Deck 5: Voters, Campaign, and Elections

Question 1

In a good democracy, voters cast their ballots on the basis of open discussion of important issues and their policy preferences.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

From the standpoint of the individual voter, there may be no logic in voting, since public elections are almost never won by the margin of a single vote.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Voting is frequently determined by emotion, custom, and habit.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In democratic theory, it is the existence of a constitution which makes a government legitimate.

Question 5

One of the advantages of large-scale voting is that it makes rigging an election more difficult.

Question 6

Wide-spread voter registration in Texas was the result of federal intervention which outlawed practices which limited the voting of minorities.

Question 7

Requirements to register to vote in Texas include age of 18 or above, residence in the state for 30 days, and U.S. citizenship.

Question 8

Voter turnout in Texas generally is greater than that of the national average.

Question 9

Anglo voters tend to vote in greater percentages than minority citizens, especially Hispanic and Afro American voters.

Question 10

If minority voters voted at the same percentage as Anglo voters, Democrats would win more elections.

Question 11

The act of volunteering to work in election campaigns is not only useful to the candidates; it is of great importance to the volunteers and the democratic process.

Question 12

Unlike the United States, many other democracies fund the campaigns to avoid the influence that wealth can have on the elections.

Question 13

Most of the money given to candidates comes from wealthy donors who represent some special interest.

Question 14

Under Texas law, corporations may directly contribute to election campaigns.

Question 15

Texas law strictly limits how much money can be contributed to candidates for state office.

Question 16

The Texas Ethics Commission has proven to be an effective enforcer of the Texas Campaign Finance laws.

Question 17

Negative campaigning tends to increase voter turnout.

Question 18

Although technically Texas has a closed primary system, in reality voters may participate in any party primary so long as they have not participated in the deliberations of another political party.

Question 19

The governor and other state-wide elected officials are selected at the same time as the President.

Question 20

A registered voter must have a reason and swear that they meet the conditions of the law in order to vote early.

Question 21

In an ideal democracy, election campaigns are contests which are:

A) conducted by rival candidates to gain the people's support
B) candidates debate public policy
C) candidates cast their ballots based on basis of an evaluation of the issues debated
D) all of the above are true

Question 22

In a bad democracy, election campaigns are contests in which

A) candidates engage in personal attacks and deceptive advertising
B) the media pays close attention to polling results as a major thrust of their coverage
C) candidates pay more attention to the needs of the special interest groups that finance their campaigns than issues
D) all of the above are true

Question 23

Based on an analysis of the 2002 campaign for the office of governor, the authors describe a political system that is

A) an ideal democratic system
B) a system that is very close to being an ideal democratic system
C) a system that is very close to being a "bad democracy"
D) a totally corrupt political system

Question 24

The principle reason that individuals vote in elections is that

A) they believe that their vote will be the deciding vote
B) they understand that their voting will reduce the cynicism and distrust of the system
C) they understand that a large turnout will reduce the chances of the election being stolen
D) they believe that voting is their civic duty

Question 25

The White primary, poll tax, and lengthy residency requirements were devices designed to

A) insure that only qualified voters were allowed to vote
B) limit the opportunities for voting for Afro Americans, Mexican Americans, and poor Whites
C) eliminate voter fraud
D) encourage a large turnout in elections

Question 26

The Texas legislature created an "honest" voter registration system in 1991 as a result of

A) victories by liberals in the elections of 1990
B) a growing sense that increasing the opportunities to vote was the right thing for the state to do
C) adoption of the Voting Rights Act by the U.S. Congress
D) adoption of the 26^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Question 27

Under Texas law, in order to register to vote, one must meet all of the following requirements except:

A) be a U.S. citizen
B) be at least 18 years of age by Election Day
C) be able to speak and write English
D) be a legal resident of Texas

Question 28

The failure to vote by Afro Americans and Hispanic voters tends to affect _________ candidates by reducing the vote that they otherwise would have received.

A) Republicans
B) conservative Democrats
C) liberal Democrats
D) Libertarians

Question 29

The _______ is the period of time in which candidates seek to persuade potential voters to support them

A) election
B) campaign
C) run-off election
D) primary

Question 30

The act of volunteering to work in a campaign is valuable to the participant because

A) volunteers learn how much work a political campaign can be
B) volunteers learn tolerance for other points of view
C) volunteers learn that winning or losing does not always mean total success or failure
D) all of the above are true

Question 31

The most important reason that candidates need money in modern campaign is

A) the cost of professional campaign consultants
B) the cost of hiring campaign staffers
C) the cost of the filing fees to run for office
D) the cost of buying media advertising, especially television

Question 32

Political campaigns for public offices in the Texas are funded by

A) the public through a check-off provision on the state income tax
B) donations made by voters when they register to vote
C) contributions to candidates and parties made largely by wealthy donors who represent special interests
D) dues paid to political parties for the privilege of voting in the primaries

Question 33

The 1903 Terrell Election Law was important because it

A) forbade donations to elections
B) forbade corporate donations to candidates for public office in Texas
C) encouraged donations to campaigns by the public
D) encouraged donations to campaigns by corporations

Question 34

The Texas Campaign Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1973 requires that every candidate for public office in Texas and every political campaign committee must

A) appoint a treasurer before accepting donations
B) report the names of contributors who give more than $100 for out-of-state committee who give more than $500 to a candidate
C) file detailed financial report reporting all contributions and expenditures over $50
D) all of the above

Question 35

As a result of the 1991 Texas Ethics Law, contributions to political races in Texas are limited in what way?

A) there are specific limits to the amount of money that can be contributed to local races at the county level or below
B) there are specific limits on the amount of money that can be contributed to district races
C) there are specific limits on the amount of money that can be contributed to state-wide races
D) the law did not impose any limits on the amount of money that could be contributed

Question 36

Which of the following is not an effect of negative campaigning on democracy?

A) elections are decided on the basis of inaccurate or irrelevant charges
B) serious discussions on public policy issues are not held due to the mud-slinging
C) it discourages many potential candidates from seeking public office
D) it increases voter turnout

Question 37

A political ad which attacks a candidates opponent or suggests the other candidate supports programs which are not in the public interest is known as a

A) negative ad
B) warm fuzzies ad
C) personality ad
D) positive issues ad

Question 38

Primary elections in Texas must be used by:

A) any party which received 20 percent or more of the vote for its candidate for governor in the last election
B) any party that has won a major political office at the state-wide level
C) any party that runs a candidate for President
D) any party that runs a candidate for Governor

Question 39

A closed primary is one in which

A) any registered voter may vote
B) only persons who are registered as party members may vote
C) only candidates who are endorsed by the party executive committee may participate
D) only persons who have been registered to vote for a year or more may vote

Question 40

Most candidates gain a place on a general election ballot by

A) being nominated by a major political party
B) securing a place on the ballot by petition as an independent candidate
C) paying a filing fee
D) being nominated by a party convention

Question 41

All vacancies in legislative positions, either in Congress or the state legislature, are filled by

A) appointment by the governor of Texas until the next election
B) a special election called by the governor
C) appointment by the political party that last won that position
D) the office remains vacant until the next election

Question 42

In order to vote early in an election, a person must

A) swear that they will be out of town or have religious reasons for not voting on Election Day
B) pay an extra fee at the county clerks office
C) present themselves at the early voting station and vote with no reason being necessary
D) file an affidavit that they are under a physicians care and cannot vote on Election Day

Question 43

According to the authors, concerning elections and campaigns in Texas

A) the low voter turnout raises questions about the legitimacy of the process in Texas
B) the disparity of turnout between racial and ethnic groups skews public policy in the direction of the most wealthy
C) the impact of unlimited campaign money raises the question of whether the wealthy elites control the policy process in Texas
D) each of the above are raised as questions by the authors

Question 44

What is the role of an election campaign in an ideal democracy? How closely do campaigns in Texas adhere to this ideal?

Question 45

How important is voting? Discuss the pros and cons of an individual taking the time to vote.

Question 46

What is the current process for registering to vote in Texas? How have actions by the federal government removed barriers to voting in Texas?

Question 47

Howe does voter turnout in Texas compare with that of the nation as a whole? Which groups tend to vote more heavily? How does the differential turnout affect the Texas political system?

Question 48

How are most political campaigns in Texas financed? What is the result of this? What Texas laws impact upon political campaigns in Texas?

Question 49

What are the three types of elections conducted in Texas? What is the difference between primary elections and general elections? Who is responsible for the conduct of each?