The other parties that were in the General Election

A porcupine is the animal for Libertarians like the Republicans elephant. 
Photo by Liberatarian Canidates Fecebook page.

A porcupine is the animal for Libertarians like the Republicans elephant. Photo by Liberatarian Canidates Fecebook page.

Brett Shultz, Staff Writer

John Adams, second president of the United States, said, “a division of the republic into two great parties … is to be dreaded as the great political evil.” 

The politicians have divided us into two groups: Republicans and Democrats. Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, has been in politics for 47 years and some don’t think he is fit for the role of president while the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, has been our president for four years, and many want change. 

Why are our choices limited to these two candidates? There are many other parties and candidates that do not participate in debates. Many are not listed on ballots. Three of the parties have many followers. They include but are not limited to the Libertarian Party, the Constitution Party and the Green Party.

The Libertarian Party supports non-interventionism, capitalism, limiting the size of the government, no gun laws, gay rights, pro-choice and legalizing all drugs. The Libertarian Party was established in Westminster, Colorado, in 1971. They want to lower the national debt so it’s manageable. They currently have one member of congress. His name is Justin Amash from Michigan and he has been in the House of Representatives since 2011. 

Xander Bishop, a 17-year-old Northeastern high school student who is Liberatarian said, “…the whole country ignores third parties,” he continued, “…it’s not fair how the other two parties [Republicans and Democrats] put us to the side.” 

The Libertarian Party currently has Jo Jorgensen running for president, but because she can’t participate in debates, she most likely did not get very many votes. On Nov. 3 everyone over 18 will see her on the ballot but many won’t know who she is and mark their vote for someone else. 

The Constitution Party, formerly known as the U.S Taxpayers Party, was founded in 1999. They are very much far-right. They support the original meaning of the Constitution, bible and Declaration of Independence. The founder, Howard Phillips, established the party because of George H.W Bush. Bush promised to not introduce new taxes. Later congress introduced new taxes to get rid of the national debt. This would later cause Phillips to make the party. They currently don’t have any members of congress but do have some members in city councils around the United States. Don Blankenship is their only candidate in the Nov. 3 general election.

The last party is the Green Party. The party stands for the environment, social justice, peace and democracy. The Green Party movement began in 1985 after several parties combined to form the current political group today. The party is known to be far-left on the political scale. They also don’t take donations from corporations. The Green Parties’ Nov. 3 candidate is Howie Hawkins. 

All three of these parties had someone on the ballot this November, but because of the very little support, they had almost no chance to win.  The founding fathers warned of the two-party system, but sadly their warnings were never heard. Americans have two candidates that many don’t want to support. These parties may offer alternatives.