Some of the main issues today, such as abortion laws, LGBTQ+ rights, vaccinations, and gun laws have forced Americans to pick a side with little room for compromise. The source of polarization is caused by political parties. If we want these issues to be resolved, political parties should be abolished.
The presidential elections are most affected by political parties. Americans feel the need to vote for the politician that represents their party, whether they align with their personal values or not. It is a feeling of loyalty and support for the general beliefs of said party.
Not only are the votes affected, but the overall view of a certain party can also be negatively warped by media-driven agenda. For example, when left leaning or liberal people hear the word republican or conservative, they might think Donald Trump scandals. Far right leaning groups may conjure images of “Sleepy Joe”. Although independent candidates may run, they never seem to win the vote. According to the US Embassy, independent candidates face an uphill battle since the Democratic and Republican parties have created the Electoral College to benefit themselves in the voting process. In addition to this, the US uses what is called a single-member-district arrangement. This system only permits one party to win in a district.
When looking at the problem from an outside perspective, social media plays a huge role in how everyone views the political parties and candidates. Social media has also been a proven issue in national disturbances such as the Ukraine Vs. Russia war.
Some news sites lean right or left when reporting hard news, which slants how events are portrayed to the public. The headlines for articles that cover the same issues are extremely different depending on which way the news source leans. Different sources will use stronger language or include names in headlines entirely depending on their stance on the situation.
If politics were more individualistic than partied, there would be much more representation of the people who live in the United States. Presidential candidates could run under their own beliefs and not feel the need to push a certain agenda to please one party or the other. The people of America could start mending the stereotypes and can start to see people as individuals.