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Choosing the Nations President

Every four years Americans participate in a unique and exciting ritual – the selection of the nation’s President. The summer before the election, each of the major political parties holds a convention. Delegates from every state meet together to choose candidates for President and Vice-President and to determine the party’s program (or platform, as it is called).

The number of delegates from each state is determined by its population and its support for the party in previous elections. After routine formalities, convention business usually begins with creation and acceptance of a party platform. A platform is a very general statement of the party’s philosophy, goals, and position on issues of national and international concern. The next business of the convention is the nomination of prospective presidential candidates. When nominations are completed, votes are taken alphabetically by state. Several roll calls nay be necessary before one nominee wins the majority of votes needed to become the party’s candidate.

Once the presidential candidate is selected, his running mate (the vice-presidential candidate) must be chosen. Traditionally, a party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates come from different sections of the country and have somewhat different political views. Thus, the party achieves what is called a balanced ticket, a combination of candidates that will appeal to many different blocks of voters.

Actual campaigning traditionally begins on Labor Day. From that time until Election Day, voters are bombarded from all sides – by radio, television, newspapers and personal communications – with political material. Each candidate tries to convince a majority of American voters that he is best qualified to lead the country for the next four years.

Because campaigning is extremely expensive and a candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes, presidential politics has, to a large extend, been limited to two major parties – the Democratic and Republican parties. A great number of votes are needed to win a national election. No candidates can hope to survive by appealing to one or two classes of voters. Each party has a familiar symbol: for Democrats it is a donkey, and for the Republicans – an elephant.

On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, voters cast their ballots for President and Vice-President. Some members of Congress and many state and local officials are also elected at this time. Thanks to voting machines and computers, Americans usually know the winners by late evening.

The President and Vice –President are not actually chosen by popular votes but by electoral votes. That is, the people vote for electors who are, as a group, known as the Electoral College. This group selects the President and Vice-President. When a citizen casts his vote for a presidential candidate, he is really choosing electors. Each elector is expected (although not obliged) to vote for the candidate who wins the majority of popular votes in his state. Thus, states with larger populations have more electoral votes. The candidate who receives a majority of the votes in a particular state rives all of that state’s electoral votes. It is, therefore, possible for a presidential candidate to win a majority of popular votes but not a majority of electoral votes, thereby losing the election. This can happen. If the opponent wins by small margins in states with many electoral votes and loses by large margins in states with few electoral votes. At least two presidential elections have been decided this way.

To be elected, candidates for President and Vice-President must receive a majority of votes in the Election College. If no candidate receives a majority, the House of Representatives chooses the President from the top three candidates, and the senate chooses the Vice –President from the top two candidates having the highest number of electoral votes.

The newly –elected President is inaugurated in January during a solemn, nationally – televised ceremony. He then moves into the White House, appoints members of his Cabinet, and begins the difficult task of trying to persuade Congress to help him fulfill his campaign promises.

Task 14:

Give Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases.

Party platform; to lose the election; to win the election; to cast one’s ballot; to lose by large margins; to win by small margins; to hold a convention; a balanced ticket; a running mate; to appeal to smb.; to choose by popular vote; nomination of prospective presidential candidates.

Task 15:

Read the article again and answer the questions using the active vocabulary

1) What is a party platform? Where is it determined?

2) Who is the running mate?

3) Why do presidential and vice-presidential candidates have a bit different political views?

4) Why do you think the list of candidates is limited to two major political parties?

5) When is the Election Day?

6) Is the president chosen by popular votes? What’s the Electoral College?

7) Is it possible for a president to win a majority of popular votes, but not a majority of electoral votes?

8) Compare the electoral systems of the USA and Russia. Are there any similarities? What are the differences?

Task 16:

Translate the following text into English.

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