How America Voted: Midterm Elections in Maps and Charts
Listen to the story
The United States has held its midterm elections, and news organizations have created maps and charts to show the results.
Midterm elections take place halfway through a president's four-year term. They are not elections for president.
Instead, voters choose members of Congress and other officials across the country. Congress is responsible for making laws.
The two main political parties in America, the Democrats and the Republicans, compete in these elections.
Maps use colors to show which party won in each state or area. This makes the results easy to see at a glance.
Charts use numbers and lines to show detailed information, such as how many votes each party received.
Together, these visual tools help people understand complex election results quickly.
Midterm elections are important because they can shift the balance of power in Congress.
If one party wins many seats, it can gain more control over new laws and decisions.
This can affect how easily the president's plans move forward during the rest of their term.
News websites often publish these maps and charts shortly after elections finish.
They allow readers to compare different states and regions at the same time.
The BBC's coverage focused on presenting this data clearly through visual graphics rather than lengthy text.
Such tools are now a common way for people to follow election outcomes around the world.
Vocabulary10 words
- midterm elections
- elections held in the middle of a president's term
- Congress
- the group of people who make laws in the US
- Democrats
- one of the two main political parties in the US
- Republicans
- one of the two main political parties in the US
- charts
- pictures using numbers or lines to show information
- election
- a process where people vote to choose leaders
- term
- the length of time someone holds a political job
- seats
- positions won by a party in government
- data
- facts and numbers used for information
- visual graphics
- pictures or images that show information
📚 Ready to use these words in a real conversation?
Practice live with a real tutor on Preply.
Quiz
Answer key
1. Halfway through a president's term 2. Making laws 3. True
✅ Nice work on the quiz!
Keep the momentum going — book a live English lesson with a Preply tutor.
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The United States has held its _____ elections, and news organizations have created maps and charts to show the _____.
Midterm elections take place halfway through a president's four-year _____.
Instead, voters choose members of _____ and other officials across the country.
The two main political parties in America, the _____ and the _____, compete in these elections.
Maps use colors to show which party _____ in each state or area.
If one party wins many _____, it can gain more control over new laws and decisions.
News websites often publish these maps and charts shortly after elections _____.
Such tools are now a common way for people to follow election _____ around the world.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think visual tools like maps and charts help explain elections?
- What might change in a country if one political party wins many seats in Congress?
- How are midterm elections different from presidential elections?
- Do you follow election results from other countries? Why or why not?
🎓 Enjoyed this story?
Turn today's reading into real speaking practice with a live Preply tutor.
More Politics stories
Next story · Medium
Stock Markets Rise After Democrats Win Congress