Which of the following would you prefer: a two-party system (we currently have this) or a multiparty system (3 or more parties in the legislature)? Explain your preference.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017 Objective: Students will be able to analyze the role of third parties in American politics and compare multi-party systems to the American two-party system. Purpose: Third parties have almost no chance of winning any major positions in government, yet they still have influence over politics.

Multiparty Systems The various parties are each based on a particular interest, for example on economic class, religious belief, sectional attachment, or political ideology Multiparty systems do tend to produce a broader, more diverse representation of the electorate, but governments tend to be less stable The power to govern is often shared by a number of parties in a coalition

The pie chart shows the percentage of the popular vote each party garnered in the 2012 presidential election. Did the minor parties affect the election results? Explain.

Importance of Third Parties They have influenced how some things are done by parties and have developed creative solutions Example: Anti-Masonic Party was the first to use a national convention in 1831 to nominate their candidate for President Spoiler role: a third party candidate can still pull enough support away from one of the major parties to affect the outcome of the election Examples: Roosevelt in 1912, Perot in 1992, Nader in 2000

Third-party votes in the 2000 presidential election may have affected the outcome. If all third party votes had gone to Al Gore, how would these percentages been different?

Disadvantages of Third Parties If their main leader leaves the party, support for that party ends Ballot access is not guaranteed They are unable to attract big time donors to financially compete with the Republicans and Democrats The single-member district and winner take all aspects of our electoral system do not favor third parties

Types of Third Parties Ideological Parties: based on a particular set of beliefs Examples: Constitution Party, Socialist Party, American Independent Party Libertarian Party Most popular third party emphasizes individual freedom, elimination of income taxes, and significantly reducing the size of the government

Types of Third Parties Green Party Main focus is environmental protection Now includes issues such as universal healthcare, campaign finance reform, and limits on corporate power in the party platform Greatest Success: 2000 Presidential Election (Ralph Nader won 2.74% of the popular vote)

Types of Third Parties Single-Issue Parties: parties that focus on a single public question Economic protest parties Splinter Parties: parties that have split away from one of the major parties

Part of the collage, “The Race for the White House,” showed Theodore Roosevelt riding a bull moose. The complete image included William Taft on an elephant and Woodrow Wilson on a donkey.

Minor parties have sometimes had a significant impact on presidential elections. Using the data in the chart, which of these minor parties may have changed election results?

Political Party Survey Go to the following website: https://www.isidewith.com/political-quiz Try to choose one of the options listed under the “other stances” choice After you click “Show My Results”, raise your hand so I can see that you have completed the survey.