Question

In 2–3 paragraphs, evaluate the impact of third parties on the election process. To what extent have third-party candidates affected recent presidential elections? Support your answer with data and evidence from the readings.

Answer 1

Answer:

Third-party have two main impacts in elections:

• Giving a voice to alternative, and even fringe political positions: for example, in presidential elections, the Libertarian Party gives voice to people who do not believe in government, or who believe that government should be extremely limited.
• Spoiler effect: the third parties take votes from either the Republican, or the Democrat candidate, and these votes can determine the result of the election. For example, in the 2016 presidential election, in Wisconsin, Donald Trump got less votes over Hillary than the amount of votes that the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson, obtained.