Third Party Candidaties Flashcards
Define third party
A third party is a party which is neither democrat nor republican, or conservative or labour in the U.K.
Third party examples in the U.S. and facts
Libertarian party - 652,261 as of 2021
Green Party - 240,222 as of 2020
Alliance party - 469,839
Why are third parties relevant, 3 reasons plus examples/facts and context
They can influence the outcome of elections e.g
Ross Perot won 18.1% of the popular vote in 1992, Highest from a third party candidate since 1912, due to his economic policies.
In the 2000 American presidential election, bush beat Al gore by 500 votes in Florida, votes for the Green Party were 97,000 which could have swung the election.
They bring awareness to issues which then puts pressure on big parties to act. E.G the green parties environmental policies are very popular.
Bring relevance to their voters which they represent
Evaluating the relevance of Third parties, 5 reasons and examples
Last 5 elections 2 parties have received over 80% of the vote, defining America as a two party system.
Once the adoption of new policies from the pressure of third parties, The main parties will likely gain more popularity and votes because they have a better change of winning.
Members of the third parties are likely to vote with one of the main parties as they have a better chance of winning and implementing change.
Face difficulties with registration fees e.g. getting name on the ballot
Debate laws exclude 3rd party candidates unless they can get 15% support across 5 national polls, last person to do this was Ross Perot.
Why do third parties exist with an example
Third parties usually exist because the umbrella of issues that the 2 major parties cover is not specific enough.
E.g. The democrats aren’t pro environment enough so voters who are passionate about the environment would vote for the Green Party.
The U.K equivalents of third parties and example
Main third party would be the Liberal Democrat’s - 120,845 members, growing in popularity since 1970.
Recently leader lost seat in 2019 general election Jo Swinson.
