Elections & terms
third party
Any party other than the two major ones. American election rules make them structurally hard to sustain, though they shape outcomes and agendas.
In full
Single-member districts decided by plurality tend toward two parties, since a party that finishes third everywhere wins nothing. Ballot access rules, debate thresholds, and campaign finance rules compound the effect. Third parties have nonetheless changed politics by pulling issues into the major parties' platforms and by affecting close races.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.