Innholdsfortegnelse
TASK 1:
explain these terms:
1. electorate
2. election
3. constituency
4. MP
5. election manifesto
6. polling station
7. electoral register
8. ballot paper
9. ballot box
10. Downing Street 10
11. House of Commons
12. Cabinet
13. Minister

TASK 2:
1. Why do you think people in prison and in mental hospitals are not allowed to vote? What are your views on this?

2. You can vote when you are 18, but have to be 21 to stand as a candidate for MP. What is your opinion on this? Are the age limits suitable?

3. There are strict rules to control how much money candidates can spend on the election campaign. Why do you think there is control of this spending?

4. Why do you think local campaigning is less important today than fifty years ago?

5. The queen can vote. Why do you think she and other members of the royal family always choose not to?

6. In the 2010 election, the voter turnout was 65%. Why do you think might be the reasons for such low voter turnout?

Utdrag
1. electorate
The electorate is defined as the people who are eligible to vote, meaning the voters of a country.

2. election
In a democracy, the people (often the ones over the age of 18), are allowed to vote in order to choose a leader of the country.

Several different parties will in most cases run for the post. The people e.g. vote for a president, or a prime minister.

This formal decision making process, in which the electorate vote for their preferred candidate, is called an election.

3. constituency
The United Kingdom is divided into 650 constituencies. Each of these constituencies will elect one candidate for Parliament.

The candidate who wins the vote, is a Member of Parliament. (Some people claim for the political system to be unfair, as each constituency only is allowed to elect one MP.

Let’s hypothetically say that, the candidate from the Labour party receives 49% of the votes, whereas the candidate from the Conservative party receives 51% of the votes.

The Conservative party will then win the votes, and this candidate will be an MP. However, this means that 49% of the votes have been “ignored”!)

4. MP
An MP is a Member of Parliament. The Parliament in the UK, consists of two Houses. The House of Lords and the House of Commons.