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relevance of third parties
* [[Socialist Workers Party]]<ref name=socwrk>[http://www.themilitant.com/ Socialist Workers Party] official site</ref>
* [[Socialist Workers Party]]<ref name=socwrk>[http://www.themilitant.com/ Socialist Workers Party] official site</ref>
* [[Workers World Party]]<ref name=wrkwrld>[http://www.workers.org/ Workers World Party] official site</ref>
* [[Workers World Party]]<ref name=wrkwrld>[http://www.workers.org/ Workers World Party] official site</ref>
* [[States Rights Democratic Party]] (aka "Dixiecrats")
* [[American Independent Party]]
* [[American Independent Party]]
* [[Green Party]]<ref name=green>[http://www.gp.org/ Green Party] official site</ref>
* [[Green Party]]<ref name=green>[http://www.gp.org/ Green Party] official site</ref>
* [[Constitution Party]]<ref name=const>[http://www.constitutionparty.com/ Constitution Party] official site</ref>
* [[Constitution Party]]<ref name=const>[http://www.constitutionparty.com/ Constitution Party] official site</ref>
* [[Reform Party]]
* [[Reform Party]]
== Relevance of third parties ==
While third-party candidates rarely win elections, third parties often hold relevance in elections:
* "Splitting the vote" - if a third-party candidate is [[moderate]] or takes positions similar to the two major party candidates, the vote for a candidate may be split, allowing the opposing candidate to win. For example, in 1992, Reform Party candidate [[Ross Perot]] split the vote with Republican [[George H. W. Bush]], allowing Democrat [[Bill Clinton]] to win the presidency. In 2000, Green Party candidate [[Ralph Nader]] split the vote with Democrat [[Al Gore]], allowing Republican [[George W. Bush]] to win the election.
* Protesting/making a statement - In the 1948 presidential election, [[Strom Thurmond]] and the newly founded [[States Rights Democratic Party]] (Dixiecrats) ran in support of [[racial segregation]], winning 39 electoral votes.<ref>http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1948&f=0&off=0&elect=0</ref>
For these reasons, third parties can often bring attention to issues otherwise ignored and encourage major parties to take action.
== References ==
== References ==