I see the "Third Party" issue this way: the phrase itself begs the question that "we have two parties/we are a 2-party system." This issue is bogus, gaslighting, a trap for those blind to the reality that the "2-party system" is the puppeteers' term for their political theater. Each "party" is really a corporate lobbying group with loyalty to the same club of kleptocrat, corporate paymasters.
Case in point: when the DNC was sued on behalf of Sanders, claiming that the nomination was stolen from the real peoples' choice (Bernie), the DNC's lawyer 's defense was deflection—holding that, as a private corporation, the DNC has no obligation to the electorate or even to its own rules; that it can choose to select a candidate by any backroom method it chooses, and the courts can have nothing to say about it. The judge agreed; case dismissed. I got this through a net search; you can do the same. (I recommend this one: https://inthesetimes.com/article/in-its-defense-against-fraud-suit-from-bernie-supporters-the-dnc-just-dug-i)
The "system" includes maintaining the necessary stagecraft to maintain the illusion of choice. Are Republicans different? Sure. In contrast to Democrats, they have a stronger consensus these days about choosing (or selecting) their candidates, and have taken a different tack. The party which celebrates exclusion of minorities (especially the darker ones) and blaming the victims of austerity for their suffering, must anticipate that these folk will likely "vote blue.”
As the numbers of Blue voters grow, Republicans see that the only way they can win future elections is by excluding these voters from the polls. (See Gregpalast.com for details on the scams they've developed to "meet this challenge.") Under Trumpism (which is what has replaced “Republicanism”), it’s either that or other schemes to steal elections, which they’re now openly plotting (rebranded in Orwellian fashion as “protecting election integrity”). The Jan. 6th Congressional hearings have already touched on this subject, in one case involving the wife of a sitting Supreme Court Justice (and her husband).
What can we do to “reform our 2-party system?”
Nothing. The first step in solving a problem is properly identifying it. We the People must first acknowledge the truth: There Is No Such Thing as “our 2-party system.” When a “system” is revealed as a fraud, it must be abolished, liquidated, much like 45’s fraudulent “University.” Washington warned our young nation that political parties were a very bad idea. Voting for “the lesser of two evils” perpetuates an ever-growing evil, no matter what its “color” is.
I haven’t found a workable solution yet, but progress towards one must start with recognizing reality. What if “parties” were outlawed, and all candidates had to run as “independents?” I’d call that a good start.
