Final answer:
The United States' 'first past the post' voting system creates problems such as favoring larger parties, reducing voter turnout, and not promoting diverse representation by discouraging the success of smaller or third-party candidates.
Step-by-step explanation:
The United States uses a voting system known as "first past the post" or plurality voting in elections, meaning that the candidate with the most votes wins the position for which they are running. This system has several notable problems, particularly when it comes to representation and elections.
One of the main criticisms is that it favors larger parties and limits the success of smaller or third-party candidates. Since the winner does not need to achieve an absolute majority, this can result in a candidate winning an election even when the majority of voters have voted for someone else. This aspect of the first past the post system reduces voter turnout, as individuals may feel that their vote is wasted on a third-party candidate who has little chance of winning against the larger parties' candidates. Additionally, this system does not promote a more diverse representation, as it effectively discourages a multiplicity of strong political parties that could better reflect the diverse views within a population.