Third parties rarely win elective office in the United States because

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Third parties struggle to win elections because they have difficulty building up a concentrated membership base within individual districts. Without this, they cannot win a plurality of votes in elections.

Answer: B 
 The American electoral system is designed to disadvantage third-party candidates by favoring the two major parties. Multiple-member districts can make it harder for third parties to achieve a majority vote since voters tend to consolidate behind the major parties.

Answer: C 
 Third parties can often offend large numbers of mainstream Americans due to their views and platforms. Their more niche or extreme stances compared to the two major parties can make it harder for them to gain broad support.

Answer: D 
 This choice is incorrect. There are no congressional statutes that prohibit nonmajor party candidates from winning elections.

Third Parties Rarely Win Elective Office in the United States