Why Does America Have a Two-Party Political System?

The Founding Fathers of the United States Constitution never intended for political parties to play a part in our new government. They believed they had structured our government to prevent the formation of political parties because of checks and balances, the separation of powers, federalism and the formation of the Electoral College. As it turned out, the Electoral College was one of the reasons political parties emerged. And even before any official political parties were formed, there were opposing groups within our democracy.


First Political Parties

An informal two-party system existed between the Federalist and Anti-Federalists before official political parties were ever introduced. Federalists wanted the Constitution ratified and Anti-Federalists did not. Later, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison formed the Democratic - Republican Party to oppose Alexander Hamilton's Federalist Party. This began the two-party system in the United States.


Current Political Parties

The two reigning political parties are the Republicans and the Democrats. The party platforms vary greatly on size of government, taxation and social issues. Every elected president since 1852 has been a Republican or Democrat. Party preference tends to play a major role in how people vote, particularly when they don't know much about the candidate. Many constituents vote along party lines if a candidate's name is unfamiliar to them. Voting Republican or Democrat assures the voter that the candidate shares some of their fundamental political beliefs even if they don't know where the candidate stands on specific issues.


Voting Systems

America has a winner-take-all system. One vote for one person. This is also called a plurality voting system. Plurality voting lends itself to a two-party political system because a third-party candidate does not have a very high chance of winning a majority of the electoral votes.


Third-Party Candidates

Third-party candidates are unlikely to win the presidency because their supporters often feel pressured to align with one of the other major parties. Voters may feel their vote is wasted by voting for a candidate other than a Republican or Democrat because that vote takes away a much needed vote for one of the other candidates. Until a national popular vote selects the president, eliminating the Electoral College, third-party candidates are unlikely to succeed to the presidency. A national popular voting system encourages other parties to become involved and creates a more level political playing field for different parties.