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”
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”
This article explains how the U.S. President is elected and focuses on the 2020 candidates, quickly exploring their careers as well as mapping out the electoral system and looking at the changes brought about this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s an easy B1, usable in older classes in collège as well as lycée. … Continue reading “How to Elect a President”
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”
On 8 April Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, effectively opening to road to Joe Biden to become the party’s official candidate for the White House in November’s election. The two men were the surviving candidates in the primary campaign, but Mr Sanders’ delegate numbers were looking weak before the disruption … Continue reading “Bye-bye Bernie”
From a diverse field of almost thirty candidates, the campaign to find the Democratic candidate to oppose Donald Trump in November’s election has narrowed to a choice between frontrunners representing the left and the right of the party. The 2016 Democratic primary season started with just three candidates, including two rather atypical frontrunners: Hillary Clinton, … Continue reading “Getting Closer to the White House”
The race to the White House is heating up, but there’s still a long way to go to the 3 November election. Because in this year’s election the incumbent President, Republican Donald Trump, is standing again, most of the focus so far has been on the campaign to become the Democratic candidate. Some hopefuls declared … Continue reading “U.S. Presidential Marathon”
Traditionally, the U.S. presidential election primary season starts off not with a primary but with a caucus. What’s the difference? Both primaries and caucuses are a way to choose candidates for a party’s election campaign. Not only party members vote – all voters can choose to register as Democrat or Republican when they sign up … Continue reading “Caucus vs Primary”