Deck 15: Voting and Elections

Question 1

In 2020, who was the frontrunner for the Democratic Party's nomination for president heading into the South Carolina Primary?

A) Kamala Harris
B) Pete Buttigieg
C) Joe Biden
D) Bernie Sanders

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The process by which individuals make political choices by voting is known as

A) elections.
B) casting.
C) balloting.
D) decision making.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is not a form of elections used in the nomination process?

A) Primary
B) General
C) Caucus
D) All of the above

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Party members elected or chosen on the state and local levels to support a particular candidate at the party's national convention are referred to as

A) delegates.
B) superdelegates.
C) pledged delegates.
D) free delegates.

Question 5

In 2020, how many states held Democratic caucuses?

A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8

Question 6

Which of the following is accurate?

A) Caucuses choose the presidential candidate for a state.
B) Caucuses elect pledged delegates for the presidential nomination at the national convention.
C) Only primaries influence a party's presidential nomination process.
D) None of the above

Question 7

By the time the general election season arrives, why do presidential candidates have to moderate the stances they took during the caucus and primary season?

A) After appealing to strong party supporters, they find themselves in a position of having to appeal to members of other parties.
B) Those who participate in caucuses and primaries are more ideologically extreme than most general election participants.
C) All of the above
D) None of the above

Question 8

Who won the first primary (New Hampshire Primary) in the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination process?

A) Pete Buttigieg
B) Bernie Sanders
C) Joe Biden
D) Kamala Harris

Question 9

Biden's 2020 nomination victory was in part a result of

A) his position as a major figure in the traditional establishment of the Democratic Party.
B) his ability to win over a higher proportion of Black votes as compared to Sanders.
C) All of the above
D) None of the above

Question 10

Elections in which voters select the individual to represent the party in the general election by voting directly for the candidates on the ballot are known as _______ primaries.

A) direct
B) indirect
C) open
D) closed

Question 11

Primaries in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote in that party's primary elections to choose the party's candidate or delegate are known as _______ primaries.

A) direct
B) indirect
C) open
D) closed

Question 12

Primary elections in which a voter does not have to declare a political party affiliation but may participate in the primary election of any party are known as _______ primaries.

A) direct
B) indirect
C) open
D) closed

Question 13

Voters who do not designate a political party affiliation when registering to vote are known as

A) political independents.
B) political pundits.
C) political scientists.
D) political actors.

Question 14

Political independents who do not want to declare a party affiliation are most likely to be allowed to participate in

A) open primaries.
B) closed primaries.
C) All of the above
D) None of the above

Question 15

Which of the following statements is accurate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination process?

A) Bernie Sanders won a majority of Super Tuesday states.
B) Pete Buttigieg won a majority of Super Tuesday states.
C) Joe Biden won a majority of Super Tuesday states.
D) Kamala Harris won a majority of Super Tuesday states.

Question 16

Winning of an election by the candidate who receives the most votes (also known as "first past the post") is referred to as a

A) majority.
B) plurality.
C) minority.
D) lion's share.

Question 17

Winning of an election by the candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the vote is referred to as a

A) majority.
B) plurality.
C) minority.
D) lion's share.

Question 18

A second election held in some states if no candidate in the primary election receives a majority of the votes is called

A) a direct primary.
B) a runoff primary.
C) an open primary.
D) a closed primary.

Question 19

It is necessary to have _______ if a majority is needed in an election but the top candidate only wins a plurality.

A) a direct primary
B) a runoff primary
C) an open primary
D) a closed primary

Question 20

Which candidates did not drop out of the race for the Democratic Party's nomination after Super Tuesday?

A) Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders
B) Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren
C) Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg
D) Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Kamala Harris

Question 21

Which of the following statements is accurate?

A) No one knows who will be a party's presidential nominee until the final delegate count at the national convention.
B) Only elite party members know who will be a party's presidential nominee prior to the final delegate count at the national convention.
C) Everyone knows who will be a party's presidential nominee prior to the final delegate count at the national convention.
D) None of the above

Question 22

Which of the following statements is accurate?

A) All states require either primaries or a caucus for the nomination process for state offices.
B) All states include all of their state offices in the same primaries or caucuses used for national elections.
C) All of the above
D) None of the above

Question 23

The certain number of signatures of registered voters that independent or third-party candidates must collect to qualify for inclusion on a ballot is known as

A) third-party petitions.
B) nomination petitions.
C) inclusion petitions.
D) exclusionary petitions.

Question 24

Elections in which the winner is elected to office and takes office after the end of the term of the current officeholder are known as

A) primary elections.
B) runoff elections.
C) general elections.
D) presidential elections.

Question 25

Which of the following statements is not accurate?

A) Members of the U. S. House of Representatives are elected every two years, resulting in a completely newly elected House of Representatives with each election.
B) The president is elected every four years.
C) Members of the U. S. Senate are elected every six years, resulting in a completely newly elected Senate with each election.
D) All are accurate.

Question 26

Why did the Founders create the Electoral College?

A) To ensure that they could rig presidential elections in favor of the highest bidder
B) To ensure that the masses of voters, who could be manipulated, could not directly elect the president
C) To create a sense of fairness in the electoral process
D) All of the above

Question 27

In _______, Congress established that the appointment of presidential electors would take place on the Tuesday after the first Monday of a presidential election year?

A) 1789
B) 1845
C) 1889
D) 1945

Question 28

Which two states do not award state elector votes in a winner-take-all fashion?

A) Virginia and North Carolina
B) Alaska and Arizona
C) Nebraska and Maine
D) California and Ohio

Question 29

When are the electors for the Electoral College appointed every four years?

A) The Tuesday after the first Monday of November
B) The Tuesday after the first Monday of December
C) The first Monday after the second Wednesday of November
D) The first Monday after the second Wednesday of December

Question 30

When do the electors from each state meet to cast their votes for president?

A) The Tuesday after the first Monday of November
B) The Tuesday after the first Monday of December
C) The first Monday after the second Wednesday of November
D) The first Monday after the second Wednesday of December

Question 31

Are electors bound to vote for the candidate who won the majority of votes within a state?

A) Yes, they are constitutionally bound to do so.
B) Yes, all states have laws that require they do so.
C) No, but they do so by custom.
D) No, they are encouraged to make their own decisions.

Question 32

In how many states are electors under no constitutional or statutory requirement to vote for the person they are pledged to?

A) 20
B) 18
C) 16
D) 14

Question 33

President _______ had the largest Electoral College landslide victory since 1968 in _______.

A) Nixon; 1972
B) Reagan; 1984
C) Obama; 2012
D) Trump; 2016

Question 34

The only presidential election that was essentially determined by a Supreme Court ruling that stopped recounts in Florida occurred in

A) 1948.
B) 1960.
C) 1984.
D) 2000.

Question 35

The winner-take-all system of allocating electoral votes (for all but two states)

A) gives an advantage to states with large populations.
B) gives an advantage to states with small populations.
C) does not advantage states based on their size.
D) None of the above

Question 36

How many Electoral College votes are needed to secure the presidential office?

A) 195
B) 270
C) 313
D) 480

Question 37

One of the strategies of the 2008 Obama campaign was to

A) focus all attention on the 9 states with the highest numbers of electoral votes.
B) focus all attention on the states with the least number of electoral votes.
C) focus on garnering support in all 50 states.
D) None of the above

Question 38

Of the following, what occurred in the 2020 election?

A) Trump threatened to veto the Pentagon's budget because they planned on removing the names of Confederate generals from bases.
B) Trump retweeted a video of supporters shouting "white power. "
C) Trump said the painting of "Black Lives Matter" on streets was hate speech.
D) All of the above

Question 39

The part of an election campaign conducted through broadcast media including radio, television, and the Internet is known as

A) debate.
B) political war.
C) ground war.
D) air war.

Question 40

The part of election campaigns conducted using "pavement pounding" methods, including candidate public appearances, voter registration and mobilization, fundraising, and public opinion polling, is known as

A) debate.
B) political war.
C) ground war.
D) air war.

Question 41

Important public face-offs between candidates discussing issues in a variety of formats and through a variety of media, most importantly television and more recently the Internet, are known as

A) debates.
B) political wars.
C) ground wars.
D) air wars.

Question 42

The first televised presidential debate was between

A) Truman and Dewey.
B) Nixon and Kennedy.
C) Johnson and Goldwater.
D) Ford and Carter.

Question 43

What is the most important factor in presidential elections?

A) Volunteers
B) Charisma
C) Money
D) Party loyalty

Question 44

Which of the following strengthened the limits, regulations, and reporting of campaign contributions (and is also known as the McCain-Feingold Act)?

A) Federal Election Campaign Act
B) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
C) Disclosure Act
D) None of the above

Question 45

Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in

A) 1889.
B) 1942.
C) 1973.
D) 2002.

Question 46

The less-regulated money that is raised by a political party to support and maintain the party is known as

A) hard money.
B) soft money.
C) public funding.
D) social funding.

Question 47

The financing of election campaigns by the American public through tax allocations as distinct from private fundraising by candidates is known as

A) hard money.
B) soft money.
C) public funding.
D) social funding.

Question 48

Who was the first candidate to forego public funding for a presidential election since public financing had been introduced?

A) Bush
B) Kerry
C) McCain
D) Obama

Question 49

Which of the following does not fall under the category of campaign advertising?

A) Professional campaign commercials
B) Posters
C) Political contributions
D) Car decals

Question 50

Campaign activity devoted to undermining the public's confidence in and support of a candidate, a key component of negative campaigning, is known as

A) campaign advertising.
B) advertising research.
C) opposition research.
D) competition research.

Question 51

Which of the following is accurate in terms of voting problems in Florida in the 2000 presidential election?

A) Racial and ethnic minorities had an advantage because their precincts had better voting machinery.
B) Counties with higher proportions of Black voters were disadvantaged by outmoded voting machinery.
C) All voting machinery in the state was equally outmoded and, as such, the whole state had significant voting irregularities that needed additional attention.
D) None of the above

Question 52

Which of the following is a factor in voter participation?

A) High level of interest in political campaigns
B) Following elections in the media
C) Interest in public affairs
D) All of the above

Question 53

The population of U.S. citizens age 18 or older is called

A) the voting-eligible population.
B) the U. S. population.
C) the voting-age population.
D) the constituency.

Question 54

The population of both citizens and noncitizens in the United State age 18 or older is called

A) the voting-eligible population.
B) the U. S. population.
C) the voting-age population.
D) the constituency.

Question 55

Which of the following is accurate?

A) The United States has voter turnout rates similar to those found in other democracies.
B) The United States has voter turnout rates lower than those found in other democracies.
C) The United States has voter turnout rates higher than those found in other democracies.
D) The United States has compulsory voting, thus resulting in very high voter turnout rates.

Question 56

Which of the following should be considered when calculating voter turnout?

A) Age
B) Citizenship status
C) Voter registration
D) All of the above

Question 57

Which of the following does not account for low voter turnout?

A) Age
B) Registration difficulties
C) Ability to get to the polls
D) Belief that one's vote does not matter

Question 58

A law passed in 1993 that provides for voter registration by mail and in departments of motor vehicles (which is also called the "motor voter" act) is called the

A) National Voter Registration Act.
B) Election Law Reform Act.
C) Help America Vote Act.
D) None of the above

Question 59

A law passed in 2002 to reform aspects of the voting process that failed in the 2000 presidential election and to increase voter education and turnout is called the

A) National Voter Registration Act.
B) Election Law Reform Act.
C) Help America Vote Act.
D) None of the above

Question 60

In the _______ presidential election, the gap between non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black political participation practically disappeared.

A) 1992
B) 2000
C) 2008
D) 2016

Question 61

Which group has traditionally had the highest registration and turnout rates?

A) Non-Hispanic Whites
B) Non-Hispanic Blacks
C) Hispanics
D) Non-Hispanic Asians

Question 62

Which of the following influences the likelihood of voter turnout?

A) Race
B) Gender
C) Education level
D) All of the above

Question 63

The first year in which both registration and voter turnout rates were higher among women than among men was

A) 1928.
B) 1958.
C) 1978.
D) 1998.

Question 64

What was a problem that arose with the "motor voter" law?

A) People lost their voting rights when they lost their driver's licenses.
B) Not all states implemented it the same, and some motor vehicle departments did not submit the registration forms.
C) People that didn't drive couldn't vote.
D) There was no problem.

Question 65

How are calculations of voter turnout rates that incorporate the voting-eligible population different from traditional calculations of voter turnout rates?

A) The former are higher than the latter.
B) The former are lower than the latter.
C) There is no difference.
D) These calculations cannot be made.

Question 66

How are calculations of voter turnout rates that incorporate registered voters different from traditional calculations of voter turnout rates?

A) The former are higher than the latter.
B) The former are lower than the latter.
C) There is no difference.
D) These calculations cannot be made.

Question 67

How are calculations of voter turnout rates that incorporate the voting-eligible population different from calculations of voter turnout rates that incorporate registered voters?

A) The former are higher than the latter.
B) The former are lower than the latter.
C) There is no difference.
D) These calculations cannot be made.

Question 68

How many states have made Election Day a state holiday?

A) 5
B) 11
C) 25
D) 38

Question 69

How many states allow state employees two hours off for voting?

A) 5
B) 11
C) 25
D) 38

Question 70

In how many states do private employers not give time off for voting?

A) 5
B) 11
C) 25
D) 38

Question 71

Which of the following was not a recommendation of the 2001 report of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform?

A) Every state should establish a statewide system of voting registration.
B) Election Day should be a national holiday.
C) Every state should allow provisional voting.
D) Every locality should establish a countywide system of voting registration and electoral processes.

Question 72

People between the ages of _______ are the most likely to turn out to vote in United States elections.

A) 18-24
B) 25-44
C) 45-64
D) 65-74

Question 73

One theory as to why non-White women register and vote at rates higher than non-White men is that they encounter the sociopolitical system both in terms of race and in terms of gender, therefore experiencing negative outcomes on both dimensions, creating a situation in which they are

A) "multiply discriminated. "
B) "equally yoked. "
C) "doubly bound. "
D) None of the above

Question 74

Which region has higher registration and voting percentages than other regions?

A) North
B) South
C) Midwest
D) West

Question 75

Polling data regarding _______ largely underestimated their support for the Democratic Party.

A) African American and American Indians
B) women and young people
C) Catholics and Muslims
D) Latinos and Asians

Question 76

Which of the following is not accurate concerning the 2016 presidential election?

A) It had the lowest turnout rate in over 20 years.
B) Clinton won over 2. 8 million more votes than Trump.
C) Clinton won the majority of the White vote.
D) Trump won the majority of the White vote.

Question 77

In 2020, how many candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination were White?

A) 14
B) 15
C) 16
D) 17

Question 78

Biden had the highest level of support among what group during the Democratic primary?

A) Whites
B) African Americans
C) Latinos
D) Asian Americans

Question 79

The last of the following group of Americans to be granted citizenship and voting rights was

A) African Americans.
B) American Indians.
C) Asian Americans.
D) Latinos.

Question 80

Tactics used by governments, groups, or individuals to decrease the likelihood of voter registration and turnout among specific groups are known as

A) electoral repression techniques.
B) voter suppression techniques.
C) electoral bolstering techniques.
D) None of the above