Deck 4: Citizen Participation and Elections

Question 1

Nonpartisan political organizations that endorse and promote a line-up of candidates are referred to as

A)line-up groups.
B)slating groups.
C)impartial groups.
D)neutral position groups.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Most states now allow voter registration

A)on the day of the actual election.
B)up until the day before the election.
C)up until three months before presidential elections and up until six weeks before gubernatorial elections.
D)fewer than 30 days before the election.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A constructive response to dissatisfaction over some urban community policy may involve both a passive and an active component.An example would be

A)voting against a policy and then, if it is approved, organizing demonstrations against it.
B)failing to vote and moving to another community.
C)leaving the jurisdiction and doing campaign work.
D)refusing to vote and opting for a privatized alternative to government service.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

To this day, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires that counties covered under the Act submit any changes in election laws to the U.S.Department of Justice.These counties are located mainly in

A)western states.
B)northern states.
C)midwestern states.
D)southern states.

Question 5

The suffragists won early victories in Wyoming and Colorado.They scored the ultimate victory in their quest for enfranchisement of women when

A)the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, granting universal suffrage.
B)the Twentieth Amendment was passed in 1920, forbidding the states to deny women the right to vote.
C)the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920, giving women the right to vote in all states.
D)the U.S.Supreme Court ruled in Smith v.Allwright that women had the right to vote.

Question 6

Nonpartisan elections, often used at the local level, remove the political party identification of the candidates and are intended to

A)depoliticize jobs that deal with government functions considered to be non-ideological.
B)increase representation in government among lower socioeconomic groups.
C)increase citizen participation in elections.
D)bring about greater cooperation where politicized city council elections had previously been in use.

Question 7

A closed primary is one in which

A)registered voters with party affiliation may vote in either primary, but the election is closed to independents.
B)voters must be registered with their party affiliation in order to vote in their party's primary.
C)voters may choose either party ballot in secret.
D)registered voters may vote in either party primary, but the primary is closed to those not registered.

Question 8

In general elections with three or more candidates where no one gets a majority, the winner is

A)decided in subsequent elections that continue until one candidate gets a majority.
B)decided in a runoff election.
C)chosen by a legislative caucus.
D)the candidate with a plurality of the votes.

Question 9

The term residual votes refers to

A)the number of votes that cannot be counted because the ballots contain voting errors.
B)the number of absentee ballots that are mailed in after the postmark deadline.
C)any "lost" or uncounted votes.
D)the number of ballots that cannot be counted because the voter was not properly registered.

Question 10

As outlined in your text, all of the following are possible responses to dissatisfaction in the community except

A)loyalty.
B)voice.
C)exit.
D)response.

Question 11

Blanket primaries, where citizens can vote in the primaries of both parties on a single primary ballot,

A)are used in twenty-one states.
B)are used only in California and Washington.
C)have replaced "closed primaries" in many states.
D)were struck down by the federal courts in the early 2000s.

Question 12

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been modified to

A)ensure that physical intimidation is not allowed.
B)limit the use of "white primaries."
C)make illegal any government action that discourages minority voting.
D)extend the vote to illegal immigrants.

Question 13

Many states schedule statewide elections in years when there is not a presidential election to

A)avoid the "coattail" effect of a popular presidential candidate.
B)take advantage of the popular support of a newly elected presidential candidate.
C)ensure that the state can follow the lead in party campaign promises set in the previous national election.
D)be able to count on financial help from the party in power in Washington.

Question 14

To circumvent the right to vote given to African Americans under the Fifteenth Amendment (1870), southern states employed the "white primary" to limit the political influence of blacks.In Smith v.Allwright (1944), the Supreme Court

A)outlawed white primaries.
B)held that poll taxes and literacy tests were constitutional.
C)ruled that the primaries were a matter for party control and could not be regulated by government.
D)held that poll watchers and registrars must be dispatched by the U.S.Justice Department to nine southern states and parts of seven others.

Question 15

Citizens less likely to participate in government tend to be found among

A)professional workers.
B)middle-aged individuals.
C)younger individuals.
D)white-collar workers.

Question 16

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 enables voters to register

A)by mail or electronic mail (e-mail).
B)when they apply for a driver's license, welfare benefits, or unemployment compensation.
C)at the Post Office.
D)on the day of the actual election.

Question 17

The state that conducts most of its elections by mail is

A)California.
B)Massachusetts.
C)Oregon.
D)Texas.

Question 18

In the blanket primary, a voter may

A)vote in the primaries of both parties on a single primary ballot.
B)vote in one party primary and vote again in the second primary, thus influencing who will represent both parties on the ballot for a given office.
C)pick, in secret, the ballot of the preferred party and vote for the preferred candidates on that ballot.
D)vote in both primaries, but only if registered as an independent.

Question 19

In a representative democracy, the most common form of citizen political participation is

A)writing letters to elected officials.
B)running for public office.
C)serving on an advisory committee.
D)voting.

Question 20

Voter turnout is higher for elections

A)held in off years.
B)when attention is focused on only one race.
C)held during presidential elections.
D)held at the state and local level.

Question 21

In the United States, the participation rates of younger people are higher than those of middle-aged individuals.

Question 22

The term participation refers to actions through which members of a political system attempt to influence political outcomes.

Question 23

California's Proposition 13 sought to

A)give citizens tax relief by lowering property tax rates.
B)strengthen affirmative action programs in the state.
C)make marijuana legal for medical uses.
D)dismantle affirmative action programs in the state.

Question 24

The recall mechanism for state officials is available in

A)all but two states: Georgia and South Carolina.
B)eighteen states, but judicial officers are excluded in seven of these states.
C)twenty-six states, and at the local level in forty-nine states.
D)all states, but it has never been used except in California and North Dakota.

Question 25

Unskilled workers and blue-collar workers participate in politics at about the same rate as white-collar workers and professionals.

Question 26

State constitutional provisions for popular referenda allow

A)citizens to petition to vote on actions taken by the legislature.
B)legislatures to decide to ask for a vote to endorse a particular policy.
C)citizens to force officials from office.
D)citizens to vote on bond issues.

Question 27

Montana was the first state, in 1869, to grant women the right to vote.

Question 28

Open meeting laws that serve to "open" the meetings of government bodies to the public

A)began in 1965 with Florida's "honesty law."
B)apply only to local levels of government.
C)are found in all fifty states.
D)do not affect the executive branch of government.

Question 29

At the heart of the Progressive efforts regarding initiatives, popular referenda, and recall mechanisms was a

A)basic trust of political party mechanisms.
B)faith in the basic institutions of government and the wisdom of partisan politics.
C)faith in the institutions of government.
D)belief in the capacity of individual citizens and in restricting the power of institutions, such as legislatures.

Question 30

The first state to adopt the statewide initiative was

A)North Dakota.
B)Oregon.
C)California.
D)South Dakota.

Question 31

Citizen advisory committees serve

A)exclusively as a vehicle to ensure citizen participation in government.
B)simply as a tool to be manipulated by politicians.
C)a number of purposes at the state level, but they are rarely used at the local level.
D)a number of political purposes and give citizens an opportunity to participate in government.

Question 32

Which state, in an effort to involve the public in helping to balance the state budget, developed an online simulation program called the "backseat budgeter"?

A)Colorado
B)California
C)Illinois
D)Florida

Question 33

Institutional features-the way the political system is designed-may suppress participation.

Question 34

The "suffragists" were women who were actively fighting for the right to vote.

Question 35

Individuals with lower levels of income and education tend to participate less than wealthier, more educated individuals.

Question 36

The first known recall was aimed at

A)a Los Angeles city council member in 1904.
B)a California governor in 1921.
C)a state supreme court judge in North Dakota in 1950.
D)the governor of North Dakota in 1911.

Question 37

Voting is the most common form of political participation in the United States.

Question 38

Aside from voting, citizens have few ways to participate in the political process.

Question 39

The state that most recently adopted the initiative (in 1992)is

A)Mississippi.
B)Arkansas.
C)Utah.
D)Florida.

Question 40

Today, statewide initiatives for constitutional amendments, statutes, or both are used

A)in all fifty states.
B)in twenty-four states.
C)in only three states: Florida, Washington, and Colorado.
D)in all states where advance notice of meetings is required and minutes must be taken.

Question 41

Voter turnout tends to be higher in local elections than in national elections because people are more interested in issues that seem closer to them.

Question 42

Passage of the National Voter Registration Act in 1993 allowed for individuals to register to vote at any U.S.Post Office.

Question 43

Nonpartisan elections remove the party identification from candidates in an effort to "depoliticize" the campaign.

Question 44

When a presidential candidate campaigns for a party member in a local race in an effort to help that person win the election, it is called the "coattail effect."

Question 45

Most elections for judicial offices use nonpartisan elections.

Question 46

The most common type of voting equipment currently used by states is punch card devices.

Question 47

Women gained universal suffrage in the United States with passage of the Twentieth Amendment in 1920.

Question 48

Presidential elections attract the highest proportion of eligible voters.

Question 49

Iowa is the only state that does not require voter registration.

Question 50

Statewide initiatives are legal in forty-nine states.

Question 51

One of the most influential modern initiatives was California's Proposition 13, which legalized marijuana for medical use but was ultimately struck down by the U.S.Supreme Court.

Question 52

The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S.Constitution (1870)extended the right to vote to African Americans, but Congress had to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to get defiant southern states to allow blacks to vote.

Question 53

The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S.Constitution prohibits states from denying the right to vote on "account of race."

Question 54

Recall is a procedure that allows citizens to vote an elected official out of office before his or her term has expired.

Question 55

In an instant runoff, voters use preference ranking to select candidates at a single election.

Question 56

Over time, the role of political parties in general elections has diminished, as general-election campaigns have become more candidate-centered and geared to the candidate's organization.

Question 57

In a closed primary, only those voters registered with the political party are allowed to vote.

Question 58

Statewide initiatives are more common in western states.

Question 59

Every state that allows for regular absentee voting by mail stipulates that citizens must have an excuse in order to do so.

Question 60

T F Referendum is a procedure wherein a government body submits proposed laws, constitutional amendments, or bond issues to the voters for ratification.

Question 61

What are the recent trends in the electoral processes used by state and local governments? Do you believe that they affect voting patterns?

Question 62

Volunteerism is a constructive participatory activity that can bring new ideas into government.

Question 63

Political participation is believed to be necessary and good for democracy.However, there are positive and negative aspects associated with increased participation.Evaluate some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with increased citizen participation.

Question 64

What are "sunshine laws"? What led states to adopt them? Are there advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of sunshine laws?

Question 65

Originally, only "land-owning males" could vote in the new nation.Discuss the struggle of others (women, minorities, and those who did not own land)to gain the right to vote.

Question 66

The result of Florida's 1967 "sunshine law" was a surge in the desire for openness in government and the establishment of open meeting laws.

Question 67

Citizen advisory committees provide a formal arena for citizen input.

Question 68

Are initiatives good for democracy? Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages associated with initiatives.

Question 69

All fifty states allow for the recall of state officials, but judicial officers are exempt from recall.

Question 70

Why do people participate in politics? Discuss what we know about the types of people who are more likely to participate and the types of people who are less likely to do so.