Expert: Third party's chance at winning has always been 'tinier than tiny'


As the votes rolled in throughout the night, it was a close race between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. 

For third party candidates Jill Stein and Gary Johnson, votes for them came in at 5 percent in nearly every state as polls closed. While was a toss up between Clinton and Trump for much of the night, until Trump claimed victory, one thing was certain: it's was never going to be a third party candidate who took the presidency.

Kyla Stepp, a political science professor at Central Michigan University, said students who voted for Johnson or Stein shouldn’t be disappointed about their choice not being elected. They should use the outcome as a learning tool.

“Theodore Roosevelt and the Bull-Moose Party was the last, primary time in history where a third party really made a difference in the fact that it completely changed the election,” she said. “Under our (two-party) system, the chances of a third party candidate winning a presidential election are just tinier than tiny.”

Despite losing the presidential race, Stepp said the amount of support Johnson garnered while campaigning as a Libertarian was impressive. Since the inception of the two party system, after George Washington stepped down from the presidency in 1797, only a number of third party candidates have made a dent in the two party system.

The last candidate to make waves like Johnson was Ralph Nader in 2000, who ran as a Green Party Candidate. During the 2000 election, many Americans believed Nader took votes away from then-Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, causing him to lose the swing state of Florida.

Prior to Nader, there was Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996.

Poor voter turnout could be one of the main reasons for the lack of votes for third party candidate, Stepp said. Voter change in conscious could also be another factor.

“Third parties get their strongest support from Millennials by far,” Stepp said. “Demographically speaking, they’re also the types of people least likely to vote.”

Ben Featherstone, a sophomore from Fremont, said he believes a vote for third party is “the same as not voting at all.”

“Anyone who votes third party is a simpleton and does not deserve to vote,” Featherstone said. “You’re throwing your vote away. A third party candidate is not accepted (in America) and we’re not going to elect one. It’s not possible.”

While unlikely, Stepp said it’s not impossible for a third party candidate to become president.

In order for a non-establishment candidate to win the presidency, the country’s voting processes would have to undergo a major reform. This could happen in several ways, Stepp said such as dismantling or reorganizing the Electoral College.

“The way it’s set up now, it’s very much in favor of a two-party system,” Stepp said. “We would either want to look at getting rid of it completely or doing a (type of) proportional representation. But it’s not just the Electoral College that would need to change — we have a culture we’ve always had since the beginning, when we really fell into this two party system. It’s ingrained in our ‘winner take all’ mentality.”

Proportioning votes in the Electoral College would serve to literally reflect a state’s vote. For example, if 60 percent of Michigan voted for Clinton and 40 percent voted for Trump, rather than Clinton receiving all of Michigan’s Electoral College votes, she could receive 60 percent of them and Trump 40 percent, Stepp said.

Although disparaging of the idea of voting for a third party candidate, Stepp said that the most important thing for students to do is to exercise their ability to vote.

“I would never tell anyone not to vote with their heart,” Stepp said. “The most important part of your vote is to make a statement. If (your statement) is to make a protest vote (against the two-party system) by voting third party, that’s fine. If that is your first priority in voting, then do that.”

Senior Sam Wallace echoed that sentiment.

The St. Joseph native did not vote for Trump or Clinton this election, but wrote in Ohio Gov. John Kasich on his ballot. Wallace didn’t feel strong enough about either candidate to support them but said he still felt compelled to vote. He said it “bugs him to death” to see people who didn’t.

“You still need to vote,” he said. “You just have to do your research and find a candidate (that fits you).”

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About Jordyn Hermani

Troy senior Jordyn Hermani, Editor-in-Chief of Central Michigan Life, is a double major ...

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