Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin argued that America’s two-party system has left independent voters without meaningful representation, saying Republicans and Democrats have built a political structure that discourages competition and rewards ideological extremes. “If you’re an independent, try to get on the ballot,” Manchin said on CBS News’s Face the Nation Sunday. “They make you jump through every hoop in the world, go out and get thousands of signatures. If you’re a Democrat or Republican, you pay a fee, just go on the ballot.”Manchin criticized the Democratic and Republican parties for maintaining tight control over ballot access and the nomination process, arguing that the system makes it far more difficult for independent candidates to compete.
“In the last presidential election, it came down to seven battleground states. That means 43 were predetermined; of 435 congressional seats, 395 are predetermined. There’s no competition whatsoever in the system,” he said.
Former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) says America's two-party system has "choked out" competition, as he and his daughter, Heather Manchin, spearhead a new effort to elect independent candidates to Congress that would not caucus with either party."We're saying, be an independent, be… pic.twitter.com/YkzUBuXFfS— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 2, 2026
