The Two-Party System In The United States

The United States has a two political party system. A political party is a group of individuals who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine policy. (Sidlow and Henschen 149) The political parties that make up the United States two-party system are the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. However, even before the Republican and Democratic parties formed there was still a two-party system in place. The establishment of the two-party system dates back to 1787, when the first major political division occurred between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. This precedent of a two party system has since continued and the two-party system continues to thrive today. (Sidlow and Henschen 164) The main reason the two-party system is still thriving today is because with the various election laws in place and the different institutional barriers there is no other alternative. (Sidlow and Henschen 164) The minor parties, also known as third parties, have a hard time competing with the Republican and Democratic parties for votes because the United States winner-take-all system favors these major parties. This plurality or “winner-take-all” system is designed to represent the majority or
(Sidlow and Henschen 164) It is harder for the third parties to get their candidates on the ballot because they are required to get more signatures, while the major parties are not required to get as many signatures in order to get their candidates on the ballot. The major parties also receive federal funding to help with their campaigns during the election. On the other hand, the third parties must meet specific guidelines in order to receive federal funding, then if they do meet the guidelines they do not receive the funding until after the election is