Alderman candidate citizen district ward

 

1. An area of a town or the countryside, especially one with particular

features

2. An elected member of a town or city council in the US

 

3. One of the small areas that a city has been divided into for the purpose of local elections

 

4. Someone who id competing in an election

 

5. Someone who lives in a particular town, country or state

 

4. Заполните пропуски в предложениях следующими словами:

Alternative citizens local runs select state voter

 

1. I had no … but to report him to the police.

2. In Ireland 83 % of … favoured EC membership in 1972.

 

3. In a democracy, adult … are allowed to vote in order to … candidates for public office.

 

4. Many people don’t care who … the country.

5. The project focused on the … community living in the surrounding villages.

 

6. It was the Queen’s first … visit here in seventeen years.

Text 8

 

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Elections

 

Part 2

Elections and Representative Government

 

In some countries, the people have at least some say in creating governments to run their public affairs, while in others government runs the affairs of the people without their consent. Both types of government usually have elections, and both claim that elected officials represent the people. The difference between the two types of elections is the presence or lack of alternatives. In constitutional democracies—such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, the United States, and countries of the European Union—there are two or more political parties, each of which runs slates of candidates for office. The people are allowed to vote for those who they believe will do the best job.

 

In other nations that call themselves republics or democracies—such as China, North Korea, and Cuba—opposition parties are either outlawed or severely limited. In the Soviet Union until 1989 there was only one candidate for each office on the ballot. An election could not therefore be a choice among alternatives. It could only be a seal of approval on choices already made by the government. Those who were elected in this process did not represent the people in the government; they represented the government to the people.

 

Officeholders and Issues

 

When a voter enters the voting booth, the names of individuals seeking public office are found on the ballot. There may also be a number of public issues to vote for or against; local tax increases for schools are among the most common.

 

With regard to officeholders, elections give them the right to make public policy decisions. Voters, therefore, want to know what the candidates think about public issues. Every society is made up of people with a great diversity of interests—farmers, bankers, blue-collar workers, teachers, lawyers, corporation managers, and owners of small businesses, to name a few—and each of these groups forms what is called a constituency. Every candidate running for public office must appeal to the constituencies within his district, state, province, or nation.

 

An individual seeking to be president of the United States, for example, must appeal to all of the interests within the country—or at least to a good many of them—in order to win an election. The prime minister of the United Kingdom and the chancellor of Germany, however, are elected to their respective legislatures from local constituencies and after election are chosen to head the government if their parties win. Therefore it is the party program that must appeal to the majority of the electorate, or voting public.

 

In many countries the various interests and constituencies are represented by political parties. In the United States there are only two major parties, the Democratic and Republican; but in most countries there are several parties competing for the allegiance of the voters. Political parties provide the pools of talent from which candidates are drawn. Those who belong to a party believe that

its candidates can best serve the public interest, if elected. Once elected, of course, an officeholder feels many pressures, some of which may result in broken campaign promises.

 

2. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:

1. What are two types of government?

2. In what countries opposition parties are outlaws or limited?

 

3. What can be found on the ballot?

4. What forms a constituency?

 

5. What is the difference between the election in the USA and the election in Great Britain and Germany?

 

6. What are two major parties in the US?

 

3. Скажите, соответствуют ли данные утверждения прочитанному тексту:

1. In constitutional democracies there are at least two political parties.

2. In the Soviet Union until 1989 there were two candidates for each office.

3. The most common public issue to vote for or against is road taxes.

4. Voters want to know what the candidates think about personal issues.

5. In the US there are only two major parties.

 

Составьте выражения

1.	to be found	A. a constituency
2.	to compete	B. about public issues
3.	to enter	C. an election
4.	to form	D. elections
5.	to have	E. for public office
6.	to head	F. for the allegiance of the voters
7.	to represent	G. for the candidates
8.	to run	H. on the ballot
9.	to run	I. public affairs
10. to serve	J. the government
11. to think	K. the people
12. to vote	L. the public interest
13. to win	M. the voting booth

 

Text 9

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Primaries

 

Those who will become candidates for office can be chosen by political conventions—both state and national; they may be chosen by meetings of party leaders; or they may be elected. Elections to select candidates (or delegates who will select them at a convention) are called primaries. Primary means “first,” or

“preliminary.” Primaries emerged as a means for allowing the people to choose their own candidates rather than have candidates foisted on them by party bosses.

 

Before the primary system was introduced, candidates were nominated at meetings called caucuses. The caucus system is still used in a few states, but voters participating in a caucus now choose delegates to a nominating convention instead of voting for a candidate directly.

 

A primary election in which voters directly select the party's candidates is called a direct primary. The first one was held in Crawford County, Pa., in 1842 by the Democratic party. As corruption in government grew toward the end of the 19th century, there were increased demands for primary elections. Under the leadership of Governor Robert M. LaFollette, Wisconsin passed a direct primary law in 1903. Many other states followed. In some cases an indirect primary—in which the voters choose delegates to a state party convention, and the convention chooses the candidates—was preferred.

 

States have different ways of running primaries. Some have what are called open primaries, in which voters can ask for a ballot for either political party. They may vote for one party in one primary and for another party in the next. Other states have closed primaries; here the voters can only vote in the primary of the political party of which they are registered members.

 

To be listed as a candidate on the primary ballot, a person must file a declaration of intent and party affiliation with an official of the city, county, or state government. Usually a filing fee must be paid, and in most cases it is necessary to turn in a petition signed by a certain number of voters.

 

California had an exception to this practice. From 1913 until 1959 it allowed what is called cross-filing. Cross-filing allowed candidates to file for office on the primary ballots of all political parties. If they won in each party, they were automatically elected to office.

 

Primary elections have come to play a significant role in presidential elections, and the primaries held earliest in the election cycle have become increasingly influential. Winners of the early primaries usually secure greater private campaign funding and more favorable publicity, which may help sway voters in later primaries. New Hampshire's primary and Iowa's caucus are among the earliest held and are often the focus of intense campaigning.

 

2. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:

1. What are primaries?

2. What system was used before the primary system was introduced?

3. When was the first direct primary held?

4. Under whose leadership did a direct primary pass in 1903?

 

5. What is the difference between open and closed primaries?

6. What must a person do to be listed as a candidate?

7. When did California allow cross-filing?

8. Do primary elections play a significant role in presidential or aldermanic

elections?

3. Расположите предложения в правильном порядке:

1. A candidate makes a petition signed by a certain number of voters.

2. A candidate pays a filing fee.

3. The voters vote for their candidate.

4. A person file a declaration of intent and party affiliation

5. Elections to select candidates are held.

 

4. Заполните пропуски в предложениях следующими словами: