Two big-tent parties can house a wide array of political views.

(BINGHAMTON, NY) In most races in the midterm elections on Nov. 3, 2026, Americans had only two realistic choices: Democrats and Republicans.

As a scholar of parties and elections, I am often asked why the U.S. has only two major parties, while other democracies offer voters three, four or even five choices. The U.S. system looks weird compared to those, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.