The U.S. presidential election recount has already begun in some states. No one doubts that the next U.S. president will be a Democrat or a Republican.Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are the only two contenders with a chance of reaching the White House. this November 5 in the U.S. elections. However, that does not mean that the election will come down to former president and vice president, since there are, as in any democracy, other candidates.
They are the candidates of the so-called third parties and the independent candidates: formations and candidates that have no expectation of being electedbut whose percentage of votes per state, however small, may cost him the victory in a State (and all of its electoral votes, according to the winner-takes-all rule). to one of the two major parties.
Voting for these parties can be decisive by influencing the final outcome of the election: it barely a handful of votes for an independent candidate can cost Trump or Harris dozens of electoral votes.and ultimately the presidency of the United States.
The ‘other’ candidates in the US elections.
In these elections there are several candidates from other parties who are not known to the general public and a large part of the voters, but their ballot will be in the polling stations next November 5.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (independent candidate)
- Jill Stein (Green Party)
- Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party)
- Cornel West (independent candidate)
As each state has its own electoral rules and thresholds, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will be the only ones to have ballots at all polling stations in all 50 states, while candidates from the third parties can only be voted on some of them.
This is especially relevant in the swing states or key states, those in which the difference between Trump and Harris is so small. that any detail, such as the vote to the third partiescan decide victory for Democrats or Republicans.
The key role of ‘third parties’ in this election.
In these elections, which are expected to be the closest in recent decades. in the United States, the candidates of the third parties could be the key to defining the presidency of Trump or Harris by taking votes away from one of the candidates.. Historian Richard Hofstadter, in fact, compared them to bees: “once they sting, they die.”that is, after stinging and subtracting votes to a party, they disappear from the public debate after the elections.
Such is the influence they could have on the final result that one of the independent candidates, Robert F. Kennedywhose ballot will be in more than 25 states, ended up calling for a vote for Donald Trumpknowing that votes for his candidacy could cost the tycoon the presidency and tip the scales in Harris’ favor. In fact, Kennedy will initially be on the ballot in Michigan and Wisconsin.two swing states which apportion 25 electoral delegates, as explained by the The New York Times.
Could there be a third party in the United States?
In any case, the presidential race has almost always been a two-horse race.Democrats and Republicans. Since 1853 they have shared the power of the White House, something that has remained unchanged over time. However, the performance and the political and public work of the two giants of American politics would have awakened the citizen interest in a third alternative.
This is reflected in a study by the Gallup consulting firmand echoed by Newtral according to the report, 63% of Americans believe that the emergence of a third party is necessary.as punishment for the “poor job” of Democrats and Republicans “in representing the American people”.
This percentage of dissatisfaction has grown significantly over the past 20 years.. In 2003, with George W. Bush on the verge of reelection, 56% of citizens considered the performance of the two major parties to be adequate. Today that percentage stands at a meager 34%.
In any case, the option of a real alternative government by a third party in the U.S. is, as of today, very remoteThe political and economic structures of Democrats and Republicans, in addition to the political system: the ‘Duverger law’ theorizes that, in one-round, majority voting elections, “there is a tendency towards party dualism”.