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Voting

Date: Sep 22 2006

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Voting is the keystone of a democracy. Ideally, it is a way citizens can make choices about the direction of their country or their city. People are usually more motivated to vote when they really believe that their voice can make a difference.

In the United States over the last decade, there has been a lot of controversy around voting. The Presidential election in 2000 was decided by the Supreme Court for the first time in history. This event made many Americans question whether their votes really counted. Some Americans also believe that the political system in general is corrupt. It will be interesting to see how many people come out to vote at the next election in the fall.

Listen to Kevin and Logan talk about the importance of voting.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Kevin

Logan

Kevin: I say: If you don’t vote, you cannot complain.

Logan: That’s the most annoying thing when someone complains and they didn’t vote, I agree with that statement completely. I… this last time we voted… when… it was when Bush was trying to…well, he obviously won. I didn’t vote for him… when, you know, the whole gay marriage thing, I voted for that to pass, that didn’t pass. I voted for all these, just, you know, liberal point of views…

Kevin:

Progressive...

Logan: And pretty much, none of ‘em passed.

Kevin: Yeah, you still have to vote though.

Logan: Well, I can see why people would think that voting doesn’t matter, when they vote and their vote doesn’t come out.

Kevin: Well, and… or in some ways, it’s not counted, like, it physically, like, we learned in the 2000 election, like, the votes weren’t counted. But especially in Oregon where it’s vote-by-mail, there’s really no excuse not to vote. It’s so easy. They send it to you in the mail. Even when in was living in Japan, they sent me my ballot. It was a cinch .

Logan: It’s the lazy man’s way to vote. And if you’re sitting at home, why not just fill out… you don’t have to vote for everything. All you have to do is vote for the things you are really passionate and turn it in and it’s free to send it in. There’s just… there is no reason why…

Kevin: It’s really easy, and I hope other states will go to vote-by-mail because Oregon has one of the highest voting percentages in the nation because of it.

Logan: And I think the whole campaigns, like, done on MTV and everything, have really encouraged that turn 18 to actually go register to vote and, you know, it’s something new for ‘em to do.

Kevin: Get Out The Vote kinda stuff, yeah, it’s great.

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Discussion

Kevin believes that everyone has a responsibility to vote. He says that if you don’t vote, you have no right to complain, because you didn’t vote when you had the chance. He says this is especially true in the state of Oregon, where vote-by-mail makes voting easy.

Logan agrees. But he remembers the last election, when nothing he voted for won. He says when that happens it is easy to lose faith in the system. He thinks it’s important for young people to register to vote as soon as they turn 18.

Do you vote? Why or why not?