Runestad: America's open path protects political voices Jim Runestad

One of the great and often underappreciated strengths of the American system is how open it is to dissent. Here, any citizen who believes they have something worth saying can step forward, pay a filing fee or gather signatures, and put their name on the ballot.

They don’t need the blessing of a party boss or the nod of a political elite. The right to run for office belongs to the people themselves.

Contrast that with parliamentary systems in much of the world. In Britain, Canada, Australia and elsewhere, the major party labels are locked doors. Under their parliamentary systems, you cannot simply declare yourself a candidate of a major party.

You must be handpicked by the party leadership or its committees. If you are not chosen, you are then forced to the margins — left to run as a lon