1. Jamie Monogan University of Georgia April 18, 2019
Why Two Parties?
Jamie Monogan University of Georgia April 18, 2019

2. Objectives By the end of this meeting, participants should be able to:
Explain why there are only two major parties.

3. Why Two Parties?
Two major parties have consistently dominated American politics
95% of votes cast are for one of two parties
Duverger’s Law
Single-member, plurality (SMP) electoral institutions produce two-party systems
Presidential system
Strong alignment of cleavages in the U.S.
Electoral rules can explain the two-party system. In a “first past the post” or “winner take all” system like the one in the United States, minor parties have difficulty gaining traction. A minor party could win 20% of the vote in every United States House district and win no seats. In a parliamentary system they would gain approximately 20% of the available seats.
Voters who would normally support minor parties have reason to worry that their votes are “wasted” on minor party candidates.
The two major parties also contribute by usurping issues that minor parties raise and find traction with.

4. Duverger’s Law Mechanical Effect of SMP: Psychological Effect of SMP:
Parties not in the top two do not reap a proportional reward
Psychological Effect of SMP:
Aware of the mechanical effect, voters do not waste votes
Contrast the Netherlands: 150-seat House of Representatives, proportional representation
0.67% of the vote=1 seat
Electoral rules can explain the two-party system. In a “first past the post” or “winner take all” system like the one in the United States, minor parties have difficulty gaining traction. A minor party could win 20% of the vote in every United States House district and win no seats. In a parliamentary system they would gain approximately 20% of the available seats.
Voters who would normally support minor parties have reason to worry that their votes are “wasted” on minor party candidates.
The two major parties also contribute by usurping issues that minor parties raise and find traction with.

5. Would you ever vote for one of these candidates?
Top left: 2012 & 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Top middle: Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson running for president in The rules around American elections make it difficult for third-party candidates to compete with Republicans and Democrats.
Left: Though third parties have a very difficult time winning national or even statewide elections, they can influence election outcomes. Third-party candidate Ralph Nader ran for President in 2000 and 2004, and many believe he siphoned off just enough votes from the Democratic candidates to help Republican George W. Bush win both elections.
Right: In 1992, Ross Perot ran as an independent candidate and won 19 percent of the popular vote. Although independent and third-party candidates face difficulties in winning presidential and congressional elections, they have been able to influence the major parties’ agendas.
George Wallace's 1968 campaign slogan was, "There ain't a dime's worth of difference between the Republicans and the Democrats."

6. In Comparison: Parties
Most parliamentary democracies have more than two parties
Key factor: proportional representation (PR)
Coalition governments are common in parliamentary systems
Party discipline is greater in other countries
Ballot access
One major difference between the U.S. and other parties is the level of party discipline. In parliamentary democracies, the party controls access to the ballot via the list of candidates on the ballot. In the United States, candidates run in primaries so the party leadership cannot remove them from the ballot for lack of party unity or discipline.
The relationship between party discipline and representation is a great discussion topic. Party discipline is not consistent with most theories of representation, but party discipline can increase government efficiency and help voters understand the differences between parties.

7. Assignments For Friday: Read Bullock and Gaddie, Chapter 11
For Tuesday: Read Maltese, Pika & Shively, pp
The Chapter 10 critical thinking exercise is due April 25 at 11:59pm.
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