Dathan Trevino UNITED STATES – Third-parties, such as the Green Party or the Party for Socialism and Liberation, have seen a boost in support from multiple TikTok users claiming that voting for said parties is the only way to “save the election.”
Third-party candidates have been elected in governmental positions before, including Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, though none have been elected in a presidential race.
Dr. Natasha Altema-McNeeley, a political science associate professor at UTRGV, said having a third-party president is near-impossible.
“Our nation has rules in place that are very beneficial to the two dominant parties,” McNeely said. “These rules make it very difficult for third parties, like the green party, like the libertarian party, to even get themselves on the ballot.”
Some of those obstacles include earning an electoral vote; the last time a third-party candidate earned an electoral vote was in 1968.
One party gaining traction is the Green Party, a political party that advocates for social justice and environmental policies.
Eddie Espinoza, Green Party candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner, spoke on why he believes TikTok has gravitated towards their cause.
“I think the world is ready for a more inclusive, international decision-making process that involves everybody,” said Espinoza.
Some TikTok users have directly named third-party candidates such as Cornel West, Claudia De La Cruz and Jill Stein as potential options for the presidential election.
Espinoza added that the Green Party hopes to implement a ranked choice voting system, where candidates are ranked based on popular vote by the voting body.
