the reason third parties have difficulty winning elections is because?
918599
...people believing that the candidate is inexperienced\n\n...people believing that voting for that candidate will cause another party (republican) to win because it takes away democratic party votes.
150495
The American electoral system is based on plurality, which fosters a two-party system. Third parties may collect a high number of votes; however, in reality, these votes are usually wasted on a losing candidate. \n\nIn contrast, most European electoral systems are based on proportional voting; in other words, actual votes for a party correspond to actual seats in a legislative body, such as Parliament.\n\nThe main reason an independent candidate can not win the presidency is due to the lack of financial resources. Unless someone like Donald Trump was running, a candidate mostly relies on party fundraising as his or her major financial resource. As an independent, the candidate would not have the resources of the two established parties.\n\nInterestingly, Geena Davis's character on ABC's Commander In Chief is an independent female President who took the oath due to the former President's death. Already an issue that has been brought up, it will be interesting to observe the focus on fundraising as an independent running for election.
953101
I think it it would force the parties to understand they have to start working together.\nCurrently both parties are focused on what is best for the party, NOT what is best for the people, a third party would force an end to this abomination.
899870
I what has basically evolved is just two sides of the same coin.  That's due to all the cooperate money and influence. 3rd party candidates get marginalized and ridiculed in the media.(if they are mentioned at all). With the wealthy and powerful owning the media it would be very hard to change unless THE PEOPLE get really fed up. Expect that they will fight back very hard and dirty before conceding even a little power.  If you have ever read 'A Peoples History of the United States' by Howard Zinn, you'll know that every single right and you have today was fought long and hard by your ancestors to wrench each crumb from power.
840220
Because they want to live simple. Too many political parties can weaken the current governments and create the political mayhem and disasters.
1159628
Not this time around.  2004 showed that the "third" way is so fractured that the Independent Party had members sue each in several states just to get a name on a ballot.  The Green Party decided to get a candidate on the ballot in several states, as well, and even they had their own intra-party squabble as to who that should be, whether Nader, or the chairman at the time.
820931
Usually, you have to choose between the 2 evils. It's nice to have others in the race but what usually happens is one of the non-democratic candidates take votes away from the democratic candidate.  Then the republican wins.
146186
Having only two powerful parties helps politicians keep the illusion that if you don't support the party in office, you have to support the main party in the opposition. For example, the illusion now (but of course not the truth) is that the only way not to be a Republican, is to be a Democrat.\n\nLittle by little, many people will stop supporting Bush and will turn to the Democrats. And when most people shift, the Democrats will win again.\n\nBut in the shifting, some people don't just go from one party to the other. They go to third parties. One of them will eventually grow big enough to substitute for one of the two main parties, and the two-party political system will be kept, only that now, with a different pair of parties.
710757
Well said. Republicans had their chance and blew it. Greed and political expediency overcame good government. Now they lost credibility with not only the entire world, but with voters as well.  Funny and scary thing is that they still dont understand that what they were doing was wrong.
335174
well the reason why there are mulitiple party systems is because people dont always see eye to eye on how to solve a problem. Usually people can agree that something might be a problem, but since everyone has different plans its hard to ever get mulitparty, single party, or any system to ever be able to solve as many problems as they potentially could.
690768
Most Amerians are not represented by the party in power that stole the last 2 presidential elections.  These Neocon Republicans are good at siezing power, but they only have the support of just over a third of the American people.
657132
Yes under the present system it is throwing away your vote. It is for the repuglicans also. It would be nice if we had more viable choices but we don't, it is the way the system is. I am sure that Ross Perot cost the repuglicans votes and I am sure that Ralph Nader cost the democrats votes. So I will not vote for a third party unless I feel strong enough about a candidate or if I think he has a chance to win.
964438
This supposedly free system of elections boils down to two candidates and parties, so why bother if you don't want either candidate, choose the lesser evil and it's your time and gas.\nI would think this has much to do with it as well the registration of voters is outdated as Americans move so often. Change the system and reform. Regardless which candidate you elect or re elect it comes down to what their party wants and the money that supports them.
420096
My attitude is we've been duped.  Neither party is about solutions, their about problems.  The more problems there are, the more power that the parties and the politicians have.  They gain this power by PROMISING to fix the problem but they never seem to get around to it. God forbid its an election year nothing gets done then or if something is done it usually makes things worse.  \n\nMy solution become informed and vote.  Stop voting for parties but start voting for character and those trying to do the job, some are not many but some, vote third party.  Find out (really find out not what other people say, or the news) what your representatives are doing or have done and vote accordingly.
830397
Then vote for a third party canidate. I'd love to see a third party a real third party rise in this country, that would scare the bajeezus out of the Dems and war mongering Republicans.
834131
If there were only one party it leaves it open to corruption. The reason for a second party or third party is to keep the party in power in check and create an opposition to critique the party in power...\n\nor so I learned in school.
507326
The only way I see americans voting someone other than the two leading parties is if a third party were to break away from one of the major parties. It's happened before. The Republican party was started from the Whig party. I could see \nAmericans voting for a third party who had a platform of ridding the government of rampant corruption and getting us out of Iraq.