US Election 2020.

 Analysis of US Election 2020. Adapted from BBC News

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/07/joe-biden-speech-us-election-win-kamala-harris

When America sneezes, the world catches a cold. 

Joe Biden has been elected president of the United States.

President-elect Biden now has 279 Electoral College votes, taking him past the 270 needed to win. Donald Trump has 214. Mr Biden will become the 46th president in January, pending the outcome of any legal challenges.

Mr Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, will make history as the first woman vice-president, as well as the first black and the first Asian American vice-president. 

High turnout

Mr Biden is also leading the national popular vote with 50.5% to Mr Trump's 47.7%, a lead of over four million votes. The president-elect has received more votes than any candidate in US election history - just short of 75 million. Mr Trump has also increased his vote tally compared with 2016 by almost 8 million votes, to over 70 million this year. Preliminary figures show the highest turnout since 1900, with 66.4% of eligible voters turning out compared with 60.1% in 2016.

The figures suggest the proportion of total voters who are white has fallen by six percentage points on 2016, while remaining the largest group by ethnicity. The proportion of white voters backing Mr Biden has risen by five points on Hillary Clinton's figure at the last election, but Mr Trump still takes the largest share of this group, the preliminary polling suggests. Meanwhile, Mr Biden appears to have gained support among under 30s and the middle-aged.

key issues

Nationally, more than a third of voters said the economy was the most important issue in deciding who to choose as president, with a further 20% naming racial inequality and 17% saying the coronavirus pandemic.

However the issues were split along partisan lines with more than four times as many Trump voters saying the economy was the deciding factor, and Biden voters answering racial inequality and the virus. Voters were evenly split on how the US economy was faring, with 48% saying it was in "excellent or good" condition and 50% saying it was "not so good or poor".

Similarly, 50% said that the US was doing "somewhat or very badly" at containing the pandemic and 48% thought the country was doing "somewhat or very well".

The possibility of voter fraud has been raised repeatedly by the Trump campaign but a large majority of voters (87%) told the researchers they were confident that votes in their state would be counted accurately.

VOCABULARY TO USE (adapted https://www.cristinacabal.com/?p=14236)

• Boost the economy
• Harm/benefit someone or an organization
• Put a strain on the finances of a country/area
• Exacerbate a problem
• Undermine the morale of citizens
• Create divisions
• Lead to tensions
• Cut taxes
• Extend working hours
• Increase public spending
• Abolish unemployment benefits
• Allow a vote on independence
• Increase penalties for…
• Damage the economy
• Resolve existing social problems
• Rise of income inequality
• Reform the education system
• Solve social problems
• Ensure prosperity
• Hold an election
• Rig the election
• Stand for election
• Floating voters
• Popularity ratings
• High/Low turnout

https://www.worldgreynews.com/add-news

https://breakyourownnews.com/

American elections 2020

COMPOSITION: OPINION ESSAY:

LOWERING THE VOTING AGE:

• 16-year-olds are just as knowledgeable about civics and have the same ability to make good voting choices as older voters
• Lowering the voting age to 16 increases voter turnout and develops lifelong voting habits.
• At age 16, people should have a voice in the laws that affect their lives and a stake in the future of their country.
• The vast majority of Americans of all ages and political views agree that 16-year-olds should not be given the right to vote.
• The 18-29 age group has extremely low voter turnout numbers, suggesting that people aren't ready to vote until later in life.
• Kids under the age of 18 aren't mature enough to participate in elections.

RETIRED PEOPLE BANNED TO VOTE:

• https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/eu-referendum-old-people-should-not-vote
• https://www.quora.com/What-reasons-should-elderly-people-not-be-allowed-to-vote-and-at-what-age

COMPULSORY VOTING:

• https://www.debate.org/opinions/should-voting-be-compulsory
• https://www.debate.org/opinions/should-voting-be-mandatory

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/03/2020-election-unpredictable-coronavirus-racial-justice-protests/?arc404=true

How much do you know about politics and elections in the United States? Answer the questions.

1. There are two main political parties and they are called

a. Democrats and Conservatives

b. Democrats and Republicans

c. Liberals and Republicans

2. The people who work in the US Congress to make new laws are called

a. Ministers and Senators

b. Representatives and Secretaries

c. Senators and Representatives

3. The US Constitution is

a. the supreme law of the country

b. the highest court of the country

c. what politicians say they are going to do if they win the election

4. Presidential candidates run for office every

a. three years 

b. four years 

c. five years

5. When a new president is inaugurated and takes office, they have to

a. move into the WhiteHouse

b. throw a party for international leaders

c. promise to support the Constitution

6. A president is allowed to hold office for a total of

a. two terms

b. three terms 

c. there is no limit

What do you know about how American presidents are elected? 

 

The Electoral College (Adapted from usa.gov)

On Election Day in early November, people in every state cast their votes for their preferred candidates. But American voters are not voting directly for their president. They are actually voting for a group of people called electors. In the US, only presidential elections use the electoral college system.

The electoral college works like this: each state gets a certain number of electors, chosen by their political parties and based on the state’s Congressional representation. States with larger populations have more electors than those with smaller populations. The popular vote is counted state by state, rather than nationally. In mid- December, the electors from each state meet to officially select the candidate who won the most votes in that state. The candidate who has more than 270 electoral votes (out of 538) wins the national election.

In most states, it’s winner takes all: whichever candidate has the largest share of the vote captures all the electoral votes for that state.It is possible that a candidate can receive the most votes in the whole country, but still lose the electoral vote. This happened in 2016.

The electoral college system was written into the Constitution more than 200 years ago, intended as a compromise between a popular vote and a vote in Congress. To change this system, a Constitutional amendment would be required.

• https://plus.maths.org/content/maths-minute-dhondt-method
• https://www.lavanguardia.com/elecciones/elecciones-generales-2019/cantabria/cantabria
• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circunscripci%C3%B3n_electoral_de_Cantabria