Parties and their polarization are a symptom of the problem, not a problem in themselves.

The problem is undemocratic voting systems that distort voter preferences and elect unrepresentative candidates.

Getting rid of parties won’t fix that problem. It’s not even possible to get rid of parties. People will always self-sort into ideological groups, and as long as we continue to use undemocratic voting methods, those groups will always trend toward a polarized two-party system. This is an inherent property of plurality-based voting methods.

Adopting inclusive voting methods fixes the problem and makes parties irrelevant and unnecessary. If there are two candidates running from the main two parties, and the voters aren’t happy with either, a third candidate can enter the race, under a different party, or the same party as one of the others, or no party at all. It makes no difference. They can fairly compete with the other candidates without acting as a spoiler or splitting the vote, and it’s safe for voters to cast an honest vote for them. Their party identity is largely irrelevant and they will win if they are the best representative of the will of the voters.