American Government › Section I · Political parties › Topic I.2
The two-party system
Many democracies have five or more parties in their legislatures, yet American politics has run on two for more than 160 years. The main reason is not voter taste but the rules for counting votes, reinforced by laws and history.
In this topic
- Two parties, many voices
- Winner-take-all and plurality
- Duverger's law
- Worked example: a wasted vote
- Proportional representation
- Worked example: one vote, two systems
- More forces that protect two parties
- Spoilers and influence
- Realignment and critical elections
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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