Why America’s two-party system is not working
The tribalistic sentiments that have riddled America’s major political parties have been deeply disconcerting to its electorate. The 2016 election has brought a country of bipartisan leadership to complete polarisation. The rise of Donald Trump has the seen the Republican party move further right from its former position in the centre. The Democrats, hellbent on destroying the Trump administration, have dealt with numerous factions due to a socialist revolution battling with traditional Clinton-esque Democrats.
As an outsider who witnesses America’s atrocities from across the pond, I take umbrage with its two-party system that hasn’t allowed any room for independent thought. With a population of 325 million, an estimated 250 million of them are eligible to vote, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. So why is it only 138 million, a meek 55.5%, turned out to vote in 2016? This is exceptionally low compared to other nations. Here, in the U.K, 68.9% voted in our last election in 2017. In Germany, 76.2% voted in their federal elections in the same year. America clearly has a problem with reaching out to voters and it must change.
With a population and land so vast, two parties to represent all people seems illogical. A centre-left and centre-right party does not bode well with a country who takes pride in its diversity. Therefore, we can only assume, the 112 million people who were a no show at the polls in 2016 were independent voters who had zero affiliation with the two parties or their nominated candidates. The notoriety of Trump’s campaign and his inception into the Oval Office could have meant voters were weary of America’s divisive political climate.
The solution to this is forming third parties to appeal to the unmotivated voter. Although there have been third party candidates in America’s general election races, none of them have held a seat in Congress or government. Therefore, voters who are attracted to these candidates have no voice when it comes to policy. Bringing in more parties to the country’s political system would help galvanise Americans who identify with all sides of the political spectrum. It would certainly be likely that the voter turnout would increase through a coalition of groups rather than a majoritarian government.
In France, the pattern with voter turnout and its election process is an example to my point. France holds two rounds to vote for their president. The first round allows voters to choose from a variety of parties across the boards. The two leading candidates from the first round then progress to a second run-off to choose the ultimate winner. According to BBC News, in 2017, president Macron beat far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in a second round of voting with a 65% turnout, the lowest in this stage of the election since 1981. The Local, a French digital newspaper, stated that turnout had also dropped by 4 points compared with the first round in the election. When two parties battle it out with no alternative option, the people switch off. Hence why, in both the U.K and Germany, turnout remains so high. When all parties run and coalitions are formed, a wide-range of voters’ voices are heard.
To understand America’s deep political divide today, we must look at the concerns of the non-voter. The Democrats and Republicans are failing to galvanise half of the electorate. With both parties attempting to achieve big in the midterm elections next month, it is worrisome that America’s political establishment have not encouraged diversity of thought with the introduction of third parties in Washington.
