B1 US elections 2020 |1|www.speakeasy-news.com - September 2020

How to Elect a President B1

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Every four years, voters in the U.S. go to the polls to elect a President. This year, the election day is 3 November 2020. So how is a President elected?

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 a Republican. Then they can vote in that party’s primaries.The 2020 primary season started on 3 February. 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.

Helpincumbent (adj) in officeeventually (adv) finally

Traditionally, the Democrats are represented by a donkey and the Republicans by an elephant.

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ConventionsCandidates 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 parties’ platforms, the policies the candidates promise to try to put in place if they win.

The CampaignThe election 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. They are also referred to as battleground states, along with certain states like California that represent very large numbers of voters.

Helpallegiance (n) loyalty

B1 US elections 2020 |4|www.speakeasy-news.com - September 2020

The DebatesPresidential debates, when the candidates discuss their platforms, 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 are 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.

VotingThe date of election is 3 November. (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 overAmerican presidents aren’t elected directly just by a majority of votes. The candidates win or lose each state individually. Each state represents a number of votes in the Electoral College proportionate to the population of the state. In all but two states, 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 will meet on 14 December.

It’s STILL not overOnce the winner is decided, he or she is confirmed by Congress in January and finally, on 20 January 2021, the new President will be inaugurated in a popular ceremony in Washington, DC. n

The number of Electoral College votes each state has is relative to its population. So populous states like California and Florida look bigger on the right-hand map than on the geographical map on the left, whereas Alaska looks much smaller. C

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Who’s WhoThe Incumbents (Republican)

President Donald TrumpAge: 74A rich New York businessman, Mr Trump had never been elected to political office before becoming President in 2016. He is known for his pro-business and anti-immigration policies “putting America first”, and his frequent use of Twitter to express his opinions.

Vice-President Mike PenceAge: 61Formerly a Representative in Congress for 12 years and Governor of Indiana for four years. Mike Pence has been in charge of the Administration’s Coronavirus Task Force.

The Challengers (Democrat)Senator and former Vice-President Joe BidenAge: 77Joe Biden is well-known to voters as Barack Obama’s Vice-President for eight years (2009-2017). He served 26 years as Senator for Delaware.

Senator Kamala HarrisAge: 55Kamala Harris has been a Senator for her home state of California since 2016. She was Attorney General of the state for six years, an elected role at the head of the judicial system. She campaigned for the Presidential nomination this year.