Three of Oregon’s minor parties weigh in on the state of democracy under two-party system

The near total dominance of the two major political parties is nothing new. Democrats and Republicans have distinct ideological and political differences, but for some, it’s their similarities that drive them away from both.  Many voters are not affiliated with any party. In fact, those unaffiliated voters number more than either of the major parties by a substantial margin. Most of the remaining registered voters are members of the other minor parties: The Independent Party, the Constitution party, the Libertarian Party, No Labels, the Pacific Green Party, the Progressive Party, We the People Party and the Working Families Party.   In next week’s Oregon Primary, all voters will be sent ballots that include local and state candidates for nonpartisan offices and measures. But for those who are unaffiliated or a member of a minor party, no partisan candidates will appear, and they cannot vote for any of the major party candidates. Minor parties do not have their primary process funded by taxpayers, as the two major parties do.   A public opinion survey from January 2026 by DHM Research showed significant frustration with both major parties. And a recent national survey of voter opinions of Congress indicated contempt for both Democrats and Republicans. But what does all this mean for minor parties, if anything?   We ask representatives from three of those minor parties to share how they think two-party rule is working for the electorate at large and what changes they’d like to see to include more voters more often. Our guests are Annie Naranjo-Rivera with the Oregon Working Families Party, Sonja Feintech with the Libertarian Party of Oregon and Sal Peralta with the Independent Party of Oregon.