Deck 6: Nominations and Elections

Question 1

The number of delegates attending a party convention is determined by

A)a panel of state governors.
B)the party itself.
C)the House of Representatives.
D)the number of members of Congress a state has.
E)the Supreme Court.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Presidential nominees are selected largely at the state level using a

A)caucus system.
B)convention system.
C)progressive system.
D)presidential primary.
E)mixed caucus system.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A primary election in which participation is limited to voters who have formally registered as members of a particular political party defines the

A)open primary.
B)closed primary.
C)runoff primary.
D)blanket primary.
E)national primary.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Meetings of party members at the local or precinct level to choose delegates to county conventions are known as:

A)caucuses.
B)primaries.
C)run-off primaries.
D)open primaries.
E)preconventions.

Question 5

The increasing cost of political campaigning is largely due to the

A)rise of lawsuits.
B)use of television.
C)the Electoral College.
D)increasingly complicated federal campaign regulations.
E)use of the internet.

Question 6

Which one of the following is true regarding open and closed primaries?

A)More states hold open primaries than closed primaries.
B)In a closed primary, the voter can select the ballot of the party in whose primary he or she wants to participate; open primaries allow only party members to participate.
C)Political parties generally do not favor closed primaries because they encourage raiding; open primaries discourage raiding.
D)Closed primaries restrict voting to registered members of that party only; in open primaries voters can select the ballot of the party in whose primary he or she wants to participate.
E)There are no significant differences between open and closed primaries.

Question 7

The presidential primary takes the formal selection of delegates out of the control of __________ and places it in the hands of the voters.

A)local precinct bosses
B)state party leaders
C)national committee chairperson
D)big donors
E)party platforms.

Question 8

Which of the following groups of Americans does NOT traditionally vote Democratic?

A)African Americans
B)Catholics
C)Hispanic Americans
D)Protestants
E)Jewish voters

Question 9

In some states, when none of the candidates receives a majority of the votes in a primary election,

A)a general election takes place.
B)the primary is cancelled and the results are thrown out.
C)a blanket primary takes place.
D)a closed primary takes place.
E)a runoff primary takes place.

Question 10

The Democratic party system of apportioning national convention delegates among state parties favors the

A)states with early primaries.
B)states with caucuses.
C)most heavily populated states.
D)least heavily populated states.
E)rural states.

Question 11

A party's vice presidential nominee is customarily chosen by the

A)presidential nominee.
B)party's national chairperson.
C)President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
D)Speaker of the House.
E)national caucuses.

Question 12

The percentage of viewers watching the conventions on television has

A)continued to increase.
B)continued to draw record audiences.
C)declined steadily.
D)dropped dramatically.
E)remained steady the last few elections.

Question 13

Republican party primary rules allocate delegates on the basis of

A)a winner-take-all system.
B)proportional representation.
C)a majoritarian system.
D)party caucus preferences.
E)a national caucus system.

Question 14

To qualify for retroactive federal funds, a third-party candidate for the presidency must receive what percentage of the total popular vote?

A)5 percent
B)10 percent
C)15 percent
D)20 percent
E)25 percent

Question 15

Frontloading, the scheduling of state primaries early in the election season, has an impact on all EXCEPT

A)early nomination of presidential candidates by both parties.
B)making it extremely difficult for unknown candidates to stand a chance.
C)which party wins the election.
D)limiting state participation in the nominating process.
E)the scheduling of state nomination procedures in the calendar year.

Question 16

The most common method for nominating individuals for public office in the United States today is the

A)primary system.
B)caucus system.
C)Electoral College system.
D)party appointment system.
E)presidential appointment system.

Question 17

The earliest method used to select candidates for public office in the United States was the

A)mixed caucus.
B)legislative caucus.
C)primary system.
D)convention system.
E)direct primary system.

Question 18

The purpose of the convention system favored by the Jacksonians in 1824 was

A)to make it easier to elect a president.
B)to discourage frontloading by various states.
C)to make the process more democratic.
D)to ensure that only two political parties would participate.
E)to create the Electoral College as a method of electing presidents.

Question 19

Which one of the following is true of the 2008 presidential election?

A)Barack Obama accepted public financing for his campaign, one of the few times a presidential candidate has done so.
B)The actual presidential campaign lasted only three months.
C)According to the government, total spending on the campaign reached more than $1.8 billion.
D)After years of increases, campaign costs decreased slightly in the 2008 presidential election.
E)Total campaign spending topped out at $500 million for both the McCain and Obama presidential campaigns.

Question 20

Party platforms are:

A)very specific, detailed statements about current political issues
B)statements about only one or two prominent issues
C)statements about detailed political campaign fundraising and advertising strategy
D)rarely addressed at the national conventions
E)often vague, general statements about current political issues

Question 21

The "office block" or "Massachusetts ballot" lists all the candidates according to

A)the popularity of the candidates.
B)the office for which they are running.
C)political party.
D)last name regardless of the office for which they are running.
E)the amount of money each candidate has raised.

Question 22

The tax-exempt groups that were influential in the 2004 election and were named after a provision in the Internal Revenue Code are called

A)PACs.
B)FECAs.
C)527s.
D)INGOs.
E)ETFs

Question 23

In the 2002 elections, the GOP gained a majority in the U.S.Senate.Many of the Republican wins were said to be a result of the popularity of President G.W.Bush at the time of the election.What is the term associated with this kind of effect?

A)gerrymander
B)coattails
C)franking privilege
D)"Solid South"
E)media bias.

Question 24

Money given to political parties rather than to candidates during political campaigns is called

A)soft money.
B)hard money.
C)new money.
D)bundled money.
E)declared money.

Question 25

Under Electoral College procedures governing the presidential elections, voters vote for

A)a presidential candidate.
B)a presidential candidate and a vice presidential candidate.
C)candidates for the presidency, vice presidency, U.S.Senate, and House of Representatives.
D)a slate of electors.
E)members of the president's cabinet.

Question 26

In financing congressional elections, the incumbent enjoys which important advantage?

A)unrestricted spending
B)contribution levels
C)eligibility for anonymous donations of more than $10,000
D)The incumbent has no real advantage in financing elections.
E)exemption from campaign finance reporting requirements

Question 27

Ideological diversity tends to produce moderation because the parties must appeal to many different political interests.

Question 28

Which one of the following is true of the Electoral College?

A)It is a winner-take-all system.
B)It gives third parties a high probability of winning electoral votes.
C)A candidate receiving 100 electoral votes becomes president.
D)States may select as many electors as they wish.
E)The winner of the popular vote has always won the electoral vote.

Question 29

To be elected president of the United States, a candidate must win at least

A)270 electoral votes.
B)538 electoral votes.
C)600 electoral votes.
D)a majority of the popular votes.
E)the electoral votes in a majority of the states.

Question 30

Drawing a congressional boundary to give one political party electoral advantage over the opposing party is called

A)gerrymandering.
B)petitioning.
C)raiding.
D)engineering.
E)coattailing.

Question 31

The amount of money spent on congressional campaigns has

A)declined due to the increase of PAC activity.
B)declined dramatically as more focus has been placed on presidential contributions.
C)remained steady over the past thirty years.
D)increased greatly in recent years.
E)increased very slightly in recent years.

Question 32

In 2008, forty states and the District of Columbia held some form of presidential primaries.

Question 33

The debates between which presidential candidates marked the first time an incumbent president faced an opponent on television?

A)Nixon and Kennedy
B)Ford and Carter
C)Bush and Clinton
D)Johnson and Goldwater
E)Roosevelt and Hoover

Question 34

Under the electoral college system, in which of the following states are presidential elections typically won and lost?

A)Nevada, Wyoming, Missouri, Oklahoma
B)New Jersey, Connecticut, South Carolina, Utah
C)Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico
D)Rhode Island, Delaware, Alaska, Hawaii
E)California, Texas, New York, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan

Question 35

A procedure in which a person who wants to vote presents an election official with proof that he or she meets all the legal requirements for voting in the upcoming election is called

A)balloting.
B)registration.
C)nomination.
D)electing.
E)petitioning.

Question 36

Voter turnout in presidential elections has varied over periods of American history. It reached as low as 45 percent in 1924.

Question 37

In an open primary, voters do not have to choose a party and are free to select the ballot of the party in whose primary they wish to participate.

Question 38

Because of problems with the Electoral College system, several proposals for electoral reform have been suggested.Which proposal would encourage the most growth of minor political parties?

A)proportional voting
B)single-member district plan
C)direct popular election
D)expanding voter eligibility
E)caucusing

Question 39

With the exception of the 2000 election, the last time the Republican party controlled both the executive and legislative branches of government was

A)1960.
B)1954.
C)1988.
D)1992.
E)1932.

Question 40

What is the total number of Electoral College votes?

A)104
B)225
C)270
D)538
E)1030

Question 41

There was no coattail effect in the 2008 election.

Question 42

The National Voter Registration Act allows citizens to register to vote and renew their drivers license simultaneously.

Question 43

Discuss the reasons why some people do not vote.What proposals have been advanced to
remedy nonvoting? Have they been successful? Why or why not?

Question 44

Compare and contrast open and closed primary systems.Which system do political
parties tend to favor? Why?

Question 45

In the 2008 presidential election, 91 percent of African Americans who voted cast ballots for the Democratic party.

Question 46

What are some of the pros and cons of the Electoral College system? Overall, which arguments do you find more persuasive, and why?

Question 47

The "bandwagon effect" is defined as delegates rallying support of the candidate they believe will win the nomination.

Question 48

The Indiana ballot lists all candidates in columns according to party affiliation.

Question 49

Assess the effectiveness of campaign finance legislation in recent decades.

Question 50

One analyst of American voting behavior has commented that more than 50 percent of American children grow up in households where neither parent votes.

Question 51

Participation in primary elections is generally the same or slightly higher than that of general elections.

Question 52

Soft money is subject to individual and group limits; hard money is not.

Question 53

The Electoral College was devised by the Constitutional Convention.

Question 54

The gender gap is to be found among older women voters because of issues related to Social Security and Medicare.

Question 55

The national party convention has developed into a forceful meeting that selects candidates for congressional, state, and local offices.

Question 56

Most states use the open primary.

Question 57

It is clear that present campaign finance laws are very effective.

Question 58

In terms of voting, Republicans often do well in rural areas, small towns, and suburbs of major cities.

Question 59

Most recent proposals for revising the method for electing the president and the vice president call for replacing the Electoral College system with proportional voting.

Question 60

Public opinion polls consistently find that large number of Americans pay no attention to presidential elections.

Question 61

Identify some of the important factors that influence voting behavior and party support.