That would be true if it wasn't an integral part of the election process. The two-party system has a tyrannical monopoly of government. Typical of the shills for the two-party system, you are conveniently ignoring this fact. The two major parties are using their control over the political process to keep out the competition. Making this about freedom of association is either disingenuous or naive, and I know you well enough to know you aren't naive.
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Indeed, the two parties go through all avenues to make political participation difficult to impossible. They'll pass ballot access laws that can range from minimal to severe - usually, 5,000 signatures will get a candidate on a state's ballot, but in a state like Oklahoma, the target ranges from 50,000 to 60,000 after every election. They'll use their power over the Election Boards to audit the signature pages for authenticity, and then sue to get third parties removed from the ballot. In some cases, if the Election Board will invalidate entire sheets of signatures if just one signator is found to not be a registered voter. Third parties can't just devote all of their resources to running ads and PR because they must first secure ballot access and then fend off frivolous lawsuits to maintain it.