Drawing on the background materials, address the following prompts in a minimum of 250 words.
• Why do minor political parties have such little success competing in U.S. elections?
• Short of winning elections, how do third parties have influence on the political system?
• Would you ever consider voting for an independent or a third party candidate? Why or why not?
Reminder: You will need to comment on at least one other student’s posting to complete the assignment.
Background Materials:
1. QpenStax American Government, Chapter 9
2. Maurice Duverger. “Factors in a Two-Party and Multiparty System.” (In Party Politics and Pressure Groups, 1972, pp. 23-32)
3. Jane Coaston, “How the Libertarian Party (maybe) helped shift the presidential race.” (Vox, November 2020).
4. Stuart Rothenberg, “How third-party votes sunk Clinton, what they mean for Trump”. (Roll Call, July 2019).