Realignment and Minor (Third) Parties

Critical (Realigning) Elections: =Turning points in the strength of the major parties. Large groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalties. Long lasting Can be the defeat of a major party (replaced by new one)

Keith Hughes – Historical Review of Dealignment and Realignment

Minor (Third Parties) An escalator to an alignment to a different party!

Is the Party Beacon Getting Dimmer? ▪Many voters have moved away from party identification, a de-alignment of party ID. ▪Approximately 40% of voters claim independent status. ▪ affiliation.aspxhttp:// affiliation.aspx

The increase in political independence has led to a reduction in Democratic and Republican identifiers, with the percentage of core Democrats and Republicans currently in the lower range for the past 25 years. In fact, 2012 marked the sixth consecutive year that less than 30% of Americans identified as Republicans. This includes 2010, when Republicans made huge gains in the midterm congressional elections.

Effect of Increase of Independent Voters = Split ticket voting = (when you vote for more than one political party on a ballot) is becoming more prevalent.

Where are voters going? Third Parties: What do they represent? ▪Minnesota’s Independence Party is a prime example. ▪ voting-civics-minute 2 minuteshttp:// voting-civics-minute

Why might someone vote for a 3 rd party candidate? Discuss the answer with someone near you.

Types of Minor (3 rd ) Parties: Ideological Parties – radically different from main 2 Ex: Socialist Party, Communist Party, Libertarian Party, Green Party One Issue Parties – Ex: Prohibition Party, Free-soil party (prevent spread of slavery), Legal Marijuana Now Economic Protest Parties – based in a region, disappear as conditions improve Ex: Greenback Party (paper money not backed by gold) Populist (People’s) Party (farmers opposed to the elite) Factional Parties – created by a split in a major party Ex: Reform party (Ross Perot), Tea Party Movement

Minor Parties (Third Parties): political parties that develop when people believe certain needs and values are not being addressed properly by the major parties Example: Republicans in 1860 (Abraham Lincoln) What party did the Republicans replace? Whigs ( supported the supremacy of Congress over the Presidency) Because of the “winner take all” system, many voters do not want to vote for someone who will not win!

Would you vote for this man for Governor? srv/politics/campaigns/keyraces98/stories/ventura htm srv/politics/campaigns/keyraces98/stories/ventura htm Jesse “The Body” Ventura! Pro-Wrestler turned politician. One term governor of MN in 1998

37% of Minnesotans in 1998 did - Low-budget campaign ($250,000 vs Democratic and Republican opponents raised $4.3 million) - Centered on grassroots events and unusual ads that urged citizens not to "vote for politics as usual“. -Ventura won almost ½ of the vote among men under age 30! -The highest elected official to ever win an election on a Reform Party ticket! How did a 3 rd party “spoil” this election?

One reason why young males came to the polls: Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to affirm that hunting and fishing and the taking of game and fish are a valued part of our heritage that shall be forever preserved for the people and shall be managed by law and regulation for the public good? Yes or No

Third parties in Presidential Elections: Columbia University professor and popular historian Richard Hofstadter: "Third parties are like bees. Once they have stung, they die“ In August 2011, a Gallup survey found that 58 percent of Americans didn't think Republicans and Democrats were doing an adequate job governing the country and supported the idea of a third party to come to the rescue

Bee Sting effect of 3 rd parties: Ross Perot siphoned votes from George H. W. Bush Perot = 19 % of the popular vote as an independent in 1992 and 8 % in What allowed Ross Perot to be so successful? Spent $60 million of his own money during the course of the campaign Ralph Nader: Siphoned votes from Al Gore

Ralph Nadar on Third Parties Former candidate for President (5 times) 3 min 45 secs a write-in candidate in the 1992 New Hampshire Democratic primary Green Party nominee in 1996 and 2000 Independent candidate in 2004 and 2008

1.Single member plurality voting system (winner takes all) favors two parties. 2.The two major parties have organization and money. 3.The two major parties can moderate their views to entice voters. 4.Few people want to vote for a loser! Why is it so difficult for 3 rd Parties to win?

Minor Parties (Third Parties)

Third Parties in MN 2014 Election: Independence Party – From Home Screen, click What We Stand For. Add Independence Party to the back side (bottom) of your political party platform search. Write down 3 of their important issues.