[00:00:00] Welcome to English, please, the podcast where we explore interesting topics in under 10 minutes in clear, intermediate English. I'm your host, Christopher. I live in New York City, and I've always been passionate about languages and how we learn them. Whether you're listening on your way to work, or while cooking dinner at home, this show is designed to help you with your English listening and comprehension skills.
In American schools and universities, there's a word that many students don't like to hear: "midterm." A midterm is a big exam or test in the middle of the semester. "Mid" means middle, and "term" means a [00:01:00] period of time.
In the United States, there's an election with the same name: the midterm elections. They're called midterms because they happen in the middle of the president's term. A president is elected for four years, and two years after each presidential election, there's another national election. That's the midterms. This year, they're on Tuesday, November 3rd.
If you follow the news in English, you'll hear a lot about these elections. In this episode, we'll look at what people are voting for, why the vote is on a Tuesday, and some common words in election news that may not mean what you think.
First, what are people voting for? When you vote, you mark your choices on a ballot, which is a paper or a screen with a list of names. [00:02:00] This time, the president's name isn't on it. Instead, voters choose members of Congress. Congress writes and votes on the country's laws, and it has two parts: the House of Representatives, which most Americans just call "the House," and the Senate.
The House has 435 members. States with more people have more members, and each one represents one part of a state. Members of the House serve for two years, so voters choose all 435 of them every two years. In election news, a "seat" isn't a chair. It's a position in Congress. You'll hear that someone has "won a seat" or "lost a seat."
The Senate works differently. [00:03:00] Every state, big or small, has two senators, and they represent the whole state. So, there are 100. Senators serve for six years, and they are not all elected in the same year. In 2026, voters will choose 35 of them.
There's more on the ballot, too. In 36 states, people will also choose a governor, who is the leader of the state. In many places, people will vote for local positions, like mayors or judges. And in some states, voters will say yes or no to new laws. So one ballot can be quite long.
A lot of countries vote on a Sunday when many people aren't working. Germany, France, and Japan all do this. So why does the United States vote on a Tuesday, [00:04:00] a normal workday?
The explanation you'll hear most often goes back to 1845. Before then, states could vote on different days. That year, Congress chose one day for the whole country to vote for president, and later, elections for Congress moved to the same day. In 1845, most Americans were farmers, and many of them lived far from the town where they could vote. The trip could take a whole day by horse. Sunday was for church, so people didn't want to travel then. Wednesday was often market day, when farmers sold their food in town. So, Monday was for traveling, and Tuesday was for voting. November was a good month because the harvest was finished, but the cold winter weather hadn't started yet. That's why [00:05:00] election day is on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Today, almost nobody travels to vote by horse. But the country still votes on a schedule that was made for farmers in 1845, on a day when most people have to work.
A lot of people think this is strange. Some want to move Election Day to a weekend or make it a national holiday. Others say it isn't necessary, because in many states, people can vote early or by mail. For now, the day hasn't changed.
Okay, I have a small challenge for you: after this episode, try to explain what the midterm elections are in your own words in two or three sentences. Explaining something out loud is a good way to find out what you understand, and which words you're [00:06:00] missing. You can say it to yourself or to a friend. And if you'd like to try it with me, your first private conversation session is free. You'll find it at englishpleasepod.com/talk. You can also read every word of this episode at englishpleasepod.com, where there's a full transcript for all episodes.
Now, let's look at some words you'll hear in the news. You probably know all of them already, but in election news, they often mean something a little different.
The first is "race." You probably know one meaning of race: a competition to see who is fastest. In politics, a race is an election between two or more people. A "close race" is an election where people have almost the same number of votes.
The same [00:07:00] idea gives us "run for." If someone is running for governor, they're trying to be elected governor.
Next is "poll." This word has two meanings, and you'll hear both. A poll can be a survey, when someone asks many people the same question. But "the polls" can also mean the place where people vote. So, when a reporter says, "The polls close at 8pm" it doesn't mean a survey. It means voting stops at 8pm. And "going to the polls" just means going to vote.
Then there's "turnout." Turnout is how many people actually vote. If turnout is high, that means a lot of people voted.
And on election night, listen for two more. "Too close to [00:08:00] call" means the votes are so close that news organizations can't say yet who won. In some countries, people know the results the same night. In the United States, counting votes can often take hours or even days, because many people vote by mail. When news organizations are confident, you'll also hear that someone is the "projected winner." Here, "projected" means expected, based on the votes counted so far. The official results come later. So on election night, listen for these words, and if the results take a few days, now you know why.
In the middle of this episode, I gave you a small challenge: explain the midterms in your own words. If you'd like someone to listen, I offer private English conversation sessions with me on a video call. We just talk, [00:09:00] mistakes are completely fine, and your first session is always free. You can find out more at englishpleasepod.com/talk.
If you'd like more practice like this every week, join the free English, please newsletter at englishpleasepod.com/free. When you sign up, you'll also get two free guides, one with 25 idioms and one with 60 everyday phrases that native speakers use all the time.
Again, I'm Christopher, and I want to invite you to join me in future episodes of English, please to hear about a variety of topics, all focused on helping you with your English. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts, and let's continue this adventure together in clear, understandable English.
Sincere thanks, as always, for listening.
See you soon!