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# Poll: 80% of Americans would Vote Independent or Third Party
- URL: https://ivn.us/poll-80-of-americans-would-vote-independent-or-third-party/
- Published: 2012-07-17T17:16:44.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-22T19:27:45.000Z
- Author: Chad Peace
- Tags: News

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/02/vote-independent-pie-chart.jpg "vote independent pie chart")](https://ivn.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/vote-independent-pie-chart.jpeg)

With over 40% of Americans self-identifying as "independents" and congressional approval ratings hovering around 10%, there is no doubt that the electorate is unhappy with the state of our "two-party system." In a recent survey, an astonishing 80% of voters from all across the map replied that that they would vote independent or third party if a viable alternative were made available. [From the Reason.com](http://reason.com/poll/2011/05/10/80-of-americans-voting?ref=ivn.us):

> The recent Reason-Rupe poll finds that 80% of Americans say they would or might consider voting for an Independent or third-party presidential candidate in the 2012 election. Specifically, 60% said they would consider voting for an independent or third-party candidate, 20% said they might consider, 17% said they would not consider, and 3% said they did not know whether they would consider voting for an Independent or third-party presidential candidate.

The current electoral process encourages pandering to the extremes in the primary, and attempting to come to the middle during the general election. As a result, we get candidates who polarize the electorate, then lack the credibility to truly represent it.