Votes & ballots · Presidential elections
Third-party & independent votes
Everything outside the two major parties, grouped as 'other'.
Third-party and independent votes cover every candidate outside the Democratic and Republican nominees — Libertarian, Green, independent bids like Ross Perot's, plus write-ins and ballot options like Nevada's 'None of these candidates'. This dataset groups all of it into a single 'other' bucket rather than breaking out each minor party.
The 'other' share swings a lot by year: about 19% in 1992 at the Perot peak, versus under 2% in most recent elections. That variation is exactly why analysts often prefer two-party vote share when comparing places across years.
Also known as: minor party, independent candidates, other votes.
See third-party & independent votes in the data
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Third-party & independent votes — FAQ
What is third-party & independent votes in election results data?+
Everything outside the two major parties, grouped as 'other'. Third-party and independent votes cover every candidate outside the Democratic and Republican nominees — Libertarian, Green, independent bids like Ross Perot's, plus write-ins and ballot options like Nevada's 'None of these candidates'. This dataset groups all of it into a single 'other' bucket rather than breaking out each minor party.
Why does third-party & independent votes matter?+
The 'other' share swings a lot by year: about 19% in 1992 at the Perot peak, versus under 2% in most recent elections. That variation is exactly why analysts often prefer two-party vote share when comparing places across years.
Where does this election results data come from?+
County-level presidential returns come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with MEDSL or with any campaign, party or election authority.