0 20

On a scale of 1-20, how much do you like seafood?Place a line, and mark your initials on the SmartBoard.

10

0 = Never eat it...ever. Hate it completely20 = I am a fish

10 = I eat it occasionally, like some seafood, not others

0

45

90

135

180

On your political survey, add up your score and, if you would like, place yourself on the line with

your initials

Extreme LeftExtreme RightModerate, "centrist"RepublicansDemocrats

FrontPage: Have your 3rd parties RQs on your desk.

The Last Word: Interest Group RQs due Wednesday; Politcal ID WebQuest due Thursday

Affecting Public Policy RQs due Friday

Why do third parties have a hard time winning elections in the US?

Just as we discussed with the 2-party system, there are a few reasons why third parties rarely win…

• Election laws– Single member plurality districts (SMPD)

• Person with most votes wins office, no proportional representation– Electoral College

• Person with most votes in a state gets all electoral votes from that state

**These two things make it nearly impossible for a third party candidate to win

• Tough to raise money– Less well-known, less likely to win, issues are outside of the mainstream, so

people do not contribute

• So, what HAS been the impact of third parties on American elections?

FrontPage: Would you vote for a third party candidate? Why or why not?

The Last Word: Interest Group RQs due Wednesday; Politcal ID WebQuest due Thursday

Types of Third Parties• Splinter– Break away from a major party– Usually formed around a single personality– Do not last long; often only for a single election– Bull Moose

• Single-issue– Formed around one major issue (abortion, debt, etc.)– Usually last longer than splinter, as long as issue remains

important– Sometimes the issue position is adopted by a major party– Pro-life party

• Ideological– Formed around a set of beliefs on a range of issues– Last the longest; often for decades; “semi-permanent”