This is an I-Heart podcast.

CAUSE Media.

In November of 2012, Barack Obama was re-elected as president of the United States.

He beat Republican challenger Mitt Romney by a pretty good margin, pulling in 51.06%

of the popular vote to Romney's 47.2. But if you add those numbers together, you'll only get

98.26, a number that doesn't include more than 2 million votes.

Where did those votes go?

American electoral politics are dominated by the two-party system.

It's always been that way.

Before it was Republicans and Democrats and red states and blue states, we had Democrats and Whigs.

And before that, we had Federalists and Democratic Republicans. It's always been nearly impossible for a third party or independent

candidate to break through on the national stage. But they've always tried. There are longstanding

third parties, ones you've probably seen on a ballot. Green Party, the Libertarian Party.

And there are third parties that have come and gone, like Ross Perrault's Reform Party.

In every election cycle, there are tiny little groups you've never heard of putting up a candidate.

They know they can't win, but they have a message they want to get out there.

And technically, almost anyone can run for president,

with or without a party.

As long as you're a natural-born citizen over 35,

all you have to do is raise some money and fill out some paperwork.

Records from the Federal Election Commission

showed that in 2012, 280 people filled out that paperwork

...