Political Parties

In the American political system, the majority of candidates come from either the Republican or Democratic parties, but there are many third party candidates who offer a greater range of choice for the American voter. Below there is a list of five of the largest of these third parties (listed alphabetically).

Choose one of the five third parties listed below. In a 500-750 word essay, using your own words (don’t simply copy and paste from a website) summarize their political platform (i.e. what they stand for, believe, and/or are trying to promote).

• The Constitution Party (formally known as The American Taxpayers Party)
  http://www.constitutionparty.com/
• The Green Party
  http://www.gp.org/
• The Libertarian Party
  http://www.lp.org/
• The Natural Law Party
  http://www.natural-law.org/
• The Reform Party
  http://reformparty.org/

In your paper, discuss one thing a voter who typically aligns with the Democratic Party and one thing a voter who typically aligns with the Republican Party might find attractive about the third party you have chosen. You may also discuss reasons why you find this third party an attractive alternative to the two major parties.

To make this comparison, you will need to have a general understanding of the two main parties. Use the links below to find out more about these political parties (listed alphabetically), but feel free to do additional research.

• The Democratic Party
  http://www.democrats.org/
• The Republican Party
  https://www.gop.com/

As always, be sure to identify any direct quotations you draw from a source by identifying the source and by placing those words in quotation marks (no more than 20% of your essay can be quotations). The source of any ideas or facts you include should also be identified whether you use the direct words or not. Additionally, you should include the links to any news articles or websites you visit by copying and pasting the link at the end of your assignment.

As with all weekly written assignments, submit your work as an attached file. Double-space your paper and use 12 point Times New Roman as your font.