When the US Constitution was written a quarter of a millennium ago, there was no room for any party in it, and yet, history shows that almost throughout the history of the United States, two have dominated - the Republican and the Democratic.

And in this cycle, the choice of the Americans narrowed down to two candidates – Vice President Kamala Harris, nominated by the Democratic Party, and former President Donald Trump, nominated by the Republican Party.

But voters have the right to decide on another 11 candidates nominated by parties, as well as two independent candidates. Only two of them theoretically have a chance to be elected president, that is, to win 270 delegates in the Electoral College. Chase Oliver, an accountant from Georgia, is the candidate of the Libertarian Party and Americans in all states can vote for him. The candidate of the Green Party, the doctor Jill Stein from Massachusetts, is on the ballots in 38 federal states, with the right to add her name to the list of voters in seven other federal states.

Episodic roles

A cameo role, with the right to be candidates in several states and without a chance to reach 270 electors in the College, have the candidates Peter Sonsky of the American Solidarity Party, Blake Huber of the Approval Vote Party, Rendell Terry of the Constitution Party, Joel Skousen of American Independent Party, Michael Wood of the Prohibition Party, Claudia de la Cruz of the Socialism and Liberation Party, Joseph Kishori of the Socialist Equality Party, Rachel Fruit of the Socialist Labor Party, and Bild Stodden of the Socialist Party USA. Academician and anti-war activist Cornel West stood out among the independent candidates.

The votes received by these eleven are traditionally considered to be "thrown into the well", as they did not end up for the two main candidates, in an incredibly close battle.

The founders of the United States, including George Washington, did not forget about political parties when they wrote the Constitution, but deliberately erased them, fearing that their internecine battles could lead to tyranny. In contrast, two political groups with opposing views on federal power were created almost immediately. The Federalists were led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Anti-Federalists were led by Thomas Jefferson.

It was Jefferson's victory against John Adams in 1800 that marked the collapse of federalism, but also the rise of the Democratic-Republican Party. Over time, its opponents naturally appeared, the party developed and reformed, until the middle of the 19th century, when the two options that have survived to this day were clearly distinguished - the "Good Old Party" (GOP), as they call the Republican Party today, and the democratic one.

Voices in a well

Their rivalry was slowly ousting the other parties, as the elections showed that the votes for the fringe parties were actually "thrown into the well". It is generated by the winner-take-all electoral system – the candidate who wins the most votes in any constituency is entitled to all its delegates. In such a system, a small party that would win even 25 percent of the vote not only cannot possibly have a strong candidate for president, but also practically cannot win a single delegate in the Electoral College.

Minor parties and independent candidates are not even given a chance to win a seat in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Exceptions are former congressmen or governors who were nominated by Republicans or Democrats, but decided to continue their political career as independents.

"Doomed" to failure, small parties and independent candidates have no interest in organizing and running election campaigns, because they cannot bear the financial burden. Some, however, consciously invest in a campaign determined to withdraw before the end of the race and support one of the two main candidates, expecting "adequate thanks".

The United Kingdom, which had a similar system, managed to escape the spiral of binary elections. The emergence and rise of the Labor Party in Britain slowly pushed the Liberal Party out of Parliament, but it remained a third option.

There are no coalition negotiations

A two-party system, however, has a major advantage in forming a government. In America, a country with a presidential system, it is even simpler – the president forms an administration, and his power is strengthened or limited depending on which party has the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. One party is in power and the other is in opposition.

The process takes place faster and more efficiently, because there is no need for long and difficult negotiations for party coalitions, present in countries with multi-party systems. With politically divided results, as in the current case with Bulgaria, the process of creating alliances to reach a majority can end without success indefinitely, which is why citizens are forced to vote in extraordinary elections several times in a calendar year.

The binary system, at least in theory, should calm the animosity of the political battle, as both parties with a relatively equal voter base should offer policies that would appeal to undecided voters in order to reach the necessary majority. This would mean that the parties are getting closer to each other, so the change of government should not be too radical.

The current polarization of the electorate and the fierce battles between Republicans and Democrats can be considered an exception.