Bush win

Question 6

What is the impact of this spoiler effect?

Answer 6

-creates retention towards third party candidates as votes are wasted
-discourages voters supporting them further marginalising their influence

Question 7

How does FPTP reinforce the two party system?

Answer 7

-FPTP elections have entrenched dominance of two party system as parties have benefit from system + little incentive to change it

Question 8

How does media and public perception impact the role played by third parties? - 2

Answer 8

-third parties + independents lack high profile media presence
-are rarely able to participate in televised debates

Question 9

What are this parties usually labelled as?

Answer 9

-extremists or irrelevant

Question 10

Why are third parties often excluded from televised debates?

Answer 10

-strict debate + participation criteria
-e.g. commission on pres debates (CPD) set requirements like achieving specific polling threshold of 15% support in national polls for pres debates

Question 11

What is an example of third parties being excluded from debates?

Answer 11

-2016 Gary Johnson for Libertarians and Jill Stein for Green Party
-Johnson had 7-10% in polls + Stein had 2-4% in national polls + so didn’t fit criteria

Question 12

What is the impact of this exclusion?

Answer 12

-pre debates watched by millions offering crucial platform for candidates reach voters + express their plans for American
-stein + Johnson denied chance present their platforms to audience + elaborate their plans reinforcing two party dominance

Question 13

How does the financial element of campaigning reinforce the two party dominance?

Answer 13

-advetisung like TV + radio + travels for events + rallies all require high costs to find activities
-third parties struggle find funds for these limiting their visibility to eh public + in turn their attractiveness to rule

Question 14

Why do they lack the funds for this?

Answer 14

-usually excluded from PACs + superPACs which raise unlimited funds for campaigns mainly for two major parties

Question 15

Why do PACs exclude third parties?

Answer 15

-focus is on winning + so prioritise candidates most likely to win as goal is to influence policymakers in positions of power
-thirds often views as having no realistic chances winning

Question 16

What is an example of this exclusion?

Answer 16

-2020 the ‘league of cons voters’ spent $54m supporting dem candidates + opposing Repub ones
-no funds directed to Green Party candidates as highlighted unlikely they would win + so reinforced the two party system by targeting the main parties

Question 17

What other PACs reinforce this?

Answer 17

-Planned Parenthood PAC focuses support on Dem candidates who champion reproductive rights
-despite third party candidates like Green Party shader these views