Both dominant political parties in the US have been observably shifting away from their core ideology for decades, yet the years following the 2016 elections have brought even further political polarization and discontent for America’s deeply ingrained two-party political system.
In a 2023 survey conducted by Pew Research, 28% of Americans reported holding negative views regarding both major political parties in the US, a percentage that has continued to rise since the 90s. The study additionally found that younger age groups hold more discontent for both parties than older groups, with 35% of 18 to 49-year-olds holding negative views for both Democrats and Republicans.
“[The two-party political system] worked for what it was for a while, but now we’re getting to a point where we’re seeing how it’s not working anymore, with two very drastic sides that the two-party system is taking. Rather than just differing on values, it’s now completely skewed to hatred,” said OH senior and SD308 school board student ambassador Luke Lockwood.
The only real remaining advantage of a two-party system is that the choices are binary, which makes voting on a mass scale easier, and theoretically results in candidates that represent the ideals of a great number of Americans.
“We know the election this year is going to go one of two ways, and that gives you kind of a two-prong view… it helps to appeal to a broader base of people, and that helps limit extremism in a lot of ways,” said Aaron Henricks, OH history teacher and advisor of the Youth in Government club.
For younger people, American politics can seem to shift away from our interests and concerns quite frequently.
“Politicians aren’t going to pay attention to teenagers as much because 18-year-olds don’t vote in high numbers. The people that vote are the older people… so until voting numbers amongst the youth increase, there’s only going to be a certain amount of paying attention as a priority to the youth vote,” said Henricks.
One way that young people can amplify their voice in government other than simply voting is to participate more in local elections and meetings.
“At a local level, you can make change. Even if you’re on the side where maybe it doesn’t go the way you want, you don’t want to be left out of that, because sometimes those races can come down to very slim margins,” explained Henricks.
If Millennials, Generation Z, and the coming generations vote at a local and national level for what they truly believe in and continue to make their voices heard through contacting their representatives, peacefully protesting, and participating in local government, perhaps America will begin to shift away from the rigid two-party system that has remained in place since the 1800s.
My name is Austin Lamb and I am a senior at Oswego High School. This is my third year with 42Fifty, and I can't wait to get back into writing and reviewing. I greatly enjoy playing and listening to music, as well as writing. I've always been interested in writing, especially about things that can be critiqued and looked at subjectively. I play the guitar in a band with my friends and primarily listen to metal music but enjoy and appreciate all genres. I hope that my editing abilities, writing knowledge, and leadership skills will pay off for the publications.
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