VOCAB LIST: Democracy and Elections

politics (n.) – the process of debating, making laws, and running a government

political (adj.) – relating to politics or the process of running a government

• • Barbara is very interested in politics, so she reads the political news every day.

election (n.) – in a democracy/republic, when everyone votes for their representatives

elect (v.) – to vote for and choose a representative

candidate – a person who tries to get people’s votes for a government position

• • There are many candidates in this year’s presidential election. I’m not sure who I will vote for.

campaign (n., v.) – when candidates try to convince people to vote for them (through advertisements, speeches, etc.)

run (v.) – to campaign for political office

• • Political campaigns have become increasingly expensive in recent years.
  • I want to campaign for mayor, but my mother says that only dishonest people can win an election.

party (n.) – a group of people with similar political ideas (examples of political parties include the Republican and Democrat Parties (US) and the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats (UK)

debate (n., v.) – when people (or candidates) with different opinions answer questions and argue with each other (usually before an election)

conservative – a political philosophy based on keeping traditional views and spending less money

liberal/progressive – a political philosophy based on progress, breaking with tradition, and spending more money to help poor people

independent – a person who does not belong to a particular political party

• • In last night’s presidential debate, candidates from the conservative and liberal parties argued over jobs and health care. Many independent voters watched the debate carefully to decide who to vote for in the upcoming election.

patriot (n.) – a person who deeply loves his/her country

patriotic (adj.) – feeling or showing love for one’s country

• • In the presidential campaign, the candidates often compete to prove to voters that they are the most patriotic person and will do the best job leading the country.

opposition – the political party that is not in power; people who disagree with a certain view

• • The opposition is hoping to defeat the president in this year’s election by questioning his patriotism.

VOCAB REVIEW: Democracy and Elections

 Fill in the blanks with the words below:

political / party / independent / election / elect / debate

candidate / conservative / liberal / campaign / patriotic / patriot 

1. The Republican __________ has a majority of members in the state legislature.

2. Many people think the Republicans won because they called themselves __________ and tried to show how much they love the country.

3. The Republicans are usually more _____________ — they are more traditional and support lower taxes.

4. People in the Democratic party are usually more ____________ — they are more progressive and support higher taxes and more social programs.

5. The Republican ____________ for President spent a lot of money on advertising.

6. I watched the __________ last night with my family so we could decide who to vote for.

7. I consider myself a ____________ because I love my country and I served in the army.

8. Although Mr. Jones spent a lot of money on advertising, the people of the city did not __________ him as their mayor.

9. My uncle said that he is tired of the Republican and Democratic parties, so he always votes for the ____________ candidate.

10. I rarely pay attention to ____________ news because it’s always so depressing.

11. This year’s ___________ was very close; the Democratic candidate got 51% of the vote, and the Republican candidate got 49%.

12. If you want to ___________ for an office like governor or President, you need to be able to raise a lot of money and make a lot of important friends.