U.S. Citizenship Applicants Are Told to Accept Two-Party System

image
Jaime CasarinJaime Casarin
Published: 02 Dec, 2014
1 min read

Out of 100 civics questions for people applying for U.S. citizenship, question 45 suggests that future citizens have two options and only two options in American politics.

It is a win-win between Republicans and Democrats as the only possible answers gives exposure only to them and no other political party or option, such as participating without being obligated to associate with a party.

Question 45. "What are the two major political parties in the United States?"

Answer: Democratic and Republican.

Note that failure to answer this question correctly as stated might result in the denial of a solicitation to become a naturalized United States citizen, if it's one of five incorrect answers.

There are plenty of possible questions with one, two, or three options from a broad list of possible answers.

For example:

Question 87. "Name one American Indian tribe in the United States."

  • Cherokee
  • Navajo
  • Sioux
  • Chippewa
  • Choctaw
  • Pueblo
  • Apache
  • Iroquois
  • Creek
  • Blackfeet
  • Seminole
  • Cheyenne
  • Arawak
  • Shawnee
  • Hohegan
  • Huron
  • Oneida
  • Lakota
  • Crow
  • Teton
  • Hopy
  • Inuit

 

IVP Donate

So, that's one choice from a list of 22 possible answers.

A good way of presenting question 45 would be, "Name 2 major political parties in the United States."

A better way would be, "Name 2 political parties in the US."

The best way of presenting this question would be, "What are the options regarding political association or preference in the United States?"

Photo Credit: eurobank / shutterstock.com

You Might Also Like

Independent Indiana Challenges the Two-Party Stranglehold on State Politics
Independent Indiana Challenges the Two-Party Stranglehold on State Politics
A new nonpartisan group launched this week in Indiana with a single goal in mind: Take on Indiana’s entrenched two-party system by encouraging more candidates to give voters a third option free of a party label -- and calling Hoosiers to support these candidates. ...
04 Sep, 2025
-
4 min read
Colorado mail ballot
“Gold-Standard” or “Rigged”? How Secure Colorado’s Mail-In Elections Really Are
The White House touted a big announcement Tuesday, only for it to be reported early that President Donald Trump plans to re-locate U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama – which is not as big of deal as the reason for the decision....
03 Sep, 2025
-
6 min read
two hands shaking.
California Doubles Down on Rehabilitation
On a hot August morning, state and local leaders gathered in Fresno to cut the ribbon on California’s newest community reentry facility. The site, run in partnership with TURN Behavioral Health Services, is designed to help people finishing prison sentences adjust to life on the outside. For Jorge Moreno of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), it’s about giving people a chance to breathe. “(It’s) like a phase down from the institutions,” he said. “(They) can decompress from the pressures and politics of prison and start acclimating back into the community.”...
03 Sep, 2025
-
5 min read