The American political landscape has existed as a dual party system since the 1820s. At present, citizens are beginning to wonder if this is truly the best option for American voters. The past few years have exposed the ugly side of politics, which poses the question: are people truly losing interest in the dual party system, and if so, what factors are impacting this disconnection? 

I believe that there is not a disenchantment with the dual party system. Rather, there is a disenchantment with the political candidates at play and our political atmosphere in general. After all, we are living through a very politically chaotic time. The Trump administration lost the 2020 election and left office, but not without leaving a mark. Trump’s time in office has since left Democratic voters in fear and Republican voters in anger; it is certainly an uneasy time.

The dual party system has served us well for many years, but my problem with the current system arises with the primary elections. If we had open primaries, I believe that they would result in less far right and far left candidates. Open primaries without a focus on candidates from each major party would allow there to be candidates who represent more of the middle. 

Americans seem unimpressed with the current state of government, but does this disenchantment stem from the feelings towards the dual party system, or the idea that citizens of the United States feel that there is no candidate that fully represents them? I personally believe that there is a disconnect between candidates and the politicians they have to choose from because of the dual party system. 

In my opinion, the dual party system has proven itself to be effective in the past. For that reason, I am less eager to change the system. Instead, I think it is more productive to search for a change in our political candidates. 

Our country is extremely polarized, to the point where some have lost close friends and other personal relationships due to differing political beliefs. The candidates that are supposed to represent our party seem to speak for exclusively one side, leaning either far right or far left. What happened to the politicians in the middle? 

With midterm elections here, political tension is only on the rise. There is a glimpse of hope in voter engagement, since the current amount of votes are suggesting a record breaking total turnout. The overturning of Roe v. Wade, gun control issues and the topic of climate change are just some examples of what is dependent on the outcome of these elections. This is a specifically tense time for voters in this country. 

As a female voter, I am concerned about the outcome of these midterm elections. Some believe that Democrats are abusing the topic of abortion to increase their popularity and vote count. I disagree with this idea; it is such a relevant topic that it must be addressed. The idea of basic human rights being taken away is definitely cause for concern and something to address for your political campaign. 

As a Democrat, I never felt fully represented by the party. The reason I became a Democrat was because I felt that basic human rights were put on the line by the Trump administration and, to me, that is completely unacceptable. 

The reason I voted for Joe Biden instead of Donald Trump was not because I was a fan of Biden, but rather because of how much I hated Trump and everything he stood for. This supports my idea that the disenchantment is not about the dual party system itself, but it is a lack of enthusiasm toward the candidate representing the two parties. It saddens me that we are now voting from a place of hatred instead of a place of excitement for our country’s future. 

As a voter in a dual party system, I am dissatisfied. Do I believe that the two party system is limiting? Yes, but having many different present parties is extremely unrealistic in my opinion. We need to regain the enthusiasm we, as a country, once had for voting and our country. We need to overcome this widespread disenchantment with our political system and work on a brighter future together. 

All in all, I believe that the dual party system is not going anywhere, and I do not think it should. I instead believe that we should focus on rebuilding together. The two parties have been working against each other, creating this disenchantment with the United States political system. 

Eden Cottone, FCRH ’26, is a journalism major from Wilmington, Del.