Right now, everyone seems unhappy with things their parties are
doing. Republicans I know are upset regarding the bail out, McCain and
his campaign, and the way that George W. Bush has put this percieved
stain on their entire party. Democrats, myself included, have issues
with the way the party seems to not have much of a spine in regards to
major issues that we want fixed: Torture, wiretapping, Electronic
Voting machines, and of course the Bail out. This has caused some to
decide that a third party candidate is going to be their choice, and I
understand that, though personally I am too afraid to give my vote or
encourage my friends or family to give their vote to someone who cannot
win because of the setup of our two party system.
    I was discussing with Whereabouts our agreement that our
politcal system needs more choices, more candidates and options for the
people. In her post, A wasted Vote, she says...
"In the first
place, a wasted vote is a vote for someone you know does not represent
your own beliefs and principles. A wasted vote is a vote for someone
you know will not lead the country in the way it should go."
    From a moral standpoint, I agree completely with that. Which is
why I have to say, a two party system keeps us in a cycle of "Wasted
Votes". While I still cannot bring myself to vote for someone from a
third party, because I know a McCain presidency would be a disaster for
our nation, I can say that we, as a people, need to change this system,
so that multiple parties have equal chances and a platform. To know
what needs changing, we need to first look at what is wrong, and what
is diminishing third party candidates ability from winning in our
nation.
The Problem...
    It appears that 4 major barriers exist that prevent third party
candidates from having a potentially successful, or even equal
platform. Wikipedia's entry on Third party candidates points out three of these barriers for presidental candidates.

1. "Winner Take All" reciept of Electoral Votes, and I would add the Electoral College in general. Because as the Wikipedia Entry on the Electoral College points out: "The electors generally cast their votes according to the winner of the
   popular vote in their respective states, but in many cases are not
   required by law to do so."


2. Ballot Access laws: While the Republicans and Democrats are
   automatically added to the Ballot, Third party candidates have to get
   themselves added, state by state, either by paying fees, getting a
   certain number of signatures on a petition or the like. Should they not
   get on every states ballot, then they automatically won't get the
   electoral votes in the states in which they are excluded.


3. Debate Rules: Third party candidates are not always included in the
   Presidental Debates, hindering their ability to get out their message.
   (BTW, the third party candidates debate is this weekend).

    A fourth barrier exists that Wikipedia missed though. That is the Campaign Finance laws that favor the two parties.
..Campaign finance
rules say that a political party can only get government funding to
run a race if it received a certain percentage of votes from the previous
election. Often this leaves third party candidates to fund their own
campaigns. With less media coverage, the candidates are left to find
other means of exposure to raise the millions of dollars it takes to
run a successful campaign...
    Unless these four issues are addressed, I don't foresee any
third party candidate winning a presidental election. Historically,
third party candidates have made for some interesting elections,
and through their often failed campaigns they do force political
discussions from the other candidates on issues they are passionate
about. But sadly, I don't see either party willing to stand up for
increasing the number of choices we have for leadership of this nation.
Democrats are not innocent on this issue, I'll be the first to point that out. However, both
parties enjoy the monopoly they have over our government, and both have written these laws to maintain that advantage. I can think of one member of congress who
has openly worked to increase our choices and level the playing field
for the third party candidates, Ron Paul.
Ideas & Solutions...
    So how do we fix this problem, when those that make the laws
enjoy the monopoly they hold? Well, I can think of several things we
can do, so that we no longer have to choose just between tweedle dumb
and tweedle dee. For one, the ACLU has historically gone to bat for third party candidates to help them overturn some of the individual state's biased campaign
laws. Support them, and use them if neccessary to assist third party
candidates .
    Also, follow the example of the growth of the conservative
movement. They didn't just jump into politics at the top. They started
locally, in cities, districts, and states. Is there a third party
candidate running for something in your town, district or state who's
ideas you favor? Then help their campaign. While the Major parties are
reluctant to change the system, other third party candidates know the
obsticles, and will be more likely to advocate for an equal playing
field in your area. And if you know a "community leader" in your area
who has their eye on public service, remind them they have more choices
than Democrat or Republican. And remind them that they can always
change their party should they become unhappy with the direction or the
prinicples that party begins to support.
    Also, the laws that unfairly hurt the third parties need to be
changed. Pressure your Senator and congressman. Start local petitions,
or even online ones. Also, there are ways that the people can change
the laws should they get enough support from the community and within
each state to do so. I wrote two posts, some time back, on the issue of
"Direct Democracy", which also could be used by the people in some
states to potentially challenge these unfair laws. Direct Democracy is
essentially where the people get enough signatures within the state to
either place a potential constitutional amendment on the next election
ballot (this is the way many on the right push these "gay marriage
bans" and other such nonsense), or to get an unfair law regarding third
party candidates repealed by the people (depending on what kind of
"Direct Democray" your state practices. You can learn more about it Here (part 1, the definition) and Here (part 2, the how to).
    If we really want more choice, if we really want an open
democracy, where everyone has a voice and no one has to "settle for the
lesser of the evils," then we have to actually do some work. But
Democracy is work, and our responsibilites as American citizens is more
than just voting, more than just educating ourselves on the issues. It
is also letting those we elect know our wishes, getting them removed if
they don't do what we elected them for, and changing the system to what
it needs to be so that all of us have a voice, a fair chance, and to
never feel like we have nothing but "wasted votes".