Finding the candidates and positions from both of the major political parties unacceptable, many are tempted to turn to a third party, or even the formation of a third party. But in the United States, it is nearly impossible for third parties to achieve any electoral success, and this is not simply due to stubbornness on the part of the electorate. A thought experiment will demonstrate why this is the case. Suppose that there are twenty political parties, each of roughly equal influence. Each o...