Many voters, especially young people, are unenthusiastic about this November's likely rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
A recent Reuters poll found that nearly a third of respondents didn't support either candidate. But other options don't seem to be materializing.
There's several reasons behind that, Dr. Amber Dickinson, an associate professor of political science at Washburn University, said on Up To Date. The two-party system is institutionalized, and very hard to change. Plus, third-party or independent candidates struggle more in fundraising and even getting on the ballot compared to major-party candidates.
And despite growing popularity for alternative voting systems like ranked-choice voting, Kansas and Missouri lawmakers have tried to outlaw the practice in recent years. This session, the Kansas House introduced a bill that would make it more difficult for independent candidates to make the ballot for statewide office.
"It's not necessarily because an independent candidate is going to win a race," said Dr. Matt Harris, an associate professor of political science at Park University. "But those independent candidates, like Greg Orman... I think he won six or seven percent of the vote. That can be enough to take away from a major party."
- Dr. Amber Dickinson, associate professor of political science at Washburn University
- Dr. Matt Harris, associate professor of political science at Park University
