Why Do We Have Two Major Political Parties?

Political Parties are defined as groups of people who organize to win elections, determine policy, and operate the government. Political parties often possess the power to impact the voting toll of many presidential elections. The first two major political parties were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists who argued about whether the Constitution should be or should not be ratified. Although there have been other third political parties, they did not have a lasting stance history. Today the two major political parties are the Democrats and the Republicans. The parties focus on more major issues such as taxes and healthcare. The outcome of United States having only a two-party system was due to the impact of Realignment on the first political …show more content…
Third parties are any other additional parties than the two major parties. New immigrants and young people take in political views from those who provide them with information. Parent intentionally or unintentionally pass their political beliefs on to their children. These beliefs usually regard favoring one of the two major political parties. Even though two-fifths of voters consider themselves to be independents, they may lean toward one of the two major political parties. In addition to political socialization, election laws may favor the two major political parties. In most states, major political parties need only a few signatures to get their candidates placed on the ballet while third parties need many more signatures. The amount of signatures needed depends on the total party vote in the previous election. Due to this regulation, new parties are penalized because they are competing for the first time. When it is time for the election, third party candidates have difficulty campaigning statewide instead of captivating more receptive voters in smaller