The Race to the White House

    It’s been a year of major challenges. The Covid-19 pandemic has put lives at risk around the world. Businesses have shut down to fight the virus. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs. Millions more have taken to the streets to protest racism and police violence. These issues will be on everyone’s mind on November 3. That’s when people across the country will vote in national, state, and local elections. The leaders they choose will shape our world for years to come. Here’s what you need to know about Election 2020. 

This year has been filled with challenges. The Covid-19 pandemic has put lives at risk. Businesses have shut down. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs. Millions more are protesting racism and police violence. People will be thinking about these issues on November 3. That’s when people across the country will vote. They will vote in national, state, and local elections. The leaders they choose will have a big effect on our world. Here’s what you need to know about Election 2020. 

    It’s been a year marked by major challenges. The Covid-19 pandemic has endangered lives around the world. To slow the spread of the virus, businesses have shut down, causing millions of Americans to lose their jobs. Millions more have taken to the streets to protest racism and police violence. These are the issues that people across the country will consider when voting in national, state, and local elections on November 3. The leaders they elect will shape our world for years to come. Here’s what you need to
know about Election 2020. 

Fun Fact: Trump is 74 years old, and Biden is 77. Whoever wins will be the oldest president ever elected.

    The United States has two main political parties. Each party is a group of people. People in the same party have similar ideas about how to run our country. Each party works to have its members elected to government positions. This includes the office of the president. The candidates this year include Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

    Trump is the current president. He is running for reelection. He’s a Republican. Trump is a billionaire businessman. Being president is his first political job.

    Biden is running against Trump. Biden is a Democrat. He served as a U.S. senator from Delaware for 36 years. He was also President Barack Obama’s vice president for eight years.

    The United States has two major political parties. These parties are groups of people who have similar ideas about how our country should be run. Each party works to have its members elected to positions in government—including the office of the president. So who are the candidates this year?

    Donald Trump, the current president and a Republican, is running for reelection. Joe Biden, a Democrat, is hoping to unseat Trump. Biden served as a U.S. senator from Delaware for 36 years and then as President Barack Obama’s vice president for eight years. Trump is a billionaire businessman and the only U.S. president who has never previously been elected to office or served in the military.

Know This: Mike Pence is the current vice president. He is running for reelection alongside President Trump.

    The vice president takes over if the president dies or has to leave office. This year, we may elect our first female vice president. Joe Biden has chosen Kamala [KAH-muh-lah] Harris to be his running mate. Why is this important? The U.S. is often seen as a leader in women’s rights. But it has never had a woman in charge. (India, Germany, New Zealand, and 61 other countries have.)

    Yet being female is not the only reason Harris may make history. Her father is Black. Her mother is Indian American. If elected, Harris would also become the first Black and the first Asian American vice president.

    The vice president takes over if the president dies or has to leave office. Kamala [KAH-muh-lah] Harris is Joe Biden’s running mate. If Biden wins, Harris will be our first female vice president. The U.S. is often seen as a leader in women’s rights. But it has never had a woman in charge. (India, Germany, and 62 other countries have.)

    If elected, Harris will make history for another reason. Her father is Black. Her mother is Indian American. Harris would be the first Black and the first Asian American vice president.

    If the president dies or has to leave office, the vice president takes over. This year, we may elect our first female vice president. Joe Biden has chosen Kamala [KAH-muh-lah] Harris to be his running mate. This is important because the U.S. is often seen as a leader in women’s rights, but it has never had a woman in charge. (India, Germany, New Zealand, and 61 other countries have.)

    Yet being female is not the only reason Harris may make history. Her father is Black, and her mother is Indian American. If elected, Harris would also become the first Black and the first Asian American vice president.

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Know This: 470 seats in Congress are up for grabs!

    The U.S. Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the Senate, 35 out of 100 seats are up for grabs. In the House of Representatives, candidates will compete for all 435 seats. 

    Right now, Republicans hold a majority of seats in the Senate. Democrats have the most seats in the House. November’s election could change that. If one party ends up controlling both the Senate and the House, it will have a lot of power. It will get to decide what bills are considered. (A bill is a proposal, or idea, for a new law.)

    The U.S. Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the Senate, 35 out of 100 seats are up for grabs. In the House of Representatives, candidates will compete for all 435 seats. Right now, Republicans hold a majority of seats in the Senate, and Democrats control the House—but that balance could change in November’s election. That matters because the party that controls Congress has a lot of power and often gets to decide which bills are considered. (A bill is a proposal, or idea, for a new law.)

Tip: Ask your family members if they know when and where they will vote. If they have a plan, they’re much more likely to follow through!