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Example research essay topic: Electoral Votes Ralph Nader - 1,371 words

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The Two Party System in the United States Since the administration of George Washington, two political parties have dominated the United States political system. The American two party system is unique from other two party systems. The system allows the two major political parties to face off against one another in the operations of the government. This system is the result of a representative democracy. The Democrats and Republicans have dominated the political scene since our countries origin.

The two party system has both advantages and disadvantages. Many Americans have called for party reform that would change the current two party system, with the recent events of the Presidential Election. The United States has always had a two-party system political system. From our countries beginning, the political parties were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists, theses political parties became known as Republicans and Democrats. There have been frequent third party movements in the history of our country, but they have never elected a President. Presidential elections play an important role in the formation of the two-party system.

The method of a national election in such an immense country has necessitated large political organizations and simplified choices for the voter. 2 Therefore, the two party system has become an ideal method for voters to support their candidate, regardless of the party they support. There are aspects of both political parties that are most relevant to the public. Political parties are the most important reference group with which voters can identify and develop a loyalty 1. In addition to this bond, political parties as organizations and in government, express principles and advocate policies that establish the agenda for the current political dialogue. As parties are more unified, they work as teams of office seekers that present beliefs that provide useful information to the public. All of these take on greater relevance as the political parties address the major concerns of the electorate 1.

Even more importantly, as political parties are more unified, they can be more effective in using their offices for passing legislation and taking other action on public concerns. The parties as organizations have long served as the point of contact between voters and elected government, such as registration and turnout drives, persuading the uncertain to support them and generating greater enthusiasm among party loyalists 1. The growth of independence and the weakening of party loyalties suggest that the major political parties have become less relevant as reference groups 3. Candidate centered campaigns have presented the parties, as such, to the public less often, to be replaced by the presentation of individual candidates running for office. Although the vast majority of successful candidates are party nominees, they are less likely to emphasize their partisan ties 3. This fragmentation by candidate and office hardly presents the party as a unified team.

As seen in past elections it takes a unified party to win the election and unite the country. Both parties have a decentralized structure, marked by the absence of discipline and chain of command 2. Organization at the local level may be strong, but control is weaker at the state level and is absent on the national level. It is true that each party develops a level of unity for the presidential election. This unity in turn, helps carry them to the Presidency. The leadership of the president within the party gives the victorious party some unanimity 2.

Once a partys candidate is elected, the support will continue to provide the leadership required to govern the country. In voting, Republicans and Democrats are usually found on both sides of a specific issue or belief. An alliance between liberal Republicans and Democrats against conservative Republicans and Democrats tends to develop 1. However, both alliances are not constant, and the alignment varies on the issues from one vote to another. Consequently, despite the existence of a two-party system, a stable majority is impossible for the President to achieve. For the President to have the budget adopted and legislation passed, they must gather the necessary votes on every issue, which requires alliances between party lines.

Both parties provide a loose framework within, which shifting coalitions are formed 1. The two party electoral competition stands out as one of the systems most prominent and enduring features. The Republicans and Democrats have always dominated electoral politics. This record of the same two parties dominating the nations electoral politics shows the aspects of the political system as well as the special features of the political parties 3. The standard arrangement for electing national and state legislators in this country is the single-member district system; whichever candidate receives a majority of the vote is elected to office. Unlike proportional systems, the single-member district arrangement permits only one party to win in any district.

The single-member system creates incentives to form two broadly based parties that are capable of winning legislative districts. 3. Another advantage for having two major parties is the Electoral College system. Election as president requires an absolute majority of the 50 states 538 total electoral votes, which requires 270 electoral votes to win the presidency 2. This requirement makes it extremely difficult for a third party to win the presidency without combining with a major party. The individual states electoral votes are allocated under a winner-take-all arrangement.

All that is required to capture a states electoral votes is to win the popular vote within each state 2. The Electoral College works to the disadvantage of third parties, which have little chance of winning any states electoral votes, let alone carrying enough states to elect a president. The Green Party in the current election, led by Ralph Nader, was able to receive significant support, however not enough to attain federal matching funds for the next Presidential election. The electoral system provides only the most distorted reflection of the feelings and opinions of the broad masses, because of the monopoly enjoyed by the two major political parties, the influence of corporate money, and the powerful role of the mass media, whose combined effect is to bar any discussion of programs and policies which might threaten the interests of the capitalist class 1. This winner-take all system makes victory too important to take risks. Groups of voters, organized interests, and individuals are better off supporting a candidate that can help achieve the ultimate goal, which is an electoral victory to win the presidency.

In the United States, third parties have a hard time overcoming the advantages enjoyed by the two major political parties. A voter is more then likely to not leave a party that wins often, to join a group that has never won an election 2. Though in the current election we have seen the Green party, led by Ralph Nader able to sway enough voters in Florida and other key states to more then likely prevent Vice President Al Gore from winning the presidency. The Republicans and Democrats control the majority of government operations 2. They have created electoral rules that work to their advantage. It can be difficult to add a candidates name on a ballot in a state.

An example of the difficulty occurs in states such as Pennsylvania. Ballot access laws require a new party to obtain 99, 000 registrants in order to have its candidates names on the ballot 2. Another advantage of the two party system is the Federal Election Campaign Act gives benefits to the major parties. These benefits include the public funding of presidential campaigns, the public financing of national conventions, and matching funds to candidates for winning their parties presidential nomination 2. Americas distinctive nominating process is an additional barrier to third parties.

Among the worlds democracies, the United States is unique in its reliance upon primary elections to nominate candidates for state and congressional offices. It also uses the state level presidential primaries in the selection of presidential nominees 3. In most nations, nominations are controlled by the party organizations. In the United States, it is the voters who make the ultimate determination of who the Republican and Democratic nominees will be 2.

This system, of course, contributes to the fact that the United States has weaker formal party organizations than most other democracies 3. This participate...


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Research essay sample on Electoral Votes Ralph Nader

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