Discovering American democracy through a glimpse of the illusive media landscape for third-party candidates.

Left Out: Beyond the Two-Party Horse Race is a documentary that sheds light on the ways third-party candidates gain support while marginalized by the news media. It is a critique of the mainstream news media’s lack of coverage regarding candidates outside the two-party system. Ultimately, it unveils the undemocratic nature of a voting system, which is designed to exclude dissenting voices.

The film follows best-selling author, Luis J. Rodriguez, and documents four months of his campaign trail in the 2014 primary election for Governor of California as a Green Party candidate. The documentary expands beyond the election, with interviews from experts such as Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman and Ralph Nader. The story follows the filmmaker on a journey discovering American democracy.

This film is the winner of the Frank Little Award for Self Sacrifice and Social Change from the Covellite International Film Festival, Best Documentary Feature from the Open Everything – Privacy and Security Film Festival, and the Outstanding Graduate Thesis/Project Award from California State University, Northridge.