Deck 10: Political Participation

Question 1

Shelly wants to vote in the upcoming election. Before she will be eligible to vote, Shelly knows that she must fill out forms and provide personal information to her state government. This process is called ________.

A) voter enrollment
B) voter registration
C) suffrage
D) civic license
E) political license

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an acceptable reason for few people to participate in politics?

A) Low levels of political participation means people are generally satisfied with government.
B) Citizens do not speak out about government or vote because they like things as they are.
C) The absence of overt dissent signifies the absence of grievances.
D) Uninformed voters choose not to participate and leave decisions to those who choose to become informed.
E) Low levels of political participation are concentrated in the segments of the population who arguably face individual barriers to participation and who are rarely encouraged to participate.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The "paradox of voting" refers to the ________ that emerges in the context of mass electoral participation.

A) coordination problem
B) prisoner's dilemma
C) principal-agent problem
D) unstable coalition
E) collective action problem

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Sit-ins, strikes, and even violent revolts against an oppressive government, though extreme and unconventional, are nevertheless forms of ________.

A) political science
B) political participation
C) polling
D) partisanship science
E) social networking

Question 5

Some people like to follow politics, but most rely on friends or coworkers or on simple "cues" from news stories or advertisements to get the information they need to make political choices. Many people pay virtually no attention to politics. For these reasons, the level of ________ varies widely within the population.

A) political intelligence
B) political knowledge
C) political awareness
D) political sophistication
E) street smarts

Question 6

The equation for the "paradox of voting" is expressed as pB- C, and it is assumed that if the value is greater than zero, the individual will vote. In this equation, ________________.

A) p is the probability that an individual's participation will influence the outcome
B) C is the cost of staying home and abstaining from voting
C) B is the individual's benefit from the election outcome matching his or her preferences
D) B is the benefit felt by the individual from turning out to vote
E) p is the probability that an individual's participation will influence the outcome and B is the individual's benefit from the election outcome matching his or her preferences

Question 7

Since voting is a costly activity and since any individual's vote is unlikely to influence the outcome of most elections, citizens' decisions about whether to participate in an election may constitute a/an ________.

A) coordination problem
B) prisoner's dilemma
C) principal-agent problem
D) unstable coalition
E) collective action problem

Question 8

The so-called Motor Voter Law, enacted in 1994, required states to permit an individual to register to vote ________.

A) when he or she rents a motor vehicle
B) when he or she purchases a car
C) at rest areas on federal interstate highways
D) when he or she applies for a driver's license
E) at federally licensed automobile repair centers

Question 9

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 caused states to ________.

A) increase the number of voting precincts by almost 40 percent
B) increase the use of paper ballots to preserve permanent records of each vote cast
C) decrease the number of polling places by almost 40 percent
D) increase the amount of time available for citizens to register to vote
E) relocate polling places to venues that could support new voting machines in nearly 40 percent of all precincts

Question 10

Which of the following is true about voting behavior?

A) Poorer, less educated people vote in higher proportions than wealthier, more educated people.
B) Northerners vote in higher proportions than southerners.
C) African Americans and Latinos vote in higher numbers than whites.
D) Catholics and Protestants are more likely to turn out than Jews.
E) Young people vote in higher numbers than older people.

Question 11

Which term denotes a person's general understanding of how the political system works and who runs the government?

A) political awareness
B) political sophistication
C) political knowledge
D) political intelligence
E) street smarts

Question 12

Writing letters to a member of Congress, attending a political rally, and donating money to a political campaign are examples of ________.

A) partisanship
B) polling
C) political participation
D) political science
E) social networking

Question 13

What does the inequality between the costs of voting and citizens' expected rewards from voting create?

A) problem of participation
B) paradox of voting
C) voters' dilemma
D) ballot burden
E) ballot fatigue

Question 14

Which is the principle that the authority to make decisions on behalf of society belongs to the people?

A) popular voice
B) popular sovereignty
C) democracy
D) autocracy
E) republicanism

Question 15

The probability of a grave accident while attempting to get to the polls is higher than the probability of swaying a national election with a single vote. This leads scholars to ask, "Why does anyone even bother to vote in mass elections?" This is an example of ________.

A) the problem of participation
B) the paradox of voting
C) the voters' dilemma
D) the ballot burden
E) ballot fatigue

Question 16

Which of the following is another term for the right to vote?

A) suffrage
B) polling
C) verdict
D) conflagration
E) conjunction

Question 17

Why do countries like Iran, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe consider themselves "democracies"?

A) They allow citizens to petition political leaders.
B) They allow citizens to organize political parties as rivals to the government.
C) They allow citizens to vote.
D) They allow citizens to openly express their frustration with the government.
E) They allow citizens to openly express their anger with the government.

Question 18

Charlie, Dylan, and Joe disagree with American foreign policy decisions and do not like the current direction the United States is headed. They decide to take matters into their own hands and start an insurgency. They have engaged in a/an ________.

A) conventional form of political participation
B) unconventional form of political participation
C) unconventional form of social networking
D) legitimate form of political participation
E) conventional form of social networking

Question 19

Mary is concerned about plans to build a waste-to-energy facility in her district. She decides to write a letter to her member of Congress expressing her displeasure with the current proposal. Mary has engaged in a/an ________.

A) conventional form of political participation
B) unconventional form of political participation
C) act of civil disobedience
D) illegitimate form of political participation
E) conventional form of social networking

Question 20

The 1960s sit-ins by students at lunch counters in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest "whites-only" seating at restaurants and other Jim Crow barriers were considered ________ at the time. Today, we may consider these actions ________.

A) legitimate acts of political participation; illegitimate acts of political participation
B) legitimate acts of political participation; legitimate acts of political participation
C) illegitimate acts of political participation; legitimate acts of political participation
D) illegitimate acts of political participation; illegitimate acts of political participation
E) civil obedience; civil disobedience

Question 21

Today, voting rates among blacks across the country ________ those of other racial groups.

A) largely match
B) are double
C) exceed
D) fall short of
E) are triple

Question 22

In the late 1960s, college students in California launched a campaign called "Let Us Vote," or "LUV," to lower the minimum legal voting age from 21 to 18. Congress passed a law that mandated voting rights for 18- to 21-year-olds. However, the Supreme Court ruled that states had the right to set their own voting age restrictions. Some states set the voting age at 18, while others left it at 21. As a result, many young people on Election Day had to be given separate ballots because they were only permitted to vote for federal offices. This is an example of a/an ________.

A) prisoner's dilemma
B) collective action problem
C) coordination problem
D) unstable coalition
E) principal-agent problem

Question 23

Which are efforts made by organizations to facilitate or encourage voting?

A) voter mobilization
B) collective suffrage
C) electoral enrollment
D) voting suffrage
E) voter coordination

Question 24

________ is the most fundamental participatory act in any democracy.

A) Voting
B) Contacting political representatives
C) Attending meetings of political organizations
D) Talking to other people about politics
E) Donating money to campaigns

Question 25

By the 1860s, the United States had the most expansive franchise in the world, meaning that ________.

A) the market economy was freer than anywhere else
B) there was more competition in the business section than anywhere else
C) larger percentages of the male population were allowed to vote than anywhere else
D) more restrictions were placed upon voting rights than anywhere else
E) unlike in other countries, all American citizens were eligible to vote

Question 26

Which is NOT currently a "cost" of voting in American national elections?

A) registering to vote
B) gathering information on candidates and parties
C) identifying and locating the correct polling place
D) time spent casting a ballot
E) payment of an actual poll tax

Question 27

Americans ________ at lower rates than people in most other democracies.

A) participate in campaigns
B) donate money to campaigns
C) wear campaign buttons
D) write letters to political representatives
E) vote in national elections

Question 28

Which of the following could be considered an unintentional barrier to voting?

A) having fewer voting machines in precincts in poorer neighborhoods
B) requiring voters to pass a literacy test
C) implementing a poll tax
D) reestablishing Jim Crow laws
E) updating technologies for voting in precincts in wealthy neighborhoods

Question 29

In recent years, there has been intense controversy over the implementation of voter ID requirements at the polls. However, some version of the reform has been passed by ________ of the states and requires that voters present government-issued photo identification in order to prove identity and eligibility.

A) a quarter
B) half
C) two-thirds
D) three-quarters
E) all

Question 30

The League of Women Voters regularly attempts to register new voters at public gatherings like fairs, parades, and athletic events. How would these efforts best be characterized?

A) voter mobilization
B) collective suffrage
C) electoral enrollment
D) voting suffrage
E) voter coordination

Question 31

Which region of the country tends to have lower voter turnout?

A) South
B) West Coast
C) Midwest
D) Northeast
E) Northwest

Question 32

The study of political participation is ________ in the social sciences.

A) quite advanced
B) underdeveloped
C) on par with most other disciplines
D) understudied
E) controversial

Question 33

Democracies all over the world set boundaries on who can and cannot vote. In the American political system, the ________ formally control(s) the franchise, but must conform to ________.

A) national government; state laws
B) states; federal law and the Constitution
C) national government; federal law and the Constitution
D) states; international laws
E) national government; international laws

Question 34

All else being equal, which profession would typically confer the highest socioeconomic status on its members?

A) custodian
B) accountant
C) teacher
D) medical doctor
E) police officer

Question 35

The United States is thought to be rich in social capital, which is key in explaining what paradox in American politics?

A) Political parties are weaker in the United States than in other countries, but the majority of Americans claim a party identification.
B) The many different levels of electoral politics in the United States causes voter fatigue and depresses turnout.
C) Americans are less likely to write letters to political representatives than citizens of other countries, but vote at higher rates.
D) Although Americans tend to vote at lower rates than other democracies, they join organizations and clubs at higher rates than citizens of other countries.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 36

What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 do?

A) mandated voting rights at age 21 for all elections, including state and local contests
B) granted women the right to vote in all federal and state elections
C) stated that voting rights could not be denied on the basis of sex
D) devised a wide-ranging set of federal protections of voting rights for minorities, especially in the South
E) mandated that people 18 years of age and older had the right to vote in federal, state, and local elections

Question 37

Americans ________ at higher rates than people in most other democracies.

A) participate in campaigns
B) vote in national elections
C) are active in political parties
D) register to vote
E) go to the ballot box

Question 38

Though many factors affect voter turnout, the key to understanding the differences among the United States and other countries is the _______________.

A) role nongovernmental institutions play in mobilizing participation
B) relatively higher percentage of wealthy and highly educated individuals in the United States
C) role of political parties
D) higher percentage of older individuals in the United States
E) relatively lower percentage of church attendees in the United States

Question 39

Socioeconomic status is a measure of the way that individuals are regarded in society by virtue of their wealth, income, education, and ________.

A) religion
B) race
C) profession
D) height
E) morality

Question 40

Today, it is common for the two major parties to disagree over proposed reforms that might affect the costs of voting. Not surprisingly, ________ reforms aimed at making it easier to vote or to register to vote are frequently opposed by ________.

A) Republican-sponsored; Democrats
B) Democrat-sponsored; Republicans
C) conservative-sponsored; liberals
D) Independent-sponsored; moderates
E) Democrat-sponsored; Libertarians

Question 41

Research in the early 2000s on the California gubernatorial race demonstrated that small increases in distances to polling locations _____________.

A) had a negative effect on turnout
B) had no effect on turnout, probably because the election was high stakes
C) had a positive effect on turnout
D) negatively affected turnout among poorer citizens
E) increased turnout among wealthy citizens

Question 42

Recent studies using experimental methods confirm that ________ increase voter turnout more than ________.

A) appeals on the radio; appeals on television
B) appeals on the radio; in-person contacts
C) appeals on television; in-person contacts
D) Internet advertisements; appeals on television
E) in-person contacts; appeals on television

Question 43

What is socioeconomic status (SES)? What are identifiable components of SES? What is the relationship between SES and political participation in the United States? Is the relationship between SES and participation generally different in other democracies?

Question 44

Explain the paradox of voting. What is paradoxical or puzzling about individuals' decisions to cast a ballot? What accounts for the fact that some individuals ultimately do vote, overcoming the paradox, while others do not?

Question 45

How do interest groups and other organizations work to mobilize voters? How do these mobilization efforts relate to the paradox of voting? In other words, how do these activities help potential voters overcome forces that may prevent them from voting?

Question 46

How do rates of voting in the United States compare to those in other democratic countries? What about rates of other forms of political participation? What accounts for any differences that may be observed in the rates of various types of political participation in the United States and other democracies?

Question 47

One compelling explanation for the higher turnout rates among wealthy individuals is that wealthier and more educated people face lower costs when voting and participating in politics. Which of the following provides another explanation for this trend?

A) the rise in political activity of union and business-related interest groups
B) Mobilizing organizations tend to have an easier time reaching wealthier and more educated people.
C) Churches play a much less important role in politics than other organizations, and wealthier individuals tend to be less religious.
D) All of these are correct.
E) None of these is correct.

Question 48

Voter turnout in the United States ________.

A) has declined steadily since the late nineteenth century
B) declined steadily between the late nineteenth century and 2000, and has increased somewhat since
C) has increased steadily since the late nineteenth century
D) increased steadily between the late nineteenth century and 2000, and has decreased somewhat since
E) has remained relatively stable since the late nineteenth century

Question 49

Explain the significance of the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments to the Constitution. What historical developments motivated Congress to propose and the states to adopt these constitutional reforms? Have the states respected these amendments to the federal Constitution? If not, what actions has the federal government taken to ensure their enforcement?