Conor L McGee

81% of Americans Live In A One-Party State: The reality of America’s two-party system is a one-party system in 39 states. 🏛️ George Washington warned that political parties “serve to organize faction… to put in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party.” John Adams warned that “a division of the republic into two great parties” was to be “dreaded as the greatest political evil, under our Constitution.” Nearly 250 years later, Americans are growing convinced that our legacy two-party system reflects the tribal and inconsistent “projects of faction” which Washington described long ago. While approx. 40% of US voters are independent, <1% of elected officials in Washington, DC are independent. This stark imbalance in representation also exists at the state level, yet the majority of state governments are controlled by just one party; not even two. Unified, one-party control or the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature is known as a “party trifecta.” Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the number of states with trifectas fluctuated between 20-25. In 2010, the Tea Party movement upended that dynamic. The number of states with Republican trifectas more than doubled from 9 to 22. The shift towards one-party states has proven to be a trend rather than an anomaly. Following the 2022 midterm elections, a record 39 states are governed by party trifectas. Americans recognize that a system without legitimate competition is undemocratic, unrepresentative, and prone to an erosion of accountability. Yet as voters have grown more independent, states have moved to solidify one-party rule. Gerrymandering, or manipulating the redrawing of electoral districts to give one party an advantage, is one of the most egregious forms of the two parties’ subversion of the democratic process. Independent and third party candidates, meanwhile, must meet steep requirements just to earn ballot access, then they must contend with enormous fundraising gaps and a plurality voting system that reduces them to “splitting the vote.” President Washington warned that powerful parties would enable a “small but artful and enterprising minority” to replace “wholesome plans” developed by communities with shallow “projects of faction.” His words describe many of our states today: In Florida, Republicans hold 28/40 State Senate seats (70%) and 85/120 State House seats (71%). Meanwhile, just 37% of FL voters are Republicans. In California, Democrats hold 32/40 State Senate seats (80%) and 62/80 State Assembly seats (78%). Only 47% of CA voters are Democrats. Candidates are now largely selected in primary elections, which do not always allow independent voters to participate and instead reflect the will of a small group of dedicated Democrats or Republicans. In 2022, Fix Our House estimated that 90% of US House races took place in “safe” red or blue territory. It is only natural that such a system becomes warped towards partisanship. Those who seek a re-invigoration of our storied democracy should build a foundation for a national movement by turning their focus to the state and local level. The last breakdown of America’s party system occurred during the 1850s, when the abolitionist Republican Party was founded. Republicans made a concerted effort to win local and state elections in the 1850s, successfully building out the foundation of a national party network and winning offices to advance their agenda at every level within their reach. The Republican Party was founded in 1854 and won the presidency 6 years later. This was not by chance. Their achievement stood on the shoulders of years of local and state organizing. This time, the goal cannot be to replace one party and continue on with a two-party system. The goal must be a true multi-party democracy which reflects the vast diversity of thought that exists within our Union of 334 million people. 🇺🇸