In this episode, I discuss political parties in America.
Although the American electoral system is a two-major party system, many third parties share the political field. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the two major parties. The Green Party, Libertarians, Natural Law Party, and the American Independent Party, to name just a few, are the third parties.
Because of this two-party system, candidates do not have to earn 50% plus one of the total vote to be elected. Instead, they need to win more of the votes. This means that in a city of 1000 voters, a candidate can win a seat with just 300 votes if each party sends a candidate.
When only two candidates; one party each, run for the same position, one candidate will earn 50% plus one of the total vote. However, when there are more than two candidates; better yet, when all the parties send a candidate to run for the same position, 50% plus one of the total votes is not a requirement. Thus the reason we see candidates getting elected with 40% of the total vote or even sometimes with lower percentages.
That is all for now, folks. I was your host Dr. Bobb Rousseau. Follow me to receive notifications when I post new episodes.