The United States Election is dominated by Republicans Donald Trump-Mike Pence and Democrats Joe Biden-Kamala Harris in the polls while the independent or third-party candidates are left behind.
Independent presidential nominees this 2020 had popular personalities, including rapper Kanye West and cryptocurrency billionaire Brock Pierce.
It is reportedly a key aspect of a functioning democracy that more than two parties have the prospective to win an election or have a decent influence within the government.
However, the United States is locked into its two-party system with the little apparent potential for change.
Despite the fame of such faces who entered the fray for the presidential election, it should be noted that the last president not belonging to the Democrat or Republican campaigns was a member of the Whig party Millard Fillmore who reigned from 1850 to 1853.
The first president, George Washington, was the mere independent candidate in U.S. history to win the nation's general election, reported Firstpost.
As of November 2, 1,225 candidates have filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in a bid for the presidency. Notable candidates are Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Howie Hawkins, and Jo Jorgensen. These candidates have been eligible to appear on adequate state ballots in order to win a majority of at least 270 electoral votes in the Electoral College, reported Ballotpedia.
Even the most high-profile independent candidates have little potency of showing up on adequate ballots to clinch the 270 electoral votes required to secure the presidency.
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During the 2016 election cycle, more than 7.6 million U.S. voters cast their ballots for someone other than then-Republican candidate Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, reported The Indian Express.
A former child actor and a former coal executive who served time in prison are also among the third-party and independent candidates bidding for the presidency.
In 2016, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson garnered the most support among independent presidential hopefuls with almost 4.5 million votes or 3.3 percent of the electorate.
America has had presidents for over 230 years. Considering that only Washington was elected as an independent nominee, the Republican and Democratic parties rule media coverage and campaign donations.
There is a similar "Duvergerian logic" that pervades presidential elections. All states allot their electoral votes for the election by "winner-take-all." It is not favorable to come in the last place. Thus, instead of supporting an independent nominee who is trailing far behind the major party candidates, a voter who would prefer the third-party candidate would vote for the major party candidate they find qualified.
Independent candidates still have the potency to stir the race. In Maine, where the 2020 General Election would implement ranked-choice voting in the presidential election for the first time in American history, third party candidates would likely have a better impact than in other states.
While musician Kanye West's surprise entry appalled American voters, he is eligible for presidential ballot access in 12 states, including Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah, and Vermont.
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