American presidential elections

Conversation about voting

Paula: Will you be voting in the presidential elections, now you’re eighteen?

Sam: No, I didn’t register my vote doesn’t count for anything anyway.

Paula: What do you mean? It’s your democratic duty to cast your vote.

Sam: But the electoral college system isn’t democratic. When we vote, we’re not actually voting for president. We just elect the members of the electoral college for our state, and they elect the president.

Paula: But what’s undemocratic about that? The number of electors in each state is proportional to the number of senators and congressmen from that state.

Sam: Yes, but some states have much more weight than others, for historic reasons. So a candidate can turn the result in his favour by campaigning in a few key states. You saw what happened in 2000 - George Bush won the presidency because of a few hundred votes cast in the state where his brother is governor. That’s not a bit democratic. I would prefer a proportional system.

Paula: But at the moment, only about half of ail the eligible citizens have registered to vote, and only half of these people turn up to cast their votes. That means that a president can get elected with the vote of around 12% of the whole population.

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Vocabulary

The conversation

register (to vote) = s’inscrire (sur les listes électorales)

democratic duty = devoir démocratique

cast one’s vote = voter

electoral college = collège électoral (liste de grands électeurs)

elector = ici, grand électeur

weight = poids

campaign (vb) = faire campagne

eligible citizens = citoyens ayant le droit de voter

turn up = se manifester

Extra vocabulary

ballot = (n) scrutin/ (vb) voter

ballot paper = bulletin de vote

campaign (n) = campagne

on the campaign trail = en tournée électorale

canvass for sb = solliciter des suffrages pour qn

district = circonscription électorale

electoral roll = liste électorale

electoral vote = vote des grands électeurs

exit poli = sondage à la sortie des urnes

go to the polis = aller aux urnes

Inauguration Day = jour de l’investiture présidentielle

incumbent president = président en exercice

oath = serment

polling place = bureau de vote

president-elect = futur président (entre l’élection de novembre et sa prise de fonction officielle en janvier)

presidential ticket = équipe du candidat à la présidence et de celui à la vice-présidence

running mate = colistier (l’un des deux candidats pour la présidence et la vice-présidence)