1. THIRD PARTIES Fill in outline with yellow highlighted words
Minor Parties
THIRD PARTIES Fill in outline with yellow highlighted words

2. Minor Parties Minor Parties are SHORT LIVED
Any party other than one of the two major parties. They rarely win elections, often called Third parties.
Introduce controversial subjects in hope of getting their goals picked up by the Major Parties
Minor Parties are SHORT LIVED

3. Four Types:
Ideological: particular set of ideas about how to change society overall rather than focusing on a single issue; very different from the 2 major parties; long- lived.
Socialists (advocate govt. ownership of necessities like water, power, sewage)
Communists (advocate govt. ownership)
Libertarians (calls for drastic reductions in the size and scope of govt. in order to Increase personal freedoms)
Ron Swanson on Libertarianism

4. Four Types:
Single-Issue: focus exclusively on one major social, economic, or moral issue; short-term.
Free Soil (took stronger stand against slavery)

5. Four Types:
Economic Protest: rooted in periods of economic discontent; demand better times.
Greenback
Populists

6. Four Types:
Splinter: split away from one of the 2 major parties. Most successful in past years. Formed around a strong personality.
Bull Moose Progressives - Teddy Roosevelt
American Independent - George Wallace
United We Stand (Reform) - Ross Perot
Green - Ralph Nader

7. 3rd Parties’ Impact on the Process:
Many have presented new ideas that were unpopular or hotly debated at the time.
Greenback = income tax & women suffrage
Prohibition = prohibition of alcohol
Populist = direct election of Senators
Libertarian = legalization of drugs

8. Can they impact elections? Sometimes!

10. Why Minor Parties Are Important
Minor parties play several important roles:
“Spoiler Role”
Minor party candidates can pull decisive votes away from one of the major parties’ candidates, especially if the minor party candidate is from a splinter party.
Critic
Minor parties, especially single-issue parties, often take stands on and draw attention to controversial issues that major parties would prefer to ignore.
Innovator
Often, minor parties will draw attention to important issues and propose innovative solutions to problems. If these proposals gain popular support, they are often integrated into the platforms of the two major parties.

11. Obstacles for Minor Parties
Have difficulties getting on the ballot in all 50 states. They are required to obtain a large number of voter signatures.
Single-member districts – only one candidate will win.
Problems financing campaigns. Most minor parties will not qualify for public funding.
They get LESS media coverage. (fundraising & swaying voters)
Even if voters like the platform they tend to believe there is NO chance to win so they won’t contribute or vote.

12. Party Platform
A political party platform or platform is a formal set of principal goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, in order to appeal to the general public, for the ultimate purpose of garnering the general public's support and votes about complicated topics or issues.

13. Summary of Minor Parties

14. Minor Parties

15. Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party: 50 states

16. Green Party
Green Party: 44 states (write-in status in an additional three states)

17. Constitution Party
Constitution Party: 24 states (write-in status in an additional nine states)

18. Minor parties in Texas
Minor Parties will nominate candidates for President according to party rule. However, the filing deadline for minor party candidates may not be any later than 6:00 p.m. on December 14, 2015.
Currently, the Libertarian Party and the Green Party are the only minor parties in Texas that have ballot access.

19. Independent Candidates in Texas
Independent candidates for President file an application with the Secretary of State. The application must be submitted with a petition, and both documents must be filed no later than May 9, The petitions can be circulated beginning after March 1, 2016.
For 2016, the petition must contain 79,939 signatures of registered voters who did not vote in the presidential primary of either party 1% of the total votes cast for all candidates in the previous presidential election
an independent candidate for President must provide signed, written statements of consent to be a presidential elector candidate from 38 presidential elector candidates (the number of presidential electors that federal law allocates to Texas).

20. America First Party 1
America's Party
American Party
American Shopping Party
Americans Elect Party
Conservative Party
Constitution Party 15
Democratic Party 51
Ecology Party
Grassroots Party
Green Party 21
Justice Party
Labor Party
Legal Marijuana Now Party
Libertarian Party 33
Liberty Union Party
Moderate Party
Mountain Party
Natural Law Party
Party for Socialism and Liberation
Peace and Freedom Party
Progressive Party 2
Reform Party 4
Republican Party
United Citizens Party
Various parties calling themselves "Independent" or "Independence" parties 14
Women's Equality Party
Working Families Party

21. Minor Political Parties
Airenson Socialist Party
Alaskan Independence Party of Alaska
America First Party
American Party
State Party: Florida, Texas, Wisconsin,
America's Independent Party
American Patriot Party
American Beer Drinker's Party
American Heritage Party of Washington
American Independent Party of California - Affiliated with the Constitution Party
Splinter Group,

22. Splinter Group,
American Independent Party of Massachusetts
American Nationalist Union
American Nazi Party
American Reform Party - A splinter group of the Reform Party
American Synthesis Party
American Third Position Party
Autonomy Party
Being Human Party of Utah
Boston Tea Party
British Reformed Sectarian Party of Florida,
California Secessionist Parties - also see Bear Flag Party.
Cascadian National Party
Center Party
Centre Party
Christian Party of Florida
Common Good Party
Common Sense Party - (Alternate Site),
Commonwealth Party
Communist Party USA

23. Young Communist League USA
Committee for a Unified Independent Party
ConcerYn for People Party of Colorado
Concerned Citizens Party of Connecticut - Affiliated with the Constitution Party
Confederate National Party
State Parties: Arizona, Pennsyvlania, South Carolina, Virginia,
Conservative Parties:
State Parties: Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,
Constitution Party
Constitution Party Links
Cool American Party
Cool Moose Party of Rhode Island
Corrective Action Party
Covenant Party of the Northern Mariana Islands
Creator's Right Party
Democratic Party
Democratic Party Links
Democratic Farm Labor Party of Minnesota

24. U.S. Marijuana Party, Alternative Site,
Moderate Party of Florida
Moderate Party of Rhode Island
Monster Raving Looney Party of the United States
Mountain Party of West Virginia - Affiliated with the Green Party
National Alliance
National Socialist Movement
National Socialist White People's Party
Nazi Parties:
American National Socialist Workers Party,
American Nazi Party,
National Alliance,
National Socialist Movement,
Nationalist Workers Party, Neo Whig Party
Netocratic Party
New American Independent Party
New Progressive Party of Wisconsin
New Revolution Party of California
National Nihilist Party
Objectivist Party
Open Party of California