Tyler Bivona
Dr. Kerr
EN101-4
March 6, 2013
The
United States and The United Kingdom have lots of history with each other. The United States formed from thirteen
colonies of England’s, and, ever since World War One, they have been great
allies. Both of these countries act as
defenders of democracy across the globe, so it is often interesting to compare
how each country runs their own democratic elections. While both countries’ elections are similar,
they also can be very different, especially when it comes to electing a leader.
One
similarity between the United States and the United Kingdom concerns who can
vote. In the United States, as per the
Constitution, any US Citizen that is eighteen years of age or older and not in
prison can vote. The 19th amendment,
which was ratified in 1920, extended the right to vote to women that were over
twenty-one, while the 26th amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the
voting age for everyone to eighteen. In
the United Kingdom, the situation is almost the same. With the passing of the Representation of the
People Act 1983, the right to vote in the United Kingdom was extended to anyone
who would be eighteen or over by Election Day.
The United Kingdom allows women the right to vote as well.
When
the actual elections take place in these two countries is an entirely different
subject. The United States holds general
elections on the first Tuesday in November every two years for Congress, and
every four years for president. The
United Kingdom, however, holds general elections for Parliament every five
years. Interestingly, the actual date of
the election is determined by the ruling party of the cycle prior. That would be like Democrats choosing the
date for the 2014 elections since they are the ruling party. The only time this would change in the UK
would be if Parliament were to be dissolved before the five years are up. This can only be done by the current ruling
monarch, which would be nearly unthinkable today.
The
largest similarity between the voting system in Britain, and the one in the
United States, is that voters in both countries directly vote for their
legislative bodies. Parliament and
Congress are both bicameral, meaning they have two bodies to the
legislature. In the US, there is the
House of Representatives and the Senate.
Parliament has a House of Lords and a House of Commons. The House of Commons is the only house that
is elected in the UK, and voters vote for Ministers of Parliament (MP) to
represent their district. The only real difference between an MP and a
Representative is that, since the UK doesn’t really have “states” the way the
US does, they don’t need to worry that something they vote on might cut funding
to their statesmen, just their district.
The largest
and most noticeable difference is how a head of government is chosen. Head of
government, not head of state, as that is the Queen. In the United States, the president is
elected through the Electoral College, which gives each state a number of votes
for president based on population. A
candidate needs 270 or more electoral votes to become president. In the UK, it’s entirely different. The ruling party in Parliament chooses one of
their own to become prime minister for as long as they stay in power, or until
they lose confidence in him. In the UK,
people only vote for their MPs, not their chief executive like in America.
Both
the United Kingdom and the United States have contributed to a massive exchange
of ideas and practices over their long history together. Even their elective systems are somewhat
similar. It is to be somewhat expected
that such great allies would have very similar ideas when it comes to how the
people choose their leaders.
I know the conclusion is weak, but i'm working on it.
so in conclution, both the United States and The United Kingdom obviously have so much history with each other. Between the United States being formed from thirteen colonies of England’s, and after World War One, becoming great allies. Both of these countries act as defenders of democracy across the globe, so it is often interesting to see how they compare to each country, and see how each country runs their own democratic elections. while they each have their similarities in is easy to see that they still have their differences as well. Still not 100%, Just though I would give you another point of view.
ReplyDeletepeer review
ReplyDelete-introduction is interesting good job using the history to get people interested.
-dont forget a title
-your thesis is clear but maybe include the names of the countrys and the criteria you are using.
-good job giving each country equal consideration.
-and yea maybe work on your conclusion a little.
Your introduction paragraph is very catchy however your thesis isn't clear to me. I'm not sure what your comparing besides them being different. The similarities and differences that you wrote about were good points, just add them to your thesis to make it more clear! Other then that, it was a good essay.
ReplyDeleteTyler, your essay is very interesting and demonstrates your knowledge of the similarities and differences between the United States and the Uk- I found this essay to be well organized and informative. I did not see any source, (although I do not know if you need any in this case). You are correct on the conclusion needing more work, the thesis was strong. i did not feel/hense any bias apon reading. The essay is very interesting and still may have some minor tweaking but is very good!
ReplyDelete