It’s not been the most typical U.S. electoral year, with the primaries counting less than usual in the process, and the late withdrawal of Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate. This article explains the basic system of how the U.S. President is elected and focuses on the 2024 candidates now they are finally settled, quickly … Continue reading “How to Elect a U.S. President”
On 6 August, Kamala Harris announced her running-mate for the Democratic ticket for the 5 November presidential election. The vice-presidential candidate is Tim Walz, a former school teacher from the Mid-West who has been a Representative for Minnesota and is currently in his second term as the state’s governor. The announcement came somewhat as a … Continue reading “U.S. Election: Tim Walz”
Kamala Harris has transformed rapidly from Vice-President to presidential candidate since Joe Biden withdrew from the race to the White House on 28 July. Harris, 59, was born in California in 1964. Her parents both came to the U.S.A. to continue their studies. (Her father is from Jamaica and her mother from India.) They divorced … Continue reading “U.S. Election: Kamala Harris”
Although President Trump is still making legal challenges over the election, it seems certain that after the January Inauguration, Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the U.S.A. and Kamala Harris, his running mate, will be the first black female Vice-President and to thus make history. Thanks to this B1 article, the students will … Continue reading “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Profiles”
Now that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are President and Vice-President Elect of the U.S.A., your pupils will no doubt want to know more about them. This A2 article will provide materials for your pupils to speak about the American election in a factual way. Vocabulary and grammar: American institutions and politics: the White House, … Continue reading “Meet Joe Biden and Kamala Harris”
After four days of tense waiting, demonstrations and threats of legal challenge, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris emerged as the next President and Vice-President of the United States on Saturday 7 November. In the absence of a national election body, it was the media organisation Associated Press which called wins for the Democratic ticket in … Continue reading “Finally…. a Result”
Until the recent past, the electoral college was barely mentioned in descriptions of the U.S. Presidential electoral system. But then came the 2000 election, when George W. Bush lost the popular vote, but won the majority of electoral college votes. And 2016, when Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a 3 million margin, but … Continue reading “Explaining the Electoral College”
All U.S. states are not equal when it comes to time and budget lavished on them by presidential candidates and political parties. Most of the focus is on states which are variously referred to as swing states, battleground states or purple states. In the presidential election, it’s not the national popular vote that counts, but … Continue reading “Red, Blue or Purple States: a Colorful Guide to U.S. Elections”
One of the big battles in the U.S. elections is getting people to vote. Which starts with getting them registered. These videos are a great teaching resource. In 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, only about 70 per cent of citizens were registered to vote. Of those, however, about 86 per cent actually voted … Continue reading “U.S. Youth Vote Videos”
It’s already been an unusual election year in the U.S.A., with the later Democratic primaries cancelled because of Covid and delayed party conventions held online. As the virus continues to progress in the U.S.A., what are the possible consequences for the election? The parties are continuing as near to normal as they can. The focus, … Continue reading “U.S. Elections: the Year of the Unknowns”