Diggo, it's both parties, not just the Republicans.
sinistir, I feel your pain. There are actually a large number of candidates, but only the two major parties have the infrastructure to run a full campaign with effective advertising/marketing. I only vote for the major candidates about 1/3 of the time, actually, because usually one of the other parties has a candidate that I prefer over either the Dem or Rep. Usually, when I do vote for a major candidate, it's more of a "trying to make sure the other major candidate doesn't win" mentality. Check out the Libertarian, Green, and Constitution party candidates, for example. Your state's secretary of state or chief election officer should have a published slate of candidates on the state government website. Above all, don't lose faith in our system of government...our Constitution is the fairest and longest-lasting governing document on the planet. There are always those who will try to take temporary advantage of situations, but the American people really do have the final say.
One last thought: the way to get other people informed about a third- or fourth-party candidate that you like is to volunteer for that candidate's campaign. One thing that all the "small party" or "independent" candidates have in common is a small budget, so having someone volunteer to take flyers/brochures door-to-door is their primary way of informing the electorate. (This assumes you can find a candidate that you feel strongly enough about to support in this way...not always going to happen.)