As a result of the 2020 election, North Carolina no longer recognizes the Green Party nor the Constitution Party as legitimate political parties. This was an automatic action as both parties failed to reach the 2% vote requirement for either presidential or gubernatorial election. All registered voters who were registered under either party were automatically reregistered as unaffiliated voters. While this may be a step back for members of either party, this is arguably a step forward for better elections in the near future.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I am a huge fan of a multi-party democracy. It would be great if there was a party that could represent each person to a better extent, rather than having to choose between a rock and a hard place, much like our current political system. However, as ideal as that may be, third parties do not stand a chance in our current political system. Time and time again, we watch as the third party fails to produce a winning candidate, but instead further divides the votes between the two parties who do stand a chance.

Elections run on a winner-takes-all system, meaning that either you win all the electors in your state, or you win nothing. For a presidential candidate to win, they must acquire an absolute majority of 538 electoral votes. Because of this requirement, it would be extremely difficult for a third-party candidate to win. There is almost no way they could win a majority of votes against a Republican or Democratic candidate, so the third party produces votes for a candidate that stands no chance of winning.

Admittedly, third parties can do some great things, even if one of them is not winning an election. Since it is highly unlikely that a third-party candidate could ever win, many Republican or Democratic candidates will try to adapt to the wishes of the third party in order to gain their votes instead. For example, as the Green Party advocates for climate change and the environment, it is likely to see a Democratic candidate adapt the same ideals in order to win over the votes of that party.  

However, a third party can currently do nothing more than advocate for a few issues that are easily adaptable by the dominating two parties America already has. Unless the two-party system of democracy is changed in America, third parties do more harm than good by dividing the vote during close elections.  Thankfully, the current end of the Green Party and Constitution Party in North Carolina holds the possibility of better upcoming elections with a less divided vote.

The United States is currently operating on a system dominated by two voices: Republican and Democrat. Because of this, there is really no place for a third party in today’s form of democracy. So no matter how beneficial third parties have the potential to be, North Carolina took a step forward to better elections in the upcoming years by no longer recognizing the Green Party and Constitution Party as legitimate parties.