On November 5th, the United States of America will elect their next President. The two candidates this year are former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
The election has been controversial and close. There have been assassination attempts against Donald Trump, the original Democratic candidate Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and the United States seems relatively politically unstable.
This episode is not going to focus specifically on this year’s US election, but on the US presidential election in general. My aim is to explain how candidates are selected, the key features of US elections, and what makes them unique.
Hopefully, after listening to this episode, you will be able to understand the events of this year’s election day!
Listen Here!
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTubeInteractive Transcript!
You Can Now Read and Listen at the Same Time With an Interactive Transcript!
Vocabulary
- Candidate (Noun): A person who is nominated for election to a public office.
- Example: The two candidates this year are Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
- Progressive (Adjective): Favouring or promoting social reform or new, liberal ideas.
- Example: The Democratic Party is generally seen as the more progressive of the two major US parties.
- Federal (Adjective): Relating to a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and individual states.
- Example: The federal government oversees national issues like defense and foreign policy.
- Delegate (Noun): A person sent to represent others, especially at a conference or convention.
- Example: Delegates represent the state’s voters at the political party’s national convention.
- Elector (Noun): A member of the Electoral College chosen by voters to officially vote for the President and Vice President.
- Example: Voters technically cast their votes for electors who then vote for the President.
- Campaign (Noun): An organized effort by a candidate or political party to win an election.
- Example: Both candidates invested a lot of time and money into their election campaigns.
Overview of the US Political System
The political structure of the USA is quite different from many other democracies. We describe it as a federal republic with a presidential system.
The federal system means that power is divided between the national government of the USA and individual state governments. There are 50 states, with each state being able to make their own laws.
This is why tax, education, healthcare, and more can vary so dramatically across the United States. While the federal government controls national issues like defence and foreign policy, states have their own laws and policies in areas like education and public health.
Another key feature of US politics is known as the separation of powers. The separation of powers divides the government into three different branches (the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary) and ensures that no single one of these branches can become too powerful.
The Executive branch is led by the US President. It is responsible for enforcing laws, deciding the direction of policy, and representing the country internationally. The President is elected for four years and can serve a maximum of two terms.
The Legislative branch is known as Congress. Congress includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Judicial Branch is made up of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
The Two Major Political Parties
The United States has a two-party political system. While there are other smaller parties, it is the Democratic Part and the Republican Party that dominate the country’s elections.
Democratic Party
The Democratic Party is generally seen as the more progressive of the two major US parties. In this context, progressive means they support social change and reforms. They traditionally support a strong federal government and want the government to have an active role in regulating the economy, protecting civil rights, and providing social services.
For example, some policies that the Democratic Party would likely support include a higher minimum wage and higher taxes. They believe in the importance of social welfare programmes and supporting vulnerable people.
And the party tends to be much stronger in their support for gender equality, racial equality, and LGBTQ rights.
There have been many influential past leaders of the Democratic Party. Franklin D. Roosevelt led the USA during the Great Depression and World War II, and his economic polices (the New Deal) completely transformed the US economy. John F. Kennedy led the country during the Cold War, supported Civil Rights, and had the ambition to land a man on the moon.
More recent Democratic Presidents include Barack Obama and the current President Joe Biden. In this election, the Democratic candidate is the current vice president Kamala Harris.
Republican Party
The Republican Party was founded in 1854 in response to the issue of slavery. The first leader of the Republicans was Abraham Lincoln who led the country during the Civil War and abolished slavery across the United States.
For example, they tend to support a smaller federal government, with fewer regulations and lower taxes. Republicans tend to believe in the power of the free market to drive economic growth and innovation.
Many Republicans support policies that uphold traditional family values, oppose abortion, and advocate for religious freedoms. The party is closely aligned with conservative Christian values.
Influential Republican leaders include Abraham Lincoln, who is often considered one of the greatest US presidents, ended slavery, and stopped the country from falling apart during the Civil War. Ronald Reagan was the leader during the 1980s and is remembered for his strongly conservative economic policies including tax cuts and deregulation.
Primaries and Caucuses
While the final votes for this year’s election will be cast in November, the entire election cycle is far longer and more complex.
Before the general election takes place, the Democratic and Republican parties must each choose their nominee for president. This is done through a series of primaries and caucuses that take place across all 50 states and various US territories. Candidates from the same party compete against one another in these state-by-state contests.
The most common method of selecting a candidate is a primary. In a primary, voters go to the polls and vote for the candidate they prefer. It is a straightforward process and quite similar to a normal election.
A less common method of selecting a candidate is a caucus. A caucus is a more informal and community-based way of selecting a party’s candidate. Instead of casting a secret ballot, voters attend local meetings (often held in schools, churches, or community centres) and publicly show their support for a particular candidate.
Whether a state holds a primary or a caucus, the goal is to select delegates. Delegates are people who have the job of representing the state’s voters at a political party’s national convention.
Larger states like California and Texas send far more delegates to the convention than smaller states like Vermont or Wyoming.
Once a candidate secures a majority of delegates, they are essentially guaranteed to be the party’s nominee to run for President, although the official confirmation happens at the national convention, where the delegates formally cast their votes.
Electoral College
Once the official nominees for the Republican and Democratic Party are selected, the real election campaigning begins.
Before I talk about this, though, I think it is important to point something out. The USA has unique way of electing their leader. They use something called the Electoral College.
The Electoral College is confusing. Millions of voters cast their votes for president in November – this year choosing between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Technically, however, they are not directly voting for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, they are voting for a group of electors.
The Electoral College is this group of electors. The electors are the people responsible for officially electing the president and vice president.
There are 538 electors in total, and a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to win the presidency. It is the candidate with the most electoral votes, not the most real votes, who wins the election.
For example, we all know that Donald Trump won the US election in 2016, defeating Hillary Clinton. He didn’t get the most votes. Clinton received 3 million more votes than him. But Trump was victorious overall in enough US states to secure the support of enough members of the electoral college.
This can happen because electoral votes are awarded on a state-by-state basis, not a national basis.
The result is that the US election becomes very focused on certain states. This year, I think there are only 7 out of the 50 US states considered to be winnable by either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
The other 43 are so strong in their support of one party or candidate the election result is almost certain. It is the other 7 states, including Georgia and North Carolina, that matter.
The Lead-up to Election Day
Now we know about the Electoral College and the selection of candidates, we can talk about the lead-up to election day.
In the months before November, candidates and political parties invest a lot of time, effort, and money into their campaigns. They hold political conventions, debates, rallies, media appearances, and more.
This year has been quite a unique lead up to an election. The Democratic Party originally selected Joe Biden to be their nominee. He, however, eventually decided to drop out of the election just before he was officially nominated. Kamala Harris, the current vice president, stepped in and secured enough support!
After the primaries and caucuses, the next major event is the national convention. These were held in the summer and are the place where the delegates officially nominate each candidate. There are also lots of high-profile speeches and the presidential campaign really gets started.
After the conventions the campaigns change. During the primaries and caucuses, the candidates are trying to get support from party members. Republicans need support from Republican supporters and Democrats need support from Democratic supporters.
Once the nomination process has ended, the campaigns shift to try and get the most support possible from all people. Policies may become a little more moderate and candidates will focus on the important states.
There are many different methods of campaigning, including holding in person rallies, participating in debates, and putting commercials on TV. Social media is also increasingly important, and both Presidential candidates have appeared on famous and popular podcasts.
Election Day
Election day in the USA is always on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In other words, the election is on the first Tuesday between the 2nd and 8th of November (this year it will be November 5th).
On Election Day, polling places open across the country. These locations are often set up in schools, community centres, or other public buildings, and are the place where citizens can vote.
After verifying their identity, depending on their state’s voter ID laws, they enter a private voting booth to mark their choices. Voting can be done on paper ballots, touch-screen machines, or other types of voting machines.
Many states also allow early voting, sometimes several weeks before the actual election day.
In addition to in-person voting, many Americans vote by mail or absentee ballot. Mail-in voting has become increasingly common in recent years, especially during the 2020 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once the polling stations close and all votes have been cast, the process of counting the votes begins. The way votes are counted varies depending on the method used to cast them. Electronic voting machines do it almost instantly, while states that still use paper voting must be counted by hand.
Once the votes are counted in each state, the winner of the election can be projected. However, due to the electoral college, the actual winner is not confirmed until the electors travel to Washington DC and vote themselves.
Once confirmed, an inauguration ceremony is held in January and the new president officially takes over!
Final Thought
This episode was a quick and relatively simple guide to the US presidential election. I talked about the political system, political parties, and how the election process work in the United States.
I will probably release this episode on the Monday before the US election, so I hope some of the vocabulary and ideas I have discussed today will help you to understand the election!
As a former political science student, I love following elections. I will certainly be observing the USA closely and I am very curious to see who will win and the impact.
What do you think? How do elections work in your country? Who do you think will win the US election this year?
Extended Vocabulary List
Become a Patreon Subscriber to Access the Extended Vocabulary List!
Vocabulary Games and Activities!
Learn and practice vocabulary from this Thinking in English episode.
Practice using 5 different study games and activities – including writing, listening, and memorisation techniques!
Flashcards
Matching Game
Learning Game
Test Yourself
Listening and Spelling
Do you want to Think in English?
I’m so excited that you found my blog and podcast!! If you don’t want to miss an article or an episode, you can subscribe to my page!
Hello Tom, thanks so much for this episode. Even though you explain everything clearly and in a simple way, I still have some doubt on my understanding. If I understand well from what I’ve read that on the election day, the voters vote for the group of electors then this group will vote for the president and the vice-president?
Yes Thao! It is called the “electoral college”. Each state appoints “electors” who go to Washington DC to formally elect the President. The “electors” job is to represent the desire of their state. Most of the time, the “electors” vote in the way the public voted, but sometimes you get “rogue electors” who vote for a different candidate!