U.S. Presidential Election: How it works.

Every 4 years there is an election for the President of the United States. It takes
place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

A year before the election, each candidate shares their ideas for America’s future
with the American people using TV talk shows, public debates, town hall meetings, video
conferences on the internet, and meeting people face to face.

On Election Day, the citizens of the United States vote for their choice. The people
of the 50 states vote for their candidate. There is a ballot with a list of all the candidates
eligible for election. The people then mark their ballot to vote for their candidate.

Each State is divided into Congressional districts based on their size. For example,
Florida has 36 million inhabitants and 27 Congressional districts whereas (tandis que)
Kansas, a State of 3 million people only, only has 4 congressional districts. Put simply,
more population equals (=) more districts which equals more influence in the election.

The influence is measured by the number of Electors. The number of Electors

equals the number of districts in a State plus the number of Senators. There are two
Senators per State. Therefore, a State like Florida has 29 Electors (27 districts + 2
Senators) whereas Kansas has ____ Electors ( ____ districts + ____ Senators).

State of California

There are 538 Electors in America in total, so the presidential candidate needs 270
Electors to win the election.

The candidate becomes ‘President Elect’ until 20th January when he formally
becomes the President of the United States for the next 4 years (1 term) until the next
election. The President can be reelected to serve one more term only for a total of 8 years
as President.

whereas = tandis que / therefore = donc, par conséquent

iSLCollective.com
Part I: Please match the new vocabulary with its meaning.
1. to vote a. a person who legally belongs to a country and has certain rights and
protection
2. a candidate b. an act or process of choosing someone for public office by vote
3. an election d. the duration of the presidency. In America, 4 years
4. a citizen e. a ticket or piece of paper used to vote in an election
5._____ president elect f. a person who is trying to be elected
6. a ballot g. to make an official choice for or against someone or something
7. a term h. a person who has been elected president but has not yet taken up
office

Part II: Answer the following questions.

1. When does the American people vote for a new President?

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2. Do America people vote directly for their candidate?

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3. How many Senators are there per state?

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4. How often is there an election for the Presidency? How long is a term?

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5. When does the newly elected president officially become President of the United States?

____________________________________________________________________

6. How many terms can a President serve?

____________________________________________________________________

7. Who are the candidates for the U.S. Presidency in 2020?

____________________________________________________________________

iSLCollective.com