Deck 8: Elections

Question 1

Campaign donors can contribute to as many candidates and political action committees as they desire.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

What is the second step in the election process?

A) general election
B) closed primary
C) open primary
D) semi-closed primary

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What will happen in 2020?

A) a midterm election
B) a presidential election
C) all U.S. Senate seats will be contested
D) most incumbents will likely lose

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Get-out-the-vote efforts are part of the ground game in campaigns.

Question 5

The 2010 election is an example of a wave election.

Question 6

General election dates are established by state legislatures.

Question 7

To win office, candidates have to campaign three times: to build a staff, in the primary, and in
the general election.

Question 8

Donald Trump won Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin because of higher-than-expected
voter turnout in urban communities.

Question 9

The gender gap favored Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Question 10

In the United States, citizens ________.

A) engage in political activity only through voting.
B) have an indirect effect on public policy.
C) decide national public policy issues by referenda.
D) vote in high numbers compared to Europeans.

Question 11

In general, voter turnout is higher for citizens who are angry with the government than for
those who are not.

Question 12

Most congressional campaign expenditures are for television advertising.

Question 13

A 527 organization can raise unlimited soft money from individuals or corporations for voter mobilization and for issue advocacy.

Question 14

In most U.S. House and Senate contests, the winner is the candidate who wins a majority of votes.

Question 15

The electoral process does not hold incumbents accountable.

Question 16

The winner of the general election for president is NOT necessarily the person who receives
the most popular votes.

Question 17

Races for open seats are less competitive than those where an incumbent seeks another term.

Question 18

All Democratic primaries and caucuses use proportional allocation to divide delegates.

Question 19

The most fundamental feature of American elections is that officeholders are elected in single-member districts.

Question 20

Rules matter when it comes to American elections.

Question 21

In some democratic nations, citizens use a system of elections where if no one candidate gets more than 50 percent of the votes, everyone is eliminated except for the top two contenders.
Citizens then vote again and may select either of the top two candidates. This is an example
Of a ________ election system.

A) plurality with run-off
B) majority without run-off
C) majority with run-off
D) proportional representation

Question 22

While the ________ uses proportional allocation rules in all primaries and caucuses, the ________ uses a combination of proportional allocation and winner-take-all to determine convention delegates.

A) Democratic Party; Republican Party
B) Republican Party; Democratic Party
C) Electoral College; state
D) Green Party; Electoral College

Question 23

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

A) Under current federal law, an individual can give as much as she or he wants to an individual candidate.
B) Under current federal law, an individual can give $2,700 per candidate per election.
C) Under current federal law, PACs are not limited in how much they can give to an individual candidate.
D) Under current federal law, national party committees are not limited in how much they can give to an individual candidate.

Question 24

The 2018 election was a ________ election; the 2016 election was a ________ election.

A) midterm; presidential
B) general; presidential
C) general; primary
D) presidential; midterm

Question 25

A voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins is called ________.

A) proportional voting
B) majority voting
C) retrospective voting
D) plurality voting

Question 26

________ has 55 electoral votes in presidential elections.

A) New York
B) Florida
C) Texas
D) California

Question 27

Among these states, ________ has the lowest number of electoral votes in presidential elections.

A) Montana
B) Indiana
C) Ohio
D) Iowa

Question 28

Electoral votes are allocated on a winner-take-all basis in all but two states. What are the two states in question?

A) Maine and Nebraska
B) New York and California
C) Rhode Island and Colorado
D) New Mexico and Arizona

Question 29

Most presidential candidates

A) save their resources so that they can compete in as many primary and caucus elections
As possible.
B) spend all their money in the early primaries and caucuses.
C) have high name recognition.
D) are not overly concerned with fund-raising issues.

Question 30

Which one of the following swing states is the most important in a presidential election?

A) Florida
B) New Hampshire
C) California
D) Colorado

Question 31

Plurality voting

A) is used in a small number of U.S. House and Senate elections.
B) is the same as majority voting.
C) requires a runoff election.
D) is very common in U.S. House and Senate elections.

Question 32

Why are swing states so important to a campaign strategy?

A) They obviously favor one party's candidate over another, which saves the favored candidate money to campaign elsewhere.
B) They provide better opportunities for fund-raising.
C) They can potentially be won by either major-party candidate.
D) They are always in the South, which is a very competitive electoral region.

Question 33

Which one of the following is the appropriate order of events in presidential elections?

A) Super Tuesday, national conventions, Electoral College vote, general election
B) Iowa caucus, New Hampshire primary, general election, Super Tuesday
C) Electoral College vote, general election, national conventions
D) Iowa caucus, Super Tuesday, national conventions, Electoral College vote

Question 34

What happens if no presidential candidate receives a majority of the Electoral College votes?

A) Nothing; the candidate with the most votes wins.
B) The House of Representatives decides who wins, with each state getting one vote, and voting continues until someone gets a majority of the votes.
C) The current sitting vice president, in his or her role as the president of the Senate, chooses the next president.
D) Both the House and the Senate decide who wins with a simple majority vote.

Question 35

If a state has nine elected officials in the U.S. House, how many electoral votes does it have in presidential elections?

A) 9
B) 11
C) 13
D) Not enough information is provided.

Question 36

In 2016, ________ were the first two states holding primaries or caucuses.

A) Iowa and New Hampshire
B) South Carolina and Montana
C) Nevada and Texas
D) Maine and Vermont

Question 37

A candidate is seeking her or his party's nomination for president. What typically happens when seeking a major-party nomination?

A) Most candidates will pursue the nomination through the party convention.
B) Most candidates who do not do well early will drop out of the race.
C) Most candidates will have enough money to pursue the nomination through the summer of the convention.
D) Most candidates will support the party favorite early in the nomination process.

Question 38

Which one of the following is an example of a stronger economy benefitting an incumbent president running for reelection?

A) John McCain in 2008
B) Jimmy Carter in 1980
C) Barack Obama in 2012
D) Hillary Clinton in 2016

Question 39

Why do election rules and their implementation matter?

A) There is no legal way to challenge the outcome of an election.
B) In close races, small changes to rules can change electoral outcomes.
C) An election must be held a second time if the rules are not followed.
D) There are different rules that must be used if voter turnout is higher than expected.

Question 40

Constitutional requirements are least stringent for ________.

A) the presidency
B) the Senate
C) the House of Representatives
D) state governorship

Question 41

How does a Republican candidate for federal office typically win a primary?

A) by taking moderate positions on the issues
B) by taking conservative positions on the issues
C) by giving up fund-raising efforts and spending more time studying the issues
D) by avoiding taking positions on the issues as much as possible

Question 42

Voter turnout in a primary is typically

A) higher than in a midterm election.
B) higher than in a presidential election.
C) about the same as a presidential election.
D) lower than both presidential and midterm elections.

Question 43

Independent expenditures

A) are no longer allowed in federal elections.
B) are controlled by a political party or group.
C) were last used in the contentious 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush.
D) are the same thing as coordinated expenditures.

Question 44

What is the link between campaign donations and influence with elected officials?

A) There is a strong relationship between giving money and being able to buy votes.
B) Most campaign donations go to opposition politicians in an attempt to get them to support a cause.
C) At most, campaign donations might buy a donor access to see an elected official.
D) Elected officials often refuse to accept donations from groups with which they agree.

Question 45

What can be learned from the 2016 presidential election?

A) The candidate that raised the most money won.
B) Political victory is ensured with campaign cash.
C) Donald Trump was able to win the Republican nomination even though he spent substantially less than some of his rivals.
D) Name recognition does not matter in campaigns.

Question 46

What is the ground game?

A) the candidate's speechmaking ability
B) the campaign's fund-raising ability
C) the campaign's emphasis on wholesale politics
D) the campaign's effort to get out the vote on Election Day

Question 47

Incumbents

A) devote considerable time to fundraising.
B) lose quite frequently when they seek reelection.
C) are typically quite vulnerable in a primary.
D) like to run for open seats.

Question 48

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

A) There were no limits to total campaign contributions made by political action committees in 2016.
B) Individuals can contribute as much hard money to individual candidates as they desire.
C) Political action committees can contribute as much hard money to individual candidates as they desire.
D) The Supreme Court justices upheld the overall contribution limits that were established by federal law in 2002.

Question 49

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

A) Presidential candidates who spend the most money always prevail.
B) In the 2016 Republican primaries, Donald Trump raised more money than all of his GOP opponents combined.
C) The political success of a campaign is contingent upon how much money is raised and spent on attack ads.
D) Sometimes political candidates win despite relatively low campaign funds.

Question 50

Which one of the following is a limitation on soft money?

A) Soft money cannot be used to mobilize voters.
B) Soft money cannot be used to promote a policy proposal.
C) Soft money cannot be used to promote a point of view.
D) Soft money cannot be used to elect or defeat a specific candidate.

Question 51

What can be concluded from the data in this table?

A) It is difficult to unseat an incumbent in the U.S. House.
B) Senate challengers typically raise as much money as Senate incumbents.
C) The amount of independent expenditures is miniscule in American politics.
D) Federal campaigns collectively run into the tens of millions.

Question 52

A 527 organization can accept unlimited amounts of ________ but cannot use that money on behalf of a specific ________.

A) soft money; candidate
B) soft money; issue
C) hard money; candidate
D) hard money; party platform

Question 53

The permanent campaign

A) is no longer a reality in American politics.
B) applies only to the presidency.
C) applies only to U.S. senators.
D) applies to U.S. House members, U.S. senators, and presidents alike.

Question 54

Which of the following actions taken by a campaign would MOST likely be protected speech based on the precedent established by Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)?

A) A billionaire running for president decides to bypass the endless hassle of fund-raising and self-funds.
B) A private charity buys airtime for a televised event two weeks before a general election featuring celebrity speakers who criticize one of the presidential candidates.
C) A corporation's stockholders vote to send their quarterly dividends to the campaign of their favorite candidate.
D) The nominating speeches at a party's national convention include many false claims.

Question 55

What kind of campaign funds are subject to clear limits on how much can be raised but not on how much is spent?

A) soft money
B) independent expenditures
C) overall spending
D) hard money

Question 56

As a result of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010),

A) all restrictions on campaign funding by corporations and labor unions were removed.
B) hard money contribution limits were banned.
C) soft money was banned.
D) all restrictions on contributing to federal campaigns were banned under the First Amendment.

Question 57

An important activity of any campaign is ________, which most directly involves ________.

A) mobilizing supporters; the ground game
B) converting opponents into supporters; the ground game
C) mobilizing supporters; name recognition
D) converting opponents into supporters; campaign platforms

Question 58

Campaign ads in the United States

A) are shorter today than in the early days of TV.
B) typically provide a great deal of substance.
C) are longer today than in the past.
D) increase the knowledge base of an already informed, interested citizenry.

Question 59

Amanda is a college student who wonders whether to vote because the chances of one vote being the decisive one are very small. What does her sentiment illustrate?

A) the paradox of voting
B) a personal vote
C) reasonable voting
D) split-ticket voting

Question 60

________ is in charge of administering federal election laws.

A) Congress
B) The Federal Election Commission
C) The White House chief of staff
D) The Federal Communications Commission

Question 61

What is the paradox of voting in America?

Question 62

Robert Byrd (D-WV) was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1958, and reelected in 1964, 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000, and 2006. Given this information, which one of the following statements
Is accurate when it comes to incumbency reelection rates in Congress?

A) Senate incumbents are more likely than House incumbents to get reelected.
B) Most incumbents lose in their attempt to be reelected because Congress as an institution is very unpopular today.
C) Most incumbents in both chambers routinely get reelected because they insulate themselves from electoral challenges through a variety of tactics.
D) All congressional incumbents are safe from electoral defeat.

Question 63

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

A) Younger Americans vote at higher rates than older Americans.
B) Men and women vote at roughly the same rate.
C) Most nonwhite groups vote at higher rates than whites.
D) Turnout is high for convicted felons.

Question 64

In 2016,

A) one major political party nominated a woman for president for the first time in history.
B) both major political parties nominated candidates with extensive political experience.
C) many Democrats refused to support their presidential nominee.
D) the Republicans nominated a traditional candidate for president.

Question 65

What can be concluded from the data presented in this figure?

A) About 85 percent of voters routinely vote in presidential elections.
B) About 62 percent of voters routinely vote in midterm elections.
C) Turnout was highest during this time period in 2008.
D) Voter turnout in presidential election years can be as low as 40 percent.

Question 66

Voters in American national elections

A) use many kinds of cues when deciding for whom to vote.
B) use only personal characteristics as a cue when deciding for whom to vote.
C) use only economic issues as a cue when deciding for whom to vote.
D) focus mostly on one issue when deciding for whom to vote.

Question 67

According to political scientists, what helps make something a reasonable vote?

A) voting cues
B) the paradox of voting
C) coattails
D) a split ticket

Question 68

A person has just been hired as a professional consultant to a U.S. Senate candidate. How should the consultant advise the candidate when it comes to the creation of television ads?

Question 69

Which one of the following describes voting cues?

A) Voters in American national elections typically seek one specific voting cue.
B) Voters in American national elections typically seek many voting cues.
C) Voting cues play no role in American national politics.
D) Voting cues matter only to wealthy Americans with high levels of education.

Question 70

Turnout among registered voters in presidential elections is generally around ________.

A) 85 percent
B) 60 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 71

How does fund-raising help incumbents?

Question 72

Are electoral votes allocated on a winner-take-all basis in all 50 states?

Question 73

In the 1984 presidential election, Ronald Reagan won a landslide victory over Walter Mondale. He was also able to generate support for other legislative candidates in his party. What is this called?

A) frontloading
B) coattails
C) voting cues
D) retrospective voting

Question 74

What are the constitutional requirements for service as U.S. president, as a U.S. senator, and
as a U.S. representative?

Question 75

What are some important voting cues for Americans?

Question 76

What are two simple truths about complex campaign finance regulations?

Question 77

Is there a distinction with regard to money in federal campaigns?

Question 78

What happened in the 2016 presidential election?

A) The Republicans nominated a woman for president for the first time in their history.
B) For the first time in 50 years, a major party nominated a presidential candidate with no prior political experience.
C) Gun control was the most important issue to the voters.
D) The Republicans nominated the most popular major-party presidential candidate of all time.

Question 79

Why are open seats so important in American federal elections?

Question 80

What can be concluded about the 2014 and 2016 elections?

A) nothing at all
B) They were similar at the congressional level.
C) The Republicans now have a significant advantage in federal elections.
D) The Democrats now have a significant advantage in federal elections.