THIRD (OR MINOR) PARTIES

Just some basics

The 3
rd
Parties in California are:
Two main types of third parties
Ideological parties are based on a specific
philosophy of government. Libertarians stand
for maximum individual liberty with minimum
government interference.
Splinter parties have broken away from one of
the major parties. Greens are liberal like
Democrats, but take stronger stands on the
environment and some other issues.
The Innovative Nature of Third Parties
Third parties come up with new ideas that
sometimes become very popular. Often
though, when they do _________________
The Spoiler Role of 3
rd
Parties
In 1992 ____________ won 19% of the total
popular vote for president. He was a
conservative, business-oriented candidate so
those who voted for him would likely
otherwise have voted for the Republican. This
caused Democrat Bill _________ to win the
election and spoiled the election for the
Republican George ________.
The 1992 Candidates
Bill Clinton
Ross Perot
George H. W. Bush
Another Spoiler Example
In 2000 ____________ ran as the Green Party
candidate for president. He was very liberal
so those who voted for him would likely
otherwise have voted for the Democrat.
Though less than 3% of people voted Green, it
was enough to cause Democrat, ___________,
to lose and Republican, George W. _______, to
win a very close election.
The Candidates in 2000
Al Gore, Democrat Ralph Nader, Green George W. Bush, GOP
The Wasted Vote
Third parties are hurt by peoples
assumption that a vote for a minor party
is a wasted vote.