Electoral Triangle

DESCRIPTIVE TERMS, SHAPES, and sizes have always fascinated the American political system. Economic trends have been discussed as being cyclic, political candidates have been labeled robust and at times square, while ideologies have been seen as obscure, rigid, and either moving to the right or to the left. One term that in recent years has taken on a new meaning is the electoral triangle. Triangles have been used to depict relationships in the political arena for many years. Each of these relationships involves three entities, just as there are three points on a triangle. A classic example of a triangular relationship is the iron triangle of bureaucracy.

The iron triangle of bureaucracy is a three-way alliance among legislators in Congress, bureaucrats, and special interest groups. Consider the development of a policy related to the growing of corn for ethanol production. Congress, as one component of the triangle, has the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture, representing bureaucracy on the triangle, has more than 100,000 employees working on agricultural issues. Agricultural special interest groups such as the Corn Growers Association and the American Farm Bureau serve as the third entity. Together, all three groups (the triangle) become involved in the policy formulation and implementation.

For some political traditionalists, the electoral triangle is comprised of the national political parties (the Democratic Party and the Republican Party), the media, and the electorate. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party work to generate not only a dialogue among the electorate, but also to offer viable solutions to the nation's problems. The media not only covers the election, but also presents the messages of the candidates and the national political parties for consideration. The third point in the triangle is the electorate, who listen to the messages from the candidates, relayed by the media, to engage in democracy and vote. Variations within the electoral triangle exist, as some view the triangle as being the two national parties and the media.

A new form of the electoral triangle is being discussed by political bloggers on the internet. In this scenario, the electoral triangle is comprised of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and religious organizations and institutions. In this scenario, the political parties are reaching out to address and meet the needs of the religious community, the greatest percentage of voters in any election. However, many political scientists would argue that the electoral triangle, like the iron triangle of bureaucracy, is quickly being replaced by an electoral network.

With the growth of new media campaigns and the complexity of campaign finance reforms, an adequate reflection of the situation becomes less triangular. From the ashes of the electoral triangle comes the electoral network, which consists of individuals or special interest groups that support a particular campaign interest or issue. Members of electoral networks work together to influence decisionmakers on matters related to elections and campaigns. Electoral networks provide greater access points to the electorate and to the election process than the traditional electoral triangle.