English · Première générale · LVA · B1 towards B1+

Session 2: Checks and balances: why the midterms matter

Recap check
  1. Who painted The Verdict of the People, and what does it show?
  2. Say where something is in the painting, with a place marker.
  3. Make one deduction about a person in the painting, with must or might.
Answer key
  1. George Caleb Bingham, 1854-1855: a crowd hears the results of an election in front of a courthouse.
  2. For example: In the foreground, a man is waving a handkerchief.
  3. For example: The man on the steps must be reading the results.
Axe 6. Les aires anglophones américaines
Objet d'étude : Les institutions des États-Unis (contexte de l'axe 6)

Question: Why do the midterms of 3 November 2026 matter, even without a presidential election?

The midterms of 3 November 2026

Compréhension de l'écrit

Midterm elections take place halfway through a president's four-year term.

On Tuesday 3 November 2026, Americans elected all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 senators: 33 in regular elections and two special elections, in Florida and Ohio.

Thirty-six states also elected a governor.

Before the vote, the Republican Party, the party of President Donald Trump, controlled both chambers: 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats in the House (official list of the Clerk of the House, 1 October 2026), 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats and independents who vote with them in the Senate.

A party needs 218 seats for a majority in the House and 51 in the Senate. With 50 senators each, the Vice President, JD Vance, breaks the tie.

The new Congress meets on 3 January 2027.

Under the Constitution, laws must be passed by both chambers. The president can veto a bill, but Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

The Senate confirms judges and ministers and approves treaties, by a two-thirds vote for treaties. The House alone can impeach a president; the Senate holds the trial.

Sources: USAGov, Midterm elections · Clerk of the House, Official list of members · National Archives, The Constitution

Understand

Compréhension de l'écrit
  1. What exactly did Americans elect on 3 November 2026?
  2. Which party controlled Congress before the vote?
  3. What majorities are needed in each chamber?
  4. Find two ways in which Congress can limit the power of the president.
  5. Why is this system called checks and balances?
Answer key
  1. All 435 members of the House, 35 senators (33 regular, 2 special) and 36 governors.
  2. The Republican Party, in both chambers.
  3. 218 seats in the House; 51 in the Senate, or 50 plus the Vice President.
  4. For example: it can refuse to pass his bills, override his veto by two thirds, refuse to confirm his judges or ministers, refuse a treaty, impeach him.
  5. Each branch can check (limit) the others, so that no branch has too much power.

Your turn

Interaction orale

In pairs. A asks, B explains, then swap: What is a midterm? What is at stake? What happens if the opposition wins the House?

Key points

Key points: an election halfway through the president's term; all of the House, a third of the Senate, governors; if the opposition wins the House, it can block bills and the budget and open investigations.

Expanding your vocabulary

Lexique en lien avec les axes culturels · Institutions et vie politique
WordMeaningExample
checks and balancesthe system in which each branch limits the othersChecks and balances prevent abuse of power.
to hold a majorityto have more than half of the seatsThe Republicans held a majority before the vote.
to pass a billto vote a proposed lawA bill must be passed by both chambers.
to veto, to override a vetoto reject a bill / to cancel that rejectionCongress can override a veto by two thirds.
gridlocka situation where nothing can be decidedDivided government can lead to gridlock.
a lame ducka politician near the end of his powerA president who loses Congress is sometimes called a lame duck.
to be at staketo be what can be won or lostControl of Congress is at stake.
to confirm an appointmentto approve a person chosen for a postThe Senate confirms Supreme Court Justices.

Complete with a word from the grid: 1. Control of Congress was ______ on 3 November. 2. Congress can ______ a veto by two thirds. 3. When the two chambers disagree, the result can be ______. 4. The Senate must ______ the appointment of judges.

Answer key
  1. at stake
  2. override
  3. gridlock
  4. confirm

Grammar

La voix passive

Passive = be + past participle; the agent is introduced by by. Use it when the action matters more than the person: All 435 members were elected on 3 November. A bill must be passed by both chambers. The results will be certified by each state.

  1. Voters elected 35 senators. → 35 senators ______ .
  2. Both chambers must pass a bill. → A bill ______ .
  3. The Senate confirms judges. → Judges ______ .
  4. Each state will certify the results. → The results ______ .
  5. Congress can override the veto. → The veto ______ .
Answer key
  1. 35 senators were elected (by voters).
  2. A bill must be passed by both chambers.
  3. Judges are confirmed by the Senate.
  4. The results will be certified by each state.
  5. The veto can be overridden by Congress.

Production

Médiation

A French friend reads that the midterms are just local elections. In English, write a short message (about 100 words) to correct this and explain why they matter for the president.

Key points

Key points: all of the House and a third of the Senate are elected; the majority votes the laws and the budget; the Senate confirms judges; with divided government, the president needs compromise; the new Congress meets on 3 January 2027.

Homework

Revise the passive. Write five passive sentences about the American institutions (Congress, the Senate, the president, the Constitution).
Key points

Examples: The laws are made by Congress. The president is elected for four years. Judges are confirmed by the Senate. The Constitution was signed in 1787. A veto can be overridden by Congress.