Deck 25: Elections and Electoral Systems

Question 1

Which of the following factors is necessary in order for closed ballot proportional representation systems to increase the number of female representatives?

A) more women must run for office in proportional representation systems than in majority systems
B) female candidates must be more experienced than their male counterparts
C) the party leader must actively support closing the gender gap in political representation
D) voters must support female candidates more than male candidates

Answer 1

C

Question 2

During the period of the Stormont Parliament in Northern Ireland,Catholics represented one-third of the population but never came close to getting one-third of the seats in the assembly.What is one of the reasons given for this?

A) gerrymandering
B) the preferential vote system
C) runoff system
D) the alternative vote system

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which circumstances are magnified by the first-past-the-post electoral system?

A) the success of smaller parties
B) the effects of priming
C) the representation of minorities
D) the results of small shifts in the popular vote

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What broader conclusion about political institutions can be drawn from the fact that no two electoral systems are quite the same?

A) Political institutions can be reformed and adjusted to suit local needs and priorities.
B) Political institutions are difficult to replicate.
C) Rulers design political institutions according to their own self-interest.
D) Variation in political institutions can be attributed to variations in electoral systems.

Question 5

Which electoral system tends to promote the existence of small parties?

A) first-past-the-post
B) run-off
C) preferential ballot
D) proportional representation

Question 6

Which of the following situations would NOT occur in free and fair elections?

A) In a community where only 40% of the population is literate, print media is the only medium of political expression that is legally allowed.
B) Prisoners sentenced to life terms are not allowed to vote.
C) Less than 50% of eligible voters cast a vote in the election.
D) Only citizens of the country are allowed to run for office.

Question 7

What electoral system is used in French presidential elections?

A) single-member-plurality
B) proportional representation
C) the alternative (or preferential) vote system
D) the majority-runoff system

Question 8

What does the alternative (or preferential)vote system refer to?

A) the list system
B) the decision to vote for a single-issue party
C) a system where voters must select a majority
D) a system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference

Question 9

What is the purpose of poll taxes?

A) They are used to help pay for political campaigns
B) They are used to pay for impartial, non-partisan electoral officials
C) They are used to restrict the franchise to a select group of voters.
D) They are used to collect money from political candidates making use of polling stations.

Question 10

Suppose the percentage of votes that each party earns corresponds closely to the percentage of seats it is awarded in the legislature.Which term most accurately describes this electoral result?

A) majority
B) plurality
C) constituency
D) proportionality

Question 11

Which type of social cleavages can be accommodated the best in a single-member-plurality system?

A) religious
B) linguistic
C) regional
D) gender

Question 12

What is the first-past-the-post electoral system most often combined with?

A) proportional representation
B) single-member constituencies
C) an alternative ballot
D) the run-off system

Question 13

Which country uses both the list system and the single-member-plurality system together?

A) Japan
B) Netherlands
C) Ireland
D) Germany

Question 14

What is another name for the first-past-the-post electoral system?

A) mixed-member-plurality system (MMP)
B) proportional representation system (PR)
C) proportional plurality system (PP)
D) single-member-plurality system (SMP)

Question 15

What term is given to the practice of deliberately drawing constituencies so as to favour one side over another?

A) filibustering
B) gerrymandering
C) redistribution
D) proportional representation

Question 16

What are the two types of proportional representation?

A) the list system and the runoff system
B) the STV and the runoff system
C) the runoff system and the Hare system
D) the list system and the STV

Question 17

Which of the following countries has a proportional representation system of election?

A) Canada
B) France
C) United States
D) Netherlands

Question 18

A man grew up in a Catholic family where his parents always voted for the Liberal Party.He also voted for the Liberal Party his whole life until he opened his own business,at which point he voted for the Conservative party due to its proposed tax incentives for entrepreneurs.What is this an example of?

A) voting based on sociological factors
B) voting based on feelings of political alienation
C) voting based on psychological factors
D) voting based on a rational choice approach

Question 19

Which of the following situations is LEAST likely to occur in a two party single-member-plurality system?

A) The government is able to pass legislation efficiently.
B) There is a low voter turnout due to political alienation
C) The government can work confidently with a mandate from the majority of the population.
D) Voters with strong ideological beliefs do not feel represented in the political process.

Question 20

What does the elector vote for under the list system of election?

A) the party
B) the candidate
C) the candidate representing the party
D) a list of candidates ranked by the elector

Question 21

Young people in Canada and the United States are much less likely to vote than their older counterparts.

Question 22

The electoral system in Britain,Canada,and the United States is known as the single-member-proportionality (SMP)system.

Question 23

Which one of the following is NOT an electoral system?

A) single-member-plurality (SMP)
B) alternative (or preferential) vote (AV)
C) single-transferable-vote (STV)
D) alternative transformational vote (ATV)

Question 24

Western Europe has the highest voter turnout rate among liberal democracies.

Question 25

In which of the following electoral systems is political alienation LEAST likely?

A) single-member plurality majority system
B) majority-plurality system
C) majority-runoff system
D) alternative vote majority system

Question 26

Poll taxes are imposed by governments on companies who perform public opinion polls during election campaigns.

Question 27

The single-member-plurality electoral system has a tendency to give too much power to the majority,reward regionally concentrated parties,and contribute to wasted votes.

Question 28

The electoral system in Britain,Canada,and the United States is known as the single-member-plurality (SMP)system.

Question 29

Which term refers to a geographic district that has an elected representative?

A) plurality
B) party
C) constituency
D) runoff

Question 30

In a mixed-member-proportional electoral system,voters cast two ballots: one for a local candidate and another for a national list of candidates put forward by a political party.

Question 31

Which statement best explains why majority systems have fewer interest parties involved in the political process than proportional systems do?

A) Majority systems are more traditional, and interest parties push for reform
B) Interest groups in majority systems feel that the costs of becoming a political party are greater than the potential political gains.
C) Coalitions are rarer in majority systems than proportional systems.
D) Voters in majority systems are less interested in specific issues and vote based on broad policy platforms.

Question 32

Which of the following countries uses a plurality/majority electoral system?

A) Netherlands
B) France
C) Argentina
D) Australia

Question 33

The single-member-plurality electoral system has a tendency to gerrymander.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a common argument against proportional representation?

A) It has a divisive effect politics.
B) It increases the likelihood of gerrymandering.
C) It encourages the presence of extremist parties.
D) The results may lead to prolonged coalition government.

Question 35

Who,out of the following examples,would be most likely to experience political alienation?

A) someone who supports a traditionally successful party in a single-member-plurality system
B) someone who supports an interest party in a proportional representation system
C) someone who supports an interest party in a single-member-plurality system
D) Someone who supports an large party in a proportional representation system

Question 36

If a voter appreciates being able to walk down to the constituency office and speak directly with his elected representative,which of the following electoral systems would he DISLIKE?

A) mixed-member proportional system
B) majority-runoff system
C) single-transferable vote system
D) Single-member-plurality system

Question 37

Which of the following electoral systems affords the MOST power to party leaders?

A) open ballot proportional representation system
B) single-transferable-vote proportional representation system
C) closed ballot proportional representation system
D) mixed-member proportional system

Question 38

Partisan loyalty plays an important role in Canadian elections.

Question 39

Given the following polling results,which party is LEAST likely to elect candidate to office in a single-member-plurality system?

A) Party A will have 39% of the popular, with supporters spread across the country
B) Party B will have 10 % of the popular vote, with supporters in every electoral district
C) Party C will have 2% of the popular vote, with supporters concentrated in two electoral ridings.
D) Party D will have 15% of the popular vote, with supporters coming mostly from the Eastern part of the country.

Question 40

Which of the following factors does NOT contribute to voter turnout?

A) age
B) campaign expenditures
C) political alienation
D) the weather

Question 41

Define and explain the mixed-member-proportional system of voting.

Question 42

What conditions must exist for the proper functioning of elections in a liberal democracy?

Question 43

Four types of plurality/majority electoral systems are: _________,_________,______,and ______.

Question 44

When the percentage of votes that each party earns in the election corresponds closely to the percentage of seats it is awarded in the legislature,the electoral results are said to have __________.

Question 45

Does Canada's electoral system need to be reformed? If yes,why,and with what would you replace it? If not,why not?

Question 46

Outline the strengths and weaknesses of the single-member-plurality electoral system.

Question 47

Explain what factors contribute to voter turnout.Why is it that citizens in a democracy today would choose not to exercise their franchise?

Question 48

There are three broad types of electoral systems: plurality/majority,proportional,and mixed.

Question 49

There are three broad types of electoral systems: majority/____________,________,and _________.

Question 50

Deliberately drawing constituencies so as to favour one side over another is known as gerrymandering.

Question 51

Under the single-transferable-vote system,the elector votes for individuals,rather than party lists,by ranking the candidates in their order of choice.

Question 52

A geographic district that has an elected representative is known as a _______________.Deliberately drawing this so as to favour one side over another is called _______________.

Question 53

There are two main forms of proportional representation: the __________ system,in which the elector votes for a party,and the ____________ system,in which the elector ranks individual candidates in their order of preference.

Question 54

In a list system of voting,the elector votes for individuals,not for political parties.

Question 55

The single-member-plurality system is popularly known as "first past the post."

Question 56

The three main approaches to studying voter behaviour are __________,__________,and _________.

Question 57

Compare and contrast proportional representation and the plurality/majority systems of voting.In your view,which is the best system for Canada?

Question 58

Outline the strengths and weaknesses of the proportional representation electoral system.

Question 59

Some of the factors that contribute to voter turnout include age,level of education,level of income,frequency of voting,type of voting system,and the weather.

Question 60

An electoral system that combines proportionality with constituency representation is known as the ______________ system.A country that uses this system is ___________.

Question 61

In your opinion,does voter turnout affect the legitimacy of elections? Why,or why not?

Question 62

Which electoral system provides the most accountability to the voters,and why?