Read this text very carefully and do the Written Comprehension exercise. 

You can check how to read in English.

Written Comprehension

Every four years, voters in the US go to the polls to elect a President. So how is a President elected?

Primaries

First the parties have to choose a candidate. In the U.S.A. there are two main parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. 

In 2020, the Republicans didn’t need to choose a candidate because the incumbent President is a Republican, Donald Trump, and he wanted to campaign for a second term. Presidents can only serve two four-year terms. The Democrats chose a candidate by having primary elections or caucuses in each of the 50 states. 

When citizens register to vote in the USA, they can choose to register as a Democrat or as a Republican. Then they can vote in that party’s primaries.

The 2020 primary season started on February 3^rd. But it was disrupted by coronavirus. Some were cancelled. Voters couldn’t go to meetings to see the candidates in person. Many meetings took place online. Eventually, it became clear that Joe Biden was the leading candidate. 

Conventions

Candidates are usually confirmed at their party conventions in the summer. This year, the conventions happened later than planned, and with very few delegates physically at the conventions.

At the conventions, the candidates announce their running mates, the candidates for Vice-President. The Republicans already have an incumbent Vice-President, Mike Pence, so that wasn’t necessary. The two candidates for President and Vice-President form a pair called ‘the ticket’. 

Joe Biden announced that his running mate would be Kamala Harris, the first black and Indian woman to run for Vice-President. (Her father was from Jamaica and her mother from India.)

At the conventions, the delegates also decide on the policies the candidates promise to try to put in place if they win.

The Campaign and the Debates

The elections campaigns mobilise enormous numbers of people, both paid and volunteers, to encourage citizens to vote for one ticket or the other.

But the parties campaign more in some states than others. Most states vote historically Republican (red) or Democrat (blue). But some states are less attached to one party and change allegiance from one election to another. These ‘swing states’ are where candidates can hope to make progress and they spend a lot of time and money campaigning there. 

Presidential debates, when the candidates discuss their policies, have existed since the nineteenth century. Abraham Lincoln’s debate speeches made him famous. Since 1976, there have been televised debates at every election. This year there were three debates between Donald Trump and Joe Biden

in September and October and one between the Vice-Presidential candidates on 7 October.

In a year when normal campaigning has been limited, the debates are more important than ever. 

Voting

The election is on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.

Americans often have to queue for hours at polling stations to vote. Because of the pandemic, many more voters are expected to use postal votes. These take longer to count, so the result may not be announced on the night.

It’s not over

American presidents aren’t elected directly just by a majority of votes. They are elected by a group of people called the Electoral College. Each state has a number of electors in the Electoral College proportionate to the population of the state. The candidates win or lose each state individually: the winner of the popular vote receives all the Electoral College votes.

It is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote nationally but lose the election. That’s what happened in 2016. Almost 3 million more people voted for Hillary Clinton but Donald Trump won more states with high numbers of Electoral College votes. He won the Electoral College 304 votes to 227.

The Electoral College meet in December.

It’s STILL not over

Once the winner is decided, he or she is confirmed by Congress in January and finally, on the 20th of  January, the new President is inaugurated at the Capitol in a popular ceremony in Washington DC. 

Answer the following questions: 

Right or Wrong? Justify thanks to the text.      

You can have the same president during 12 years.

The 2020 US Election is taking place as usual.

Donald Trump and Mike Pence form a ticket.

On Election Day, we’ll know who the next President will be.

People vote directly for the president and vice-president at the general election.

The candidate who gets the most votes on Election Day always wins the election.

Answer the questions in your own words

What does ‘swing’ mean? Explain why the ‘swing states’ are called like that.

What is the date of Election Day this year? Explain.

Explain why the electoral system in the US is called a ‘winner-takes-all’ system.

What are the different steps of the election in the US?

Ask someone to correct your exercise.