The two-party system

some qualified advantages

pp. 73-79

in: Howard P. Kainz, Democracy East and West, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 1984

Abstract

In Chapter 5, reference was made to the "voter's paradox", according to which any multiplication of voters' choices beyond two choices can possibly result in a final choice which is not in accord with the actual majority preference. In some countries (e.g., England and the United States), third and fourth party candidates have decried their inability to make significant inroads into an entrenched two-party system. In view of the "voter's paradox", however, it may be the case that such predominantly two-party systems have a technical-mathematical advantage over democracies with three or more significantly strong parties — provided that we consider it important that the results of final elections should always reflect the actual preferences of the majority of people. On the other hand, it should be noted that even under a two-party system there are frequently a multiplicity of nominees in preliminary runoffs, and splits within the ticket of a single party — so that the "voters' paradox" could prevail under this system also.