Wait, There Are More Than Two Political Parties?

image
Published: 24 Feb, 2017
1 min read

That's right. Your options are not limited to McDonald's and Burger King -- there are all sorts of burger joints in the mix.

Food metaphors aside, modern politics does in fact offer more than the blue and red sides. While the 2016 presidential election's "lesser of two evils" narrative inspired some to apathy, it also pushed many to consider those third parties, and provided more third party candidates than we've seen in a century.

Now, to be clear, while the political parties below exist, none have achieved automatic ballot access in all 50 states for state elections -- yet.

The following third parties have access in at least 10 states for the upcoming 2018 election:

In addition to the above, there are 22 more third parties with ballot access in 1-4 states each, making it easy to join a third party, find political consonance, and send a message to the major parties.

According to a 2016 Pew study, only 29% of American voters were Republican and 33% were Democrat - leaving 34% independent. Pew reported that of the independents surveyed 44% "lean Republican" and 48% "lean Democrat," but did not give them the option to consider a third party.

The political options of the day seem limited, increasingly oppositional, and unrepresentative of the electorate. Third parties, as varied as they come, could be the answer to the political dissonance many appear to feel with the major parties.

You Might Also Like

Hillcrest
'Build, Baby, Build!' is NOT the Answer to Housing Crises
Can San Diego build its way out of its three-part housing crisis – supply, affordability and homelessness? Some of elected officials think so and are leading the charge. I have been in the real estate industry for 50-plus years, and I say they are on the wrong track....
27 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read
Isn't It Weird That Congress Feels No Urgency to Re-Open the Government?
Isn't It Weird That Congress Feels No Urgency to Re-Open the Government?
The U.S. has entered Day 22 of the latest government shutdown with no end in sight. As pundits expect it to surpass the 35-day record set during Trump’s first term, a new Gallup poll shows voters’ approval of Congress has plummeted in the last month. Yet, for congressional leaders, there isn’t any urgency to re-open the government. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries trade jabs back and forth in the media, but the blame game continues to be prioritized over solutions....
22 Oct, 2025
-
5 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read