Introduction
Do third parties receive fair treatment during elections? How much coverage do they receive compared to major parties? Many states do not include third party presidential candidates in their ballots. Most of the focus by the media is on the stances of the main political parties. There have been many arguments suggesting that the third parties deserve an equivalent amount of recognition by media as major parties. However, others believe that since third parties have no clear chance of winning a major election, it is understandable why major news organizations do not give as much spotlight to third parties. Some may even argue that voting for third parties is a waste of a vote.
A major premise for third parties is that they can bring up issues that are not being …show more content…
“The CPD requires that candidates poll at least 15 percent or higher in five national polls to be included in the debates” (Common Dreams). This requirement means if third party candidates do not have enough support they are unable to join the discussion. Although fifteen percent may seem like a small number, it is very unlikely for this to happen since most voters do not actively research third party candidates. The CPD is supposed to be neutral to all sides but shows a clear favor towards the two primary political parties. During the recent presidential election, “Johnson’s and Stein’s prospects considerably weakened over the campaign” (Washington Post). The support for third-party candidates tends to decline as the presidential debates become nearer. This decrease happens due to the unlikelihood of third party candidates winning. In addition, major party leaders take advantage of adopting some of the ideas mentioned by third parties to gain their support. Another problem that arises is that states do not always place third party candidates in each of their ballot
Do third parties receive fair treatment during elections? How much coverage do they receive compared to major parties? Many states do not include third party presidential candidates in their ballots. Most of the focus by the media is on the stances of the main political parties. There have been many arguments suggesting that the third parties deserve an equivalent amount of recognition by media as major parties. However, others believe that since third parties have no clear chance of winning a major election, it is understandable why major news organizations do not give as much spotlight to third parties. Some may even argue that voting for third parties is a waste of a vote.
A major premise for third parties is that they can bring up issues that are not being …show more content…
“The CPD requires that candidates poll at least 15 percent or higher in five national polls to be included in the debates” (Common Dreams). This requirement means if third party candidates do not have enough support they are unable to join the discussion. Although fifteen percent may seem like a small number, it is very unlikely for this to happen since most voters do not actively research third party candidates. The CPD is supposed to be neutral to all sides but shows a clear favor towards the two primary political parties. During the recent presidential election, “Johnson’s and Stein’s prospects considerably weakened over the campaign” (Washington Post). The support for third-party candidates tends to decline as the presidential debates become nearer. This decrease happens due to the unlikelihood of third party candidates winning. In addition, major party leaders take advantage of adopting some of the ideas mentioned by third parties to gain their support. Another problem that arises is that states do not always place third party candidates in each of their ballot