Friday, October 16th, we were very lucky to have a conference with Ms. Martin-Shukrun, an American diplomat who currently works at the American embassy in Paris.
She explained us in a very clear and very interesting presentation how the US electoral system works.
What was the subject of the conference?
Ms. Martin-Shukrun began her presentation by explaining the current atmosphere in the US, almost two weeks before the election. We all know that president Donald Trump and former vice-president Joe Biden are opposed in many points in their programs, attitude and electorate.
She explained us why the climate was so tense, the difference between the last elections and this one. The diplomat also gave us many explanations about the primary elections and the « election day » which is normally the 8th of November (3th of November this year). A very special day for the American people.
Then, she presented to us the postal ballot, the specificity of her ballot and the many elections she can vote for in one time.
She briefly described the various states and their dominant political party: Republican or Democrat. She also defined the « swing states », those states which are not all the time Democrat or Republican. Subsequently, she clarified the system of the Electoral College, which refers to the group of presidential electors required by the United States Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the United States.
She finished her presentation by answering many questions from people of the class such as:
- Why did the Americans elect Trump in 2016 while they elected Obama in 2012?
- How did she succeed in becoming a diplomat?
Opinion about it
Her presentation of approximately 45 minutes was a success in the class, Ms Martin- Shukrun was very nice quite careful not to speak too fast to be understood.
She was smiling, open-minded, and she answered the questions very well. We all learnt many things thanks to her.
Baptiste Bernier, prépa ENS 1.