Would open primaries help with candidate quality

[tvc184]

The Constitution has nothing to do with getting alternative candidates/parties on the debate stage. Not to mention the collusion with MSM to not air those third party debates.

They can be on the ballot all they want. Won't matter when no one has ever heard of them, or their opinions.

Edit: I re-read your question. I don't understand what you mean by the constitution stands in the way? 270 is 270. Or are you saying no one hits 270, and then states vote by delegation?

If no one gets 271 votes, it goes to the House of Representatives. If the Democrat or Republican party in control going to vote for a third party?

The only way for a third-party to have a viable shot at the president is to start at the local and then county, state and federal levels.

The first I believe insurmountable problem is that there is no third party. It isn’t like a third option. There is the Green Party, Constitutional Party, Libertarian Party and so on to the tune of about a dozen or more. But let’s go out on a limb and say the Libertarian Party starts getting traction. They elect maybe 10 state senator seats in Texas (which would likely give control to the Democrats). That spreads to a moment in the local, county and other state races. Then it spreads to other states and faces the same huge hurdles.

But wait, are blue states really going to have this big swing to Libertarians? No, they will probably go to the Green Party. So now you have third parties winning a few elections in different states but…. they aren’t the same “third” party.

Until this magical third party, which effectively doesn’t exist, starts building a base in order to at least take over the US House of Representatives, it is nothing but a pipe dream.

There are a percentage of people wishing for a third party but that third party is split several ways.

Or you could change the Constitution to be like every other tie breaker in an election and have a runoff instead of electoral college. Then if a Democrat gets 35% of the vote, a Republican gets 32% but the “Third Party” gets 33%, the would be a runoff between the Democrat and the Third Party. Then it really gets interesting….. right after you change the Constitution.

It’s not because the Constitution stops any number of candidates, it’s because if you can’t get to 271 EC votes, it goes to the House.

[WItoTX]

Okay, now your position makes more sense. I was talking about how to get to 270, you are talking about how nobody gets to 270, and it's going to the state delegations.

For the record, the states can vote for a 3rd party.

[tvc184]

Okay, now your position makes more sense. I was talking about how to get to 270, you are talking about how nobody gets to 270, and it's going to the state delegations.

For the record, the states can vote for a 3rd party.

Yes, states can vote for a third party if in the top 3 in EC votes.

How many states does this theoretical third party control?

With the Republicans in the last presidential election controlling 26 states and the Democrats 24, which are going to flip to the third party?

[tvc184]

…. or like I said earlier, you have to start at the local, county, etc., elections to start building a base. No alternate party has a base.

I don’t think it’s possible for a person not a Democrat or Republican to come out of nowhere and make any headway in the EC.

I think the political parties controlling the EC goes back to the 1800 ot 1804 election.