The 2016 Election has become one of the most polarizing in recent history: Both parties facing rebellion from within, as evidenced by the rise of so called ''Political Outsiders,'' namely Bernie Sanders from the left, and Donald Trump from the right. The civil war raging within the two parties centers around concerns that both party establishments have transitioned from serving the people to serving the donors who provide them with untold millions to fund their campaigns and influence their decisions. Both the GOP and DNC have become reliant on funding from "Super Pacs," massive organizations responsible for funneling billions of dollars into whatever candidate the PAC believes would be most beneficial for their own interests, rigging the system in favor of the top 1 percent who can create PACs to buy politicians, who immediately make promises to the PACs in order to secure funding for their various campaigns.

The system is undeniably corrupt, and leads to many politicians working for the donors that give them millions, instead of the people who elected them. Both Republicans and Democrats are guilty of accepting billions from private interest groups, leading many disenfranchised voters to side with political outsiders who refuse the corrupting cash of corporate donors. By rebelling against the status quo in favor of alternative candidates, many voters have made it exceeding clear that they are done with the establishment, the rise of antiestablishment figures like Trump and Sanders serving as proof. However the rise of these polarizing figures alienates the base voters of both parties, the moderates terrified of Trump's inflammatory tirades, as well as Sanders's fiery rhetoric.

The DNC has for the most part succeeded in stopping Bernie Sanders from winning the nomination, making Hillary Clinton the likely democratic nominee. However, the GOP has not been so successful, failing to block Trump from the nomination, though not for lack of trying. The democratic party faces a crisis, as a multitude of voters feel as though their party has abandoned them. Clinton's nomination is now almost secured and millennial Sanders fans are angry at not only Clinton but the democratic party itself for what they see as unfairly rigging the system against Sanders, citing examples including the superdelegate count, as well as voting laws in many states that make it impossible for independents to register as democrats in order to vote during primaries, hurting many younger voters who were not democrats six months before voting took place. Sanders agrees with said claims, responding to controversies surrounding the Nevada convention, stating, ''At that convention the Democratic leadership used its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place." Many Sanders supporters have refused to vote for Clinton, even if she does wins the primary, creating the trending hashtag, #BernieorBust on various social medias.

The Republican Party is facing a similar crisis, albeit on a smaller scale, with Donald Trump threatening the GOP establishment, as well as many moderate and fiscal conservatives who view Trump's message as alienating to all demographics save for white men. Many Republicans fear that by nominating Trump, they give the election to the opposition candidate, as Trump comments about Hispanics, as well as his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States serves to turn off potential voters. Many far right neoconservatives also have no love for Trump, as he advocated against the Iraq War, and holds many noninterventionist views in regards to Syria, and the middle east as a whole (that is, when he isn't advocating for killing the families of alleged terrorists). In both cases the presumptive nominations of Trump and Clinton leaves many voters unhappy: Sixty-one percent of likely U.S. voters viewing Clinton unfavorably, and fifty-seven percent of likely U.S voters viewing Trump negatively. These polls beg the question, is there a viable alternative to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton?

The answer is more complicated then it may at first appear. America has almost always had two major political parties, from the Federalists and Antifederalists to Democratic Republicans and Whigs, eventually settling on Republicans and Democrats. There has never been a candidate running for president who was not a member of said parties who has gone on to successfully win the presidency, although a few have come close. The most recent example of a notable third party candidate was Ross Perot in 1992, who was able to win 18.9 percent of the popular vote, which approximately translates into 19,741,065 votes. Perot's popularity was largely generated by the nature of his opponents, Bill Clinton and George H.W Bush, both firmly establishment candidates. In both cases Perot received widespread support from voters both Republican and Democrat, surging on a populist message that appealed to many Americans, regardless of their political party. Due to the polarizing nature of this election, if there was ever a time for a third part candidate to gain traction, 2016 would be the year. Other then Republican and Democrat, the biggest political parties in America today would be the Libertarian Party, with over 250,000 registered voters, and the Green Party, with 248,149 registered members.

The Libertarian Party is an offshoot of the Republican Party, their platform revolving around free market economics, preserving civil liberties, promoting noninterventionism in foreign affairs, and putting an end to the welfare state. The leading candidate for the Libertarian Party nomination and former president of New Mexico,Gary Johnson, has stated that the Libertarian Party is more socially liberal than the Democrats, and more fiscally conservative than the Republican Party. Johnson has ten percent of the vote against Trump and Clinton, according to a recent poll, and may even be able to share a debate stage with them come the general election, a rarity for a third party candidate. Johnson faces competition for the libertarian nomination from former antivirus programmer and businessman John McAfee, who has built his platform on ending the drug war, of cyber warfare, and protecting civil liberties he feels are being intruded upon by the federal government, specifically the NSA. The Green Party advocates for the preservation of the environment, racial equality, noninterventionism, and a democracy uncorrupted by special interests. Jill Stein, a physician and nominee for the party only polls at two percent in a general election, but believes that when the American people, faced with the prospect of a Trump or Clinton presidency, will choose her as an alternative. Stein has run for president in 2012, receiving almost 500,000 votes.

This election year has been one of the most controversial in recent history, with Clinton facing a slew of criticism from both sides of the aisle due to her hawkish record in matters regarding foreign policy, such as her support for the Iraq War, alienating the left, and her socially liberal positions, as well as her history of scandal from Benghazi to private email servers alienating conservative leaning voters. Trump faces a similar struggle, as his bullying of fellow Republican candidates, not to mention his flip flopping on many issues of the past decade, and his arguments for noninterventionism have alienated many potential conservatives while his plans to build a wall, deport over 12 million illegal immigrants, and ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. have certainly cut off potential support from disenfranchised Sanders supporters. If there was ever a time for a third party candidate to succeed, 2016 would certainly be the year. Out of the major third parties, the Libertarian candidate would likely be the most successful in a general election, as their message of fiscal responsibility and social progressivism has the potential to attract both liberals and conservatives who feel as though their party has abandoned them. While Jill Stein and the Green Party certainly holds appeal for many Sanders supporters, to stand any chance of winning in the general election, the third party candidate would have to be capable of appealing to and drawing support from both sides of the aisle.

If the American people dislike and distrust Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as much as they proclaim, then the groundwork is already laid for an independent candidate to gain traction with the people, and stand a shot at winning in this tumultuous election cycle. The only question is, who will it be?