Deck 9: Campaigns and Elections

Question 1

The general election is a regularly scheduled election held in

A) even-numbered years on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December.
B) odd-numbered years on the first Monday in October.
C) October every four years.
D) even-numbered years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
E) January before the presidential inauguration.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Each state has

A) only three electoral votes.
B) as many electoral votes as it has U.S. senators and representatives.
C) as many electoral votes as it has senators.
D) as many electoral votes as it has counties.
E) as many electoral votes as it has congressional districts.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In most states, provides a list of registered voters and makes certain that only qualified voter cast ballots.

A) delegates
B) super PACS
C) an election board
D) electors
E) a credentials committee

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In 2000, for the first time since , the electoral college vote diverged from the popular vote.

A) 1800
B) 1876
C) 1888
D) 1912
E) 1932

Question 5

A(n) is held at the state or local level when the voters must decide an issue before the next general election.

A) intermediate election
B) midterm election
C) petition
D) caucus
E) special election

Question 6

A(n) is held to select the U.S. president, vice president, and senators and representatives in Congress.

A) intermediate election
B) midterm election
C) general election
D) caucus
E) special election

Question 7

In the 2000 presidential elections, Al Gore

A) won the popular vote.
B) won the popular vote and the electoral vote.
C) won the electoral vote but not the popular vote.
D) lost the popular vote to George W. Bush.
E) lost the presidency in the House of Representatives.

Question 8

Members of the House of Representatives are elected every years.

A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight
E) twelve

Question 9

There are electoral college votes.

A) 270
B) 190
C) 876
D) 690
E) 538

Question 10

To win the presidency, a candidate needs electoral college votes.

A) 270
B) 190
C) 876
D) 690
E) 538

Question 11

are representatives from each political party who are allowed to monitor polling places to make sure that the election is run fairly and that fraud doesn't occur.

A) Delegates
B) Private pollsters
C) Poll watchers
D) Electors
E) Political consultants

Question 12

The electors are selected during each presidential election year by the

A) national party convention delegates.
B) state legislatures.
C) states' political parties.
D) caucuses.
E) presidential candidates.

Question 13

The president and vice president are elected every years.

A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight
E) twelve

Question 14

The electoral college vote diverged from the popular vote in three elections during our nation's history; these divergences occurred in

A) 1800, 1824, and 1828.
B) 1860, 1876, and 1912.
C) 1876, 1888, and 2000.
D) 1912, 1932, and 2000.
E) 1968, 2000, and 2004.

Question 15

The District of Columbia has

A) no electoral votes because it is not a state.
B) three electoral votes.
C) five members in the House of Representatives, so it has five electoral votes.
D) one electoral vote, which allows residents of Washington, D.C. to participate in the selection of the president, but not the vice president.
E) thirteen electoral votes, representing the thirteen original colonies.

Question 16

When citizens vote for president and vice president, they are not voting directly for the candidates. Instead, they are voting for electors who will cast their ballots

A) at the national party convention.
B) in the electoral college.
C) at a joint session of Congress.
D) in the House of Representatives.
E) in the primaries.

Question 17

A candidate who wins the popular vote nationally

A) is elected president, regardless of the electoral vote.
B) wins all of the electoral votes available.
C) must also win 100 electoral votes in order to become president.
D) may yet lose in the electoral college.
E) is automatically declared the winner, so the electors do not vote.

Question 18

The electoral college

A) protects the small states from being overwhelmed by the large states.
B) causes the political party system to be unstable.
C) encourages single-issue candidates to run for president.
D) ensures that candidates from many parties have a viable chance to become president.
E) ensures that regional candidates will be likely to win the presidency.

Question 19

A secret ballot that is prepared, distributed, and counted by government officials at public expense is known as the ballot.

A) British
B) American
C) French
D) Australian
E) Common

Question 20

Members of the Senate are elected every years.

A) two
B) four
C) six
D) eight
E) twelve

Question 21

The congressional caucus system collapsed in . It was widely seen as undemocratic.

A) 1789
B) 1824
C) 1832
D) 1932
E) 1968

Question 22

Which president came closest to winning a majority of the popular vote, even though he had the support of fewer than 40 percent of the electorate?

A) Lyndon Johnson
B) Barack Obama
C) Ronald Reagan
D) John F. Kennedy
E) Bill Clinton

Question 23

and have the most electoral votes.

A) Iowa; New Hampshire
B) Montana; Wyoming
C) Michigan; Ohio
D) California; Texas
E) Florida; New York

Question 24

The first step in the long road to winning an election is

A) an insurgency.
B) acclamation by the media.
C) consultation with the electoral college.
D) the nomination process.
E) a special election.

Question 25

All of the following are typical ways to nominate a candidate for public office EXCEPT

A) electoral college.
B) write-in.
C) self nomination.
D) party nomination.
E) caucus.

Question 26

When elections fail, one or more of the following preconditions for freedom are invariably lacking, EXCEPT

A) a citizenry willing to accept election results.
B) a population with a shared political culture.
C) a broad popular commitment to values such as freedom of expression and property rights.
D) a flourishing civil society.
E) a liberal, market economy.

Question 27

The electoral college system is primarily a winner-take-all system, in which

A) the candidate who receives the largest popular vote in a state is credited with all that state's electoral votes.
B) the candidate who wins the electoral vote in a state is credited with all that state's popular votes.
C) a candidate must win all of the electoral votes in order to become president.
D) the candidate who receives the most popular votes nationwide receives all of the electoral votes.
E) the party that wins all of the electoral votes controls both chambers of Congress as well as the White House.

Question 28

The states of and are the only exceptions to the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college.

A) Iowa; Ohio
B) Florida; South Carolina
C) Louisiana; New Mexico
D) North Dakota; South Dakota
E) Maine; Nebraska

Question 29

Beginning in 1800, members of Congress who belonged to the two political parties held to nominate candidates for president and vice president.

A) caucuses
B) direct primaries
C) conventions
D) open primaries
E) indirect primaries

Question 30

In December, after the general election, electors meet in to cast their votes for president and vice president.

A) their state capitals
B) New York City
C) Philadelphia
D) Chicago
E) Congress

Question 31

After the electors cast their votes, the ballots are sent to

A) the U.S. Senate, which counts and certifies them before a joint session of Congress held early in January.
B) the national political party conventions, where the Credentials Committees certify the results.
C) the Presidential Election Commission, which counts them and releases the results to the media.
D) the Supreme Court, which certifies the outcome in December.
E) Philadelphia, where delegates from each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia gather to count them.

Question 32

If no presidential candidate receives the required number of electoral votes,

A) the electoral college chooses the winner.
B) the Supreme Court decides among the top three candidates.
C) the House of Representatives votes on the candidates, with each state delegation casting only a single vote.
D) the Senate votes on the candidates, with each state delegation casting only a single vote.
E) a special election is held in February.

Question 33

In , after the general election, electors meet in their state capitals to cast their votes for president and vice president.

A) January
B) August
C) October
D) November
E) December

Question 34

In 1832, both parties settled on the as the method of choosing candidates for president and vice president.

A) electoral college
B) "top two" primary
C) direct primary
D) national nominating convention
E) caucus

Question 35

In the 2008 presidential elections, Barack Obama

A) won the support of a mere 26 percent of those with the right to vote.
B) came the closest of any president in history to winning the votes of a majority of those who were eligible to cast a ballot.
C) won the support of only 32.6 percent of eligible voters.
D) could claim a personal mandate to propose a sweeping program of domestic initiatives because he won in a landslide, capturing the votes of 54 percent of all eligible voters.
E) did not win the popular vote.

Question 36

States with the fewest electoral votes include and .

A) Arizona; Virginia
B) Alaska; North Dakota
C) Oregon; Washington
D) Illinois; Wisconsin
E) Pennsylvania; Maryland

Question 37

Twice, in and , no presidential candidate got an electoral college majority.

A) 1800; 1824
B) 1860; 1896
C) 1912; 1932
D) 1920; 1960
E) 1968; 2000

Question 38

If no vice-presidential candidate receives the required number of electoral votes, the

A) second-highest vote getter for president becomes the vice president.
B) Senate chooses the vice president, with each senator casting one vote.
C) House of Representatives chooses the vice president, with each state delegation casting only a single vote.
D) vice presidency is left vacant.
E) president appoints a vice president.

Question 39

In 1824, the had to decide the presidential contest. It picked John Quincy Adams, even though Andrew Jackson had won more popular and electoral votes.

A) House of Representatives
B) Senate
C) Supreme Court
D) Federal Election Commission
E) Credentials Committee

Question 40

If a state has thirty-six members in the House of Representatives, it has electoral votes.

A) nine
B) eighteen
C) thirty-six
D) thirty-eight
E) sixty-four

Question 41

Microtargeting

A) is the practice of moving presidential primary dates to earlier in the year in an effort to make primaries prominent in the media and influential in the political process.
B) is a process that involves collecting as much information as possible about voters in a database and then filtering out various groups for special attention.
C) has been called a "one­day fund­raising frenzy."
D) is a process used by poll watchers to target precincts that are susceptible to voter fraud.
E) involves learning damaging information about an opponent in a political campaign.

Question 42

With the rise of candidate-centered campaigns, the role of the in managing campaigns has declined.

A) campaign manager
B) political party
C) media consultant
D) Web consultant
E) campaign staff

Question 43

now manage nearly all aspects of a presidential candidate's campaign.

A) Opposition researchers
B) Political consultants
C) The candidates themselves
D) Issue advocacy groups
E) Party leaders

Question 44

Total presidential campaign spending, including by candidates who lost in the primaries and through independent expenditures, reached in the 2011-2012 election cycle.

A) $587 million
B) $670 million
C) $866 million
D) $1 billion
E) $4.5 billion

Question 45

Not until did ordinary voters in all states gain the right to select delegates to the national presidential nominating conventions.

A) 1832
B) 1840
C) 1952
D) 1972
E) 2000

Question 46

Which of the following statements is accurate?

A) Primary elections are normally conducted by the national government.
B) In an indirect primary, voters choose delegates, who in turn choose the candidates.
C) Voter turnout for primaries is higher than it is in general elections.
D) The elections that nominate candidates for Congress and for state or local offices are almost always indirect primaries.
E) The most important result of the primary system has been to dramatically increase the power of elected and party officials over the nominating process.

Question 47

In a(n) primary, only party members can vote to choose that party's candidates, and they may vote only in the primary of their own party.

A) closed
B) open
C) semiopen
D) nonpartisan
E) indirect

Question 48

In a(n) primary, voters can vote for a party's candidate regardless of whether they belong to the candidate's party.

A) closed
B) open
C) semi-open
D) nonpartisan
E) indirect

Question 49

By , the convention system was the most common method of nominating political party candidates at the state and national level.

A) 1832
B) 1824
C) 1840
D) 1972
E) 1954

Question 50

Currently, states choose national convention delegates through caucuses.

A) 8
B) 50
C) 25
D) 12
E) 4

Question 51

In a(n) primary, voters cast ballots for delegates who in turn choose the candidates.

A) unpledged
B) indirect
C) blanket
D) top two
E) closed

Question 52

As more states opted to hold presidential primaries,

A) national party conventions became even more important in the process of nominating candidates for president and vice­president, because it wasn't always clear who the winning candidates would be until the delegates voted.
B) the drama of national party conventions increased.
C) the drama of national party conventions diminished.
D) the candidates' air games and ground games became less important.
E) it was determined that national party conventions would no longer be held.

Question 53

A allows voters to go to the polls to decide among candidates who seek nomination for office from their party.

A) primary election
B) nominating convention
C) straw poll
D) caucus
E) general election

Question 54

The power of states to run primary elections is limited by

A) party nominating conventions.
B) the First Amendment right of freedom of association.
C) the electoral college.
D) the right of candidates to self-nominate.
E) parties who choose to opt out of state elections.

Question 55

Those who attend a political party nominating convention are called , and they are chosen to represent the people of a particular geographic area.

A) county clerks
B) electors
C) lobbyists
D) poll watchers
E) delegates

Question 56

Under the federal election campaign laws, public financing for the general election is provided, if presidential candidates

A) are willing to accept campaign-spending limits.
B) agree to forgo negative advertising.
C) promise to pay back the money when the campaign is over.
D) agree to denounce super PACS.
E) agree to forgo opposition research.

Question 57

When major campaigns take time to discover negative information about opposing candidates, they are engaging in

A) opposition research.
B) definitional politics.
C) damage control.
D) campaign strategizing.
E) candidate-centered campaigning.

Question 58

In a(n) primary, voters can vote for candidates from more than one party.

A) closed
B) open
C) blanket
D) nonpartisan
E) indirect

Question 59

In the 2012 election cycle, the average House candidate spent about
A) $1.1 million.

A) $375,000.
B) $5 million.
B) $700,000.
C) $13 million.

Question 60

The Committee of each national political party evaluates the claims of national party convention delegates to be the legitimate representatives of their states.

A) Super
B) Political Action
C) Credentials
D) Legal
E) Campaign

Question 61

Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, political action committees (PACs) can contribute up to per candidate in each election.

A) $2,000
B) $5,000
C) $10,000
D) $18,000
E) $22,000

Question 62

As a result of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) and a Federal Court of Appeals ruling in Speechnow v. FEC (2010),

A) there is now no limit on the ability of corporations, unions, nonprofit groups, or individuals to fund political advertising provided they do not contribute directly to a candidate's campaign.
B) candidates can no longer fund advertising in political campaigns.
C) groups cannot spend money on political ads that attack or praise specific candidates.
D) individuals can contribute unlimited amounts of money directly to a candidate's campaign.
E) political action committees (PACs) are outlawed.

Question 63

According to some lawyers, a 501(c)4 organization could make limited contributions directly to a candidate's campaign

A) as long as it used the "527" designation when it did so.
B) during the primaries but not in the general election.
C) as long as the candidate belonged to a third party.
D) provided that it also contributed to the party committee.
E) and could conceal the identities of its donors.

Question 64

The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) allowed corporations, labor unions, and special interest groups to set up national to raise money for candidates.

A) independent expenditure funds (IEFs)
B) take action funds (TAFs)
C) political party caucuses (PPCs)
D) political action committees (PACs)
E) soft money committees (SMCs)

Question 65

After the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) and a Federal Court of Appeals ruling in Speechnow v. FEC (2010), a new type of organization came into existence to take advantage of the new rules. Known officially as "independent­expenditure only committees," the new bodies were soon dubbed

A) "super size me" cash committees.
B) unlimited PACs .
C) big PACs.
D) super PACS.
E) the PAC-10.

Question 66

Soft money is

A) a political contribution not regulated by federal law.
B) candidate self-financing of his/her campaign.
C) money spent by a corporation or union on independent political activities.
D) money raised through social networking sites, such as Facebook.
E) public financing of campaigns, as outlined in the Federal Election Campaign Act (1971).

Question 67

In the 2012 presidential elections, Fred Eychaner gave more than $8 million to super PACs and committees.

A) liberal
B) democratic
C) conservative
D) progressive
E) libertarian

Question 68

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold)

A) eliminated the provision in the Federal Election Campaign Act that provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections.
B) set the amount that an individual could contribute to a federal candidate at $8,000 (indexed for inflation).
C) prohibited individual contributions to political campaigns.
D) banned soft money at the national level.
E) limited the total amount of PAC contributions during an election cycle to $40,000.

Question 69

Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, there is limit on the total amount of PAC contributions during an election cycle.

A) no
B) a $5,000
C) a $20,000
D) a $50,000
E) a $95,000