Deck 7: Elections and Voting

Question 1

Which perspective views voting and elections as a staple of democracy that allow competing interest groups to vie for ability to influence, shape, and enforce public policy?

A) pluralist
B) elite-managerial
C) class
D) postmodern

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Pluralists view voting and elections as:

A) a staple of democracy that allow competing interest groups to vie for ability to influence, shape, and enforce public policy.
B) designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the few.
C) designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the capitalists who control the means of production
D) none of the above.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Elite-managerial theorists view voting and elections as:

A) a staple of democracy that allow competing interest groups to vie for ability to influence, shape, and enforce public policy.
B) designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the few.
C) designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the capitalists who control the means of production
D) none of the above.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which perspective views voting and elections as designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the titans of business, government, and military?

A) pluralist
B) elite-managerial
C) class
D) postmodern

Question 5

Class perspective views voting and elections as:

A) a staple of democracy that allow competing interest groups to vie for ability to influence, shape, and enforce public policy.
B) designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the few.
C) designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the capitalists who control the means of production
D) none of the above.

Question 6

Which perspective views voting and elections as designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the capitalists who control the means of production?

A) pluralist
B) elite-managerial
C) class
D) postmodern

Question 7

Which perspective views voting and elections as a mechanism for individuals and groups to maximize their ability to achieve desirable and favorable outcomes?

A) rational choice
B) class
C) institutionalists
D) postmodern

Question 8

The rational choice theory views voting and elections as:

A) a mechanism for individuals and groups to maximize their ability to achieve desirable and favorable outcomes.
B) a breakdown and transformation of electoral politics over the last 50 years that has lead to new forms of electoral participation.
C) the social structural factors that affect voting patterns and behaviors.
D) none of the above.

Question 9

Which perspective suggests there is disorder, ambiguity, and a lack of strong participatory democracy and views voting and elections as a breakdown and transformation of electoral politics over the last 50 years that has led to new forms of electoral participation?

A) rational choice
B) class
C) institutionalists
D) postmodern

Question 10

The postmodern approach views voting and elections as:

A) a mechanism for individuals and groups to maximize their ability to achieve desirable and favorable outcomes.
B) a breakdown and transformation of electoral politics over the last 50 years that has lead to new forms of electoral participation. There is a lack of strong participatory democracy.
C) the social structural factors that affect voting patterns and behaviors.
D) none of the above.

Question 11

The institutionalist approach views voting and elections as:

A) a mechanism for individuals and groups to maximize their ability to achieve desirable and favorable outcomes.
B) a breakdown and transformation of electoral politics over the last 50 years that has lead to new forms of electoral participation.
C) influenced by social structural factors that affect political behaviors.
D) none of the above.

Question 12

Which perspective views voting and elections as the social structural factors that affect voting patterns and behaviors?

A) rational choice
B) class
C) institutionalists
D) postmodern

Question 13

Elections fulfill all of the following functions of democracies except:

A) to choose who will occupy a public office.
B) to allow governmental stability.
C) to provide a forum for competing interest groups to resolve differences.
D) to allow for quick changes in governmental policy.

Question 14

The candidate-selection process in the United States tends to result in elected officials who occupy the top ______percent of the income and occupational hierarchies.

A) 1-2
B) 5-10
C) 10-15
D) 20-25

Question 15

In ________ systems, representation of elected offices is dependent on and reflective of the overall proportionality of number of votes received in a given election..

A) democratic
B) nonproportional
C) proportional
D) majoritarian

Question 16

In ________ systems, generally either the candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the vote (majoritarian) or the candidate must receive the most votes (single-member plurality) to win.

A) nondemocratic
B) nonproportional
C) proportional
D) socialist

Question 17

The U.S. Presidential election is a _________ system.

A) authoritarian
B) nonproportional
C) proportional
D) socialist

Question 18

In a nonproporational system, when the candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the vote and wins this is referred to as:

A) democratic
B) single-member plurality
C) socialist
D) majoritarian

Question 19

In a nonproporational system, when one candidate must receive the most votes to win this is referred to as:

A) democratic
B) single-member plurality
C) socialist
D) majoritarian

Question 20

Political sociologists have found all of the following to be associated with higher rates of voter turnout except:

A) economically advanced societies tend to have higher rates of voting than disadvantaged societies.
B) economic hardship and slumps of a national economy influence voter turnout.
C) countries with nonproportional electoral systems tend to have higher rates of voting than countries with proportional electoral systems
D) smaller countries tend to have higher rates of voting.

Question 21

One in every _____ voting age adults in the United States is disenfranchised due to a current or previous felony conviction.

A) 10
B) 40
C) 80
D) 100

Question 22

Which of the following variables has especially been the subject of debate about a possible decline in its ability to predict voting behaviors like it once did?

A) social class
B) gender
C) race
D) religion

Question 23

Working women are most likely to:

A) support Republican candidates.
B) support Democratic candidates.
C) support Independent candidates.
D) none of the above, women tend to be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.

Question 24

Men are most likely to:

A) support Republican candidates.
B) support Democratic candidates.
C) support Independent candidates.
D) none of the above, men tend to be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.

Question 25

Which racial or ethnic minority group tends to have the lowest voter turnout?

A) Black or African American
B) Hispanic or Latino/a
C) East Asian Americans
D) Each group has about the same level of voter turnout

Question 26

__________ is defined as an ideological orientation that opposes social change and supports tradition.

A) Progressivism
B) Liberalism
C) Socialism
D) Conservatism

Question 27

__________ is defined as an ideological orientation that supports social change and social progress.

A) Right wing politics
B) Liberalism
C) Traditionalism
D) Conservatism

Question 28

____________, closely related to liberalism-conservatism, is a key political attitude that predicts voting preferences.

A) Progressivism
B) Partisanship
C) Issue-based voting
D) Polarization

Question 29

In the 2010 midterm election, _________ gained control of House and took the Senate in 2014.

A) Conservatives
B) Liberals
C) Democrats
D) Republicans

Question 30

What was the defining issue of the 2004 Presidential Election?

A) Great Recession
B) War on Terror
C) Health care
D) Education

Question 31

Why was the 2008 Presidential Election notable?

A) Because the first African American President was elected.
B) Because of the role of female candidates in the presidential election.
C) Because the United States was in a recession.
D) All of the above

Question 32

In the 2016 Presidential election, anti-elite rhetoric known as _________ was utilized by candidates from both political parties.

A) authoritarianism
B) fear-mongering
C) populism
D) socialism

Question 33

The US remains one of the 90 of 146 nations studied worldwide that have never had a female head of government.

A) 20
B) 50
C) 70
D) 90

Question 34

The Department of Justice appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential elections and found:

A) Russian use of cyberattacks to create problems in the 2016 presidential election.
B) Russians gained access to state and local election boards including their voter databases, electronic poll book vendors, and election websites in 21 states.
C) Social media users on Facebook and Twitter systematically targeted to spread disinformation and upheaval.
D) All of the above

Question 35

Elite-managerial perspective views voting and elections as a staple of democracy that allow competing interest groups to vie for ability to influence, shape, and enforce public policy.

Question 36

In order for a government to be a democracy, it requires "consent of the governed" and elections are the method to giving meaning to this consent.

Question 37

The candidate-selection process in the United States tends to result in elected officials who occupy the top 50 percent of the income and occupational hierarchies.

Question 38

Smaller countries tend to have lower rates of voting.

Question 39

Countries with nonproportional electoral systems tend to have higher rates of voting than countries with proportional electoral systems

Question 40

Economically advanced societies tend to have higher rates of voting than disadvantaged societies.

Question 41

According to certain work on voting behaviors, social variables such as occupation, race, religion, social class, parental party have less direct effects on voting behavior than issues.

Question 42

Traditional social class measures do not seem to predict voting behavior like it once did.

Question 43

Political sociologists have concluded that social class measures are no longer relevant to the discussion of voting behaviors.

Question 44

Voting rates among women surpassed the voting rates of men in 1962.

Question 45

Younger women are more likely to vote than younger men are.

Question 46

Women over the age of 65 are more likely to vote than older men are.

Question 47

Whites tend to support Republican candidates and racial minority groups tend to support Democratic candidates.

Question 48

During the 1930s and the Great Depression, support for Republicans dwindled as African-American voters overwhelmingly supported democratic presidential candidate Franklin D.Roosevelt.

Question 49

Hispanics tend to have lower voting rates than non-Hispanic whites do.

Question 50

Cubans and Puerto Ricans traditionally vote and support the Democratic Party.

Question 51

Mexicans have generally supported Republican candidates.

Question 52

East Asian American have low rates of turnout to vote even though they have relatively high education and income levels.

Question 53

East Asian American groups now tend to support the Democratic Party over the Republican Party.

Question 54

As a result of the rise of secularization in the U.S., political sociologist have found that religion does not correlate to patterns of voting.

Question 55

Jewish voters tend to support Republican candidates.

Question 56

In the 2016 Presidential election, then candidate Donald Trump effectively used populist rhetoric to garner support for his candidacy.

Question 57

Traditional social class measure do not seem to predict voting behavior like it once did.

Question 58

Managers tend to vote Republican and professionals tend to support Democrats

Question 59

White dissatisfaction with the Republican Party has risen since the 1960s and transitioned to support the Democratic Party

Question 60

Exit polls showed a 13-point gender gap with 54 percent of females and 41 percent of males supporting the Democrat, Hillary Clinton.

Question 61

Democratic support is found primarily in the urban areas and Republican support in the rural areas.

Question 62

Partisanship is in decline globally in developed nations.

Question 63

____________ view voting and elections as a staple of democracy that allow competing interest groups to vie for ability to influence, shape, and enforce public policy.

Question 64

____________ perspective views voting and elections as designed as a façade to placate the masses and to keep power and control over government resting in the hands of the capitalists who control the means of production

Question 65

____________ perspective is best suited to examine and explain disorganized capitalism, declining political involvement , and how traditional institutions, trust in social institutions, and older social identities have changed and been replaced with new and/or transformed institutions and identities.

Question 66

In order for a government to be a democracy, it requires _____________ and elections are the method to giving meaning to this consent.

Question 67

__________ and __________ are the two types of electoral systems founded in democratic societies.

Question 68

In ________ systems, representation of elected offices is dependent on and reflective of the overall proportionality of number of votes received in a given election.

Question 69

In ________ systems, typically either the candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the vote or the candidate must receive the most votes to win.

Question 70

The ____________ school of thought focuses on information received during campaigns, individual decision-making, group process variables, socioeconomic status, and sociodemographic variables.

Question 71

The ____________ school of thought focuses on political attitudes (or social psychological factors) and examines the importance of attitudinal measures that influence voting behavior.

Question 72

Advocates of _________ argue that the overall influence of religious group membership and involvement on voting may be declining.

Question 73

__________ is defined as an ideological orientation that opposes social change and supports tradition.

Question 74

__________ is defined as an ideological orientation that supports social change and social progress.

Question 75

Rhetoric that elicits images of the "silent majority" or "unproductive" elites is considered __________.

Question 76

The 2018 midterm elections were significant due to the increase in the number of _______ serving as representatives.

Question 77

In what ways has democratic participation declined in the US? How has it increased?

Question 78

Why do people participate in politics?

Question 79

When do people participate in politics? How does this shed light on the problems of "why" people participate?

Question 80

Why do individuals participate in governmental politics? Why do individuals participate in electoral politics?