Elections in the USA( part II)

Before you read. Think over the following questions:

-Have you been watching the primaries of US Presidential

elections of 2008?

-Who were the main contenders? What were their most striking differences?

Read the following text.

1_______________________________

The election of the president consists, in fact, of a network of elections, nominations, and campaigns beginning some nine months before election day.

 

There are three stages. First, there is a series of party primary elections within the parties required by state law. Potential presidential candidates seek the nomination of one or other of the major parties, who select their candidates at national party conventions. The delegates to these conventions represent state party organizations, and are chosen by a variety of methods, but increasingly they are elected, and are committed to supporting a particular presidential candidate.

 

2_____________________________________

 

Thus the party primaries may be of critical importance in determining the final party nomination, and potential candidates can be eliminated or improve their chances of becoming the party candidate at this stage. Laws concerning participation in party primaries (which are also held for elections to Congress) differ from state to state, most being party caucuses (for registered party voters only), but some remain open to any registered voter.

 

 

3__________________________________

The national party conventions choose presidential nominees by a complex system of voting by delegates. In this respect the candidates of the major parties chosen to compete for election to the presidency in November must probably already have undergone two ‘elections’, the party primaries and the voting at the national convention.

 

State and local elections need not be held at the same time as national ones, but in many instances they are. State governors are elected for varying terms, not necessarily at the same time as national office-holders, the nature of state elections being determined by state law.

 

4_________________________________

Given the many offices elected at the national, state, and local level, ballot papers are often long and complicated, and voting machines are used in most stages. A majority of states also use the party-column ballot, listing the candidates of each party in a column, beside or under the party name or emblem. An alternative ballot form lists candidates by office, making straight party-ticket voting very difficult. Although some 40% of US citizens do not vote in presidential elections, the federal system and the tradition of electing even minor officials at the local level means that US elections are more frequent and are held for a larger number of political (and even administrative and judicial) offices than in most other countries.

 

Exercises

Read the text and entitle its parts. Arrange them in the list below.

1)

2)

3)

4)

2. Put up questions to these sentences: a)a general question

b) 2-3 special questions

1) The election of the president consists, in fact, of a network of elections, nominations, and campaigns.

2) There are three stages in the presedential elections.

3) Potential presidential candidates seek the nomination of one of the major parties, who select their candidates at national party conventions.

4) The delegates to these conventions increasingly are committed to supporting a particular presidential candidate.

5) The party primaries may be of critical importance in determining the final party nomination.

6) Potential candidates can be eliminated or improve their chances of becoming the party candidate at this stage.

7) The national party conventions choose presidential nominees by a complex system of voting by delegates.

8) State governors are elected for varying terms, not necessarily at the same time as national office-holders

9) Ballot papers are often long and complicated, and voting machines are used in most stages.

10) An alternative ballot form lists candidates by office, making straight party-ticket voting very difficult.

3. Give definitions for the following:

nomination

campaign

primary elections

party caucus

national office-holders

ballot paper

voting machines

the party-column ballot

Check yourself and fill in the gaps without looking into the text. See how much you have coped with.

1) Virtually the presidential elections consist of ________________1, nominations, and _____________2 beginning _______________3 before __________4.

2) There are ___________5 stages. First, there is ______________6 party primary elections within the parties required _____________7.

 

3) Potential presidential candidates _____________8 of one or other of the major parties, who ____________9 their candidates at ______________10. Laws concerning participation in ____________11 (which are also held for elections to Congress) differ from state to state, most being _______________12 (for registered party voters only), but some remain open to any registered voter.

 

4) State and local elections ______________13 at the same time as national ones, but in many instances they are. State governors are elected for _______________14, not necessarily at the same time as _____________

_____________________15.

5) _____________16 the many offices elected at the national, state, and local level, _______________17 are often long and ___________18, and ___________________19 are used in most stages.An alternative ballot form _______________________________________________20, making straight party-ticket voting very difficult.

WRITING III.

 

Describe the last electoral campaign in the USA. What candidates were the frontrunners? Who won the elections?

VOCABULARY TEST II.

 

1.Всеобщими являются выборы в Парламент Соединенного королевства, в конгресс США, президентские выборы и другие выборы в законодательные органы различных демократических стран.

 

2. На предварительных выборах казалось, что у него нет шансов. В ходе избирательной кампании он завоевал голоса в штатах, которые не имели политических предпочтений, и одержал сокрушительную победу на последнем туре выборов с участием двух ведущих кандидатов.

 

3.Выборы были назначены на первый вторник ноября. Голосование проходило как обычно на избирательных участках и с участием наблюдателей. Но на следующий день помощники проигравшего претендента заявили о том, что имело место подтасовка голосов и объявили результаты выборов недействительными.

 

4. Это был самый молодой человек, который предложил свою кандидатуру на пост президента. Когда его помощники проводили агитацию в «неблагонадежных штатах» в ходе предвыборной кампании, они всячески подчеркивали этот факт.

 

5. Он баллотировался на пост президента уже не первый раз. Его кандидатуру выдвигали на закрытом заседании партии на предыдущих выборах.

 

6. В ходе предвыборной кампании социологи регулярно проводили опрос общественного мнения с тем, чтобы сопоставить рейтинги популярности кандидатов, определить лидирующего кандидата и предсказать результаты выборов.

 

7. Молодые люди часто более охотно участвуют в выборах и реализуют свое избирательное право. По-видимому, тот факт, что они соответствуют требованиям, выдвигаемым такими избирательными цензами как: образовательный, возрастной, имущественный и ценз оседлости повышает их самооценку.

 

8. В день выборов избиратели отправляются на избирательные участки, берут избирательные бюллетени и отправляются в кабинку для голосования. Там они обычно отмечают галочкой, те кандидатуры, которые они выбирают и опускают бюллетень в специальную урну. Эта процедура подтверждает, что они отдали свои голоса за данных кандидатов.

 

9. Явка на выборы не всегда бывает высокой. В случае низкой явки у организаторов выборов появляется возможность для подтасовки голосов и объявления ряда бюллетеней недействительными.

 

10. Они не смогли выиграть с большим перевесом голосов и сформировали коалиционное правительство, в состав которого вошло несколько партий меньшинства.

 

11. В настоящее время политологи часто спорят о преимуществах простой мажоритарной системы перед системой пропорционального представительства.

 

12. В ходе перестановки в британском правительстве, министром иностранных дел был назначен человек, о котором было мало известно даже политическим аналитикам.

 

HOMEREADING II.

 

1/David McDowell. Britan in Close-up: an In-Depth Study Of Contemporary Britain. – Third impression, 2001

Chapter: Government and politics: debate and change, pp.49-53

 

2/ E. Fielder, R.Jansen, M.Norman-Rish. America in Close-up .-Thirteenth impression, 2004

Chapter: The political system, pp. 148-151

 

 

Contents

UNIT I. UK AND US POLITICAL SYSTEMS. 2

VOCABULARY LIST 1. Political System... 3

LESSON 1. A CONSTITUTION OR A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY. . 4

Reading for vocabulary 1.1. 4

Listening 1.. 6

Reading for vocabulary 1.2. 6

DEBATES 1. 9

TEXT TRANSLATION 1. 9

LESSON 2. LEGISLATIVE BRANCH OF POWER. 11

Reading for Vocabulary 2.3. 11

Reading for Vocabulary 2.4. 13

Listening 2.. 16

Reading for Vocabulary 2.5. 16

Reading for Vocabulary 2.6. 21

TEXT TRANSLATION 2. 23

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