“It is about time that the common sense man and the business man and the farmers and bankers of this country get together and formed a third political party,” William H. Woodin, the industrialist and future Treasury Secretary, told The Wall Street Journal on April 6, 1922.

Elon Musk says he's starting a new party. Many have tried before to launch third parties with little success. Is a third party possible in our political system?

The Anti-Masons were the first recognized third party. It was formed in 1828 in opposition to the Freemasons, a secret society. The disappearance of William Morgan, a former Mason who had threatened to expose secrets, fueled widespread paranoia about the shadowy group, which many believed was covertly controlling the government.

Elon Musk’s idea of launching a third political party is already hitting roadblocks—especially in New York. Despite public interest in an alternative to Democrats and Republicans, a national poll shows 77% of voters wouldn’t join a Musk-led “America Party.

Elon Musk says he’s starting the America Party to focus on cutting government spending, which he views as essential to U.S. security. But the hold that Republicans and Democrats have on the political system is a formidable barrier.