Deck 4: Voting and Elections

Question 1

Which list(s)is (are)used to purge the names of voters from the voter registration rolls?

A)Corner's reports
B)List of felony convictions
C)List of adjudications of mental incompetence
D)All of these choices are true.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to the authors,what is the defining characteristic of representative democracies?

A)Elections
B)Voting
C)Writing letters to local representatives
D)Distributing campaign literature

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which is not a legal voting qualification in Texas?

A)Being a citizen of the United States
B)Being at least 18 years of age
C)Being a registered voter
D)Being a nonresident of the state

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following techniques to prevent voting was never used in Texas?

A)Poll taxes
B)Early registration
C)Literacy tests
D)Annual registration

Question 5

Texas requires that all ballots and election materials be printed in other languages in addition to English if

A)counties have at least 5 percent or greater language minority.
B)counties have at least 10 percent or greater language minority.
C)local laws require that counties must have bilingual ballots.
D)individuals prove they speak in language other than English.

Question 6

In the case Carrington v.Rash,the courts decided that

A)property ownership was unnecessary for revenue bond elections.
B)members of the military could enjoy the full rights of suffrage in Texas.
C)efforts to deny African Americans access to the primaries would be overturned.
D)annual registration was prohibited.

Question 7

Which of the following concerning Texas elections is correct?

A)In presidential elections,as the turnout nationally has declined since 1960,Texas's turnout has actually increased.
B)In presidential elections,Texas's turnout is similar to U.S.turnout.
C)In midterm elections,Texas ranks higher in turnout than most other states.
D)In midterm elections,Texas has the same turnout as in presidential elections.

Question 8

Which of the following is not a demographic variable that affects turnout at the polls?

A)Education
B)Income
C)Age
D)Residency

Question 9

Once they register,voters are automatically sent renewals at their address of record by

A)January 15 in even-numbered years.
B)January 1 in odd-numbered years.
C)January 1 in even-numbered years.
D)No registration material is sent,because voter registration is permanent and therefore new cards are not needed.

Question 10

Which case changed the state's early voter registration requirement in Texas?

A)Carrington v.Rash
B)Smith v.Allwright
C)Dunn v.Blumstein
D)Beare v.Smith

Question 11

Which of the following can be a contributing factor to the decrease in participation in the United States after 1960?

A)The passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment
B)An increase in party identification by voters
C)A decrease in party identification by voters
D)Both the passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment and a decrease in party identification by voters

Question 12

Smith v.Allwright banned

A)Asians from voting.
B)Native Americans from voting.
C)the use of white primaries.
D)women from voting.

Question 13

An individual must be registered at least __________ days prior to the election to be eligible to vote in Texas.

A)30
B)180
C)60
D)3

Question 14

Turnout in American general elections is __________ in comparison to other industrialized democracies of the world.

A)slightly higher
B)significantly lower
C)about the same
D)significantly higher

Question 15

Which of the following statements about voters is incorrect?

A)The more education an individual has,the more likely the individual is to vote.
B)A person who has a strong interest in politics is more likely to vote.
C)The younger an individual is,the more likely that individual is to vote.
D)Identification with either major political party makes a person more likely to vote.

Question 16

Which of the following is not an argument put forward by those opposed to the voter ID law?

A)Voter ID is a solution to a problem that does not exist.
B)There is no real evidence of people impersonating other voters in Texas.
C)It would have a big impact on legitimate voters who do not have a driver's license.
D)It would only an advantage to minorities.

Question 17

Which individuals are legally disqualified from voting?

A)Individuals who have been legally declared mentally incompetent
B)A convicted felon who has received a pardon
C)Individuals who have been incarcerated
D)Individuals who have lost their voter registration card

Question 18

Making registration and voting in America easier has resulted in which of the following?

A)An increase in voter turnout
B)A decrease in voter turnout
C)Voting turnout has remained the same
D)Effects not verifiable

Question 19

Which of the following statements about Texas registration laws is incorrect?

A)A person may register in person or by mail.
B)A person can register when renewing a driver's license.
C)Registered spouses,parents,or offspring can register an individual.
D)An individual's employer can register an employee as long as the employer is a registered voter.

Question 20

Texas required individuals to pay a poll tax to vote in state elections until it was declared unconstitutional by the

A)Twenty-fourth amendment.
B)decision in the case Nixon v.Condon.
C)Twenty-third amendment.
D)decision in the case United States v.Texas.

Question 21

A __________ is held when one of the two top contenders of a second primary did not receive a majority of the votes.

A)direct primary
B)primary
C)runoff primary
D)second primary

Question 22

The chief election officer of the state is the

A)registrar of voters.
B)comptroller of public accounts.
C)speaker of the house.
D)secretary of state.

Question 23

Texas does not have term limits for which office?

A)​Governor
B)​State House of Representative
C)​State senator
D)​All of these choices are true.

Question 24

Minor political parties in the state prefer the office-block ballot because it

A)makes voting easier.
B)makes straight-ticket voting for the major parties more difficult.
C)makes the major parties more accountable.
D)encourages voting.

Question 25

For Texas primaries,the state party chair and the state executive committee of each party

A)conduct a drawing to determine the order of the names on the ballot.
B)certify the ballot to the county-level officials.
C)canvass the election returns after the primary.
D)All of these choices are true.

Question 26

What is it technically called when a person who identifies with one political party opts to vote in the other party's primary to influence its outcome?

A)Preventative voting
B)Crossover voting
C)Party busting voting
D)This cannot be legally done in Texas.

Question 27

The Texas Election Code requires each political party

A)that receives 20 percent of the gubernatorial vote to hold a primary election.
B)must use political conventions to nominate candidates.
C)that is registered in the state to use the direct primary.
D)to select a caucus,convention,or direct primary to nominate its party candidates.

Question 28

General elections in Texas are held on the

A)Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd-numbered years.
B)Monday after the first Tuesday in November of odd-numbered years.
C)Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.
D)Monday after the first Tuesday in November of even-numbered years.

Question 29

A method of selecting the nominees from a political party where party members elect the candidates who represent them in the general election is known as

A)precinct convention.
B)party caucus.
C)party convention.
D)direct primary.

Question 30

A closed primary allows only those individuals who ____________ to participate.

A)are registered voters
B)possess a voter registration card
C)are first-time voters
D)are party members

Question 31

A type of ballot used in a general election where all of the candidates from each party are listed in parallel columns is called

A)party-column ballot.
B)office-block ballot.
C)nonpartisan column ballot.
D)straight party voting.

Question 32

The Terrell Election Law enabled political party members to

A)hold caucuses to select political party nominees.
B)select candidates using political conventions.
C)select political party nominees by allowing a direct primary.
D)allow state senators to select political party nominees.

Question 33

In presidential election years,which of the following offices is not on the Texas ballot?

A)The entire Texas House
B)One-half of the Texas Senate
C)The Texas Governor
D)The entire Texas delegation to the U.S.House

Question 34

All special elections in the state

A)are nonpartisan elections.
B)are held only after a primary election.
C)require only a plurality of the votes.
D)require run-offs.

Question 35

A political party's ultimate aim is to

A)canvass voters.
B)finance party candidates.
C)nominate candidates in the primary or convention and get them elected.
D)serve as advisors to county administrators.

Question 36

To win a Texas primary election,a candidate must receive

A)a plurality of the popular votes.
B)the most votes.
C)50 percent plus one of the votes.
D)two-thirds of the vote.

Question 37

What type of primary allows a voter to choose on election day which primary they will participate?

A)Closed primary
B)Semiclosed primary
C)Open primary
D)Crossover voting primary

Question 38

To win the general election,a candidate must win with __________ of the votes.

A)an absolute majority
B)two-thirds
C)a plurality
D)a simple majority

Question 39

Which of the following is a deterrent to higher voter turnout in Texas?

A)Large number of elections
B)Long length of the ballot
C)Lower income and education levels in Texas
D)All of these choices are true.

Question 40

The traditionalistic political culture is especially characteristic of which Texas area?

A)East Texas
B)Northwest Texas
C)Central Texas
D)West Texas

Question 41

In 2002,the U.S.Department of Justice ordered Harris County to provide ballots (and voting material)in which language?

A)Vietnamese
B)Spanish
C)Mandarin
D)Korean

Question 42

Which of the following is not included in the Texas campaign finance law?

A)Limitations on the amount a candidate is allowed to spend
B)Disclosure of who makes contributions
C)Report of how much a candidate raises
D)Disclosure of how campaign funds are spent

Question 43

Organizations that raise and then contribute money to political candidates are known as

A)political action committees.
B)super political action committees.
C)caucuses.
D)political parties.

Question 44

Compare and contrast voter turnout in Texas and the rest of the United States.What factors specifically explain low voter turnout in Texas? 

Question 45

For a name to be placed on the general election ballot,a candidate must be either a party nominee or an independent and

A)​have a party platform.
B)​hold a party convention.
C)​win 10 percent of any statewide office.
D)​win 5 percent of any statewide office.

Question 46

Specific Texas laws regarding recounts in elections allow each of the following except

A)a candidate can request a recount if he or she loses by less than 10 percent.
B)the candidate who requests a recount is required to pay for the recount.
C)a manual recount must be used.
D)canvassing authorities are given very little discretion when interpreting an indentation on the chad.

Question 47

Which of the following statements about Texas elections is incorrect?

A)Getting off an election ballot can be as difficult as getting on.
B)For any party that received at least 5 percent of the vote for any statewide office in the previous general election,the full slate of candidates is placed on the ballot automatically.
C)Write-in candidates are not listed on the ballot.
D)The process of gaining access to the ballot by third parties is simple in Texas.

Question 48

New political parties in Texas must complete all of the following requirements to get their candidates on the general election ballot except

A)​hold a convention.
B)​must file with the secretary of state a list of supporters equal to 1 percent of the total vote for governor in the last general election.
C)​show that persons listed as supporters have not participated in the activities (primaries or conventions)of either of the two major political parties.
D)​have each page of their nominating petitions notarized.

Question 49

​Describe the key changes in law that have expanded voting rights over the years.

Question 50

Throughout their campaigns,Texas Democratic candidates tend to mobilize all of the following groups except

A)African Americans.
B)Latinos.
C)teachers.
D)business interests.

Question 51

One reason why Hispanics have yet to wield a significant impact on state politics is

A)​harassment at the polls.
B)​voter identification laws.
C)​low voter turnout.
D)​poll taxes.

Question 52

The primary enforcement of regulations of state campaign laws is the responsibility of the

A)secretary of state.
B)governor.
C)political parties.
D)Texas Ethics Commission.

Question 53

Out of 13.6 million registered voters,how many voted in the Republican primary?

A)​7 million
B)​1.4 million
C)​3 million
D)​600,000

Question 54

Define in detail the following terms and specifically relate each to elections and voting in Texas: direct primary,open primary,closed primary,runoff primary,crossover voting,multilingualism,and early voting.

Question 55

Identify and discuss legal constraints that have been used to prevent certain individuals from participating in the political process.How have these barriers been removed?

Question 56

Money spent by political parties on behalf of political candidates,especially for the purposes of increasing voter registration and turnout is called

A)independent expenditure.
B)PAC money.
C)soft money.
D)hard money.

Question 57

Discuss the role of primaries in the voting process.Who is involved in a primary election? How are they financed?

Question 58

A number of Texas counties introduced electronic voting in the 2002 midterm election because

A)too many Republicans were winning statewide offices.
B)a number of lawsuits were filed by Democrats.
C)of the possibility of similar problems that occurred in Florida during the 2000 election.
D)too many candidates were requesting recounts.

Question 59

In state elections,what two factors predominate?

A)Party identification and incumbency
B)Fundraising and incumbency
C)Qualifications and party identification
D)Name recognition and incumbency

Question 60

Candidates spend most of their "on the stump" time in _________,though stumping alone,nowadays,does not get a candidate elected.

A)rural areas in the state.
B)suburban areas in the state.
C)urban and suburban areas in the state.
D)rural and suburban areas in the state.

Question 61

When were secret ballots adopted in Texas,and why are they important to the election process?​

Question 62

Describe the development of law governing write-In candidates.​

Question 63

What are soft money,independent expenditures,and PACs? How has each influenced campaigning and campaign financing?

Question 64

Discuss the pros and cons to electronic voting.

Question 65

How has the growth of the two-party system in Texas created problems for the Democratic Party?