Break from a Manufactured Tradition: The Third-Party Vote in America

*In 2016, the SOL program pivoted for the year to focus on political engagement in what was then called the “Political Engagement Pilot Project,” or PEPP. This was an alternative version of SOL that laid the groundwork for the development of the PEP program as it currently exists.

The 2016 presidential election cycle gave rise to the two most unpopular candidates in recent history. Hillary Clinton’s unfavorability rating of 52% on the eve of the election would be the historically highest, if not beaten by her opponent Donald Trump’s rating of 61% (Gallup, “Trump and Clinton” 2016). Plagued by political and personal scandal left and right, 2016 marked a building culmination of attack-based electoral politics that many cited as responsible for the rise of outsider candidate Trump’s ascent to the White House. American identification with parties also dropped to an all-time low, with 42% polling as independent rather than Democrat or Republican (Gallup, “Democrat, Republican Identification” 2016). With the days of solid party loyalty seemingly gone, partisan gridlock dominating Washington, and approval ratings for both parties at record lows, a major shift in voting habits seemed inevitable. Yet 95% of American voters woke up on election day, walked into polling booths, and cast ballots for the two individuals they had spent the past year relentlessly tearing down. If the country is so visibly displeased with what there is to offer, why do we continue to vote the same again and again every four years? Interestingly, one of the few things drawing harsher criticism than the two-party system is the mere suggestion of any break from it. America’s relationship with its two-party electoral system is one that desperately needs to be broken, and the belief in no viable alternative existing is paradoxically responsible for the non-existence of one. Many notions surrounding the “third-party vote” in America are dangerous myths – this paper will explore why must be dispelled.