Deck 10: Campaigns and Elections

Question 1

A(n) ________ does NOT coincide with a presidential election.

A) closed primary election
B) open primary election
C) franchise vote
D) midterm election
E) referendum

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What did the Supreme Court justices mean by the principle "one person, one vote"?

A) Voters may only vote once in an election.
B) Within a state, electoral districts must have roughly equal populations.
C) No one could be denied suffrage on the basis of race or gender.
D) Voting was an individual right, not a group right.
E) Compulsory voting is constitutional.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Party activists who are elected to vote at a party's national convention are called ________.

A) incumbents
B) delegates
C) electors
D) nominees
E) whips

Answer 3

B

Question 4

If the winner of an election is whoever receives the most votes, regardless of the percentage of votes received, the candidates are running under a ________ system.

A) majority
B) plurality
C) proportionality
D) unitary
E) primary

Question 5

If a citizen votes for a Republican for president and a Democrat for senator, he or she has engaged in ________.

A) a referendum
B) an open primary
C) split-ticket voting
D) the coattail effect
E) a closed primary

Question 6

A majority system, which is used on a limited basis in the United States, requires that a candidate must win ________ to win an election.

A) at least 25 percent of all votes cast
B) at least 33 percent of all votes cast
C) at least 40 percent of all votes cast
D) 50 percent plus one of all votes cast
E) at least 60 percent of all votes cast, plus a percentage of absentee ballots,

Question 7

The original gerrymander is attributed to ________.

A) Thomas Jefferson
B) James Madison
C) Alexander Hamilton
D) Elbridge Gerry
E) George Washington

Question 8

Primary elections were introduced by

A) the Federalists in the late eighteenth century.
B) the Democrats in the 1830s.
C) the Republicans in the 1870s.
D) reformers who hoped to weaken the power of party leaders.
E) the Independents in the 1950s.

Question 9

When American voters support only one party's candidates, they are said to be voting a ________ ticket.

A) dual
B) single
C) straight
D) split
E) unity

Question 10

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Most voters in America use paper ballots.
B) The butterfly ballot caused some people to vote for candidates that they did not support in 2000.
C) Some of the electoral devices that are used in the United States are prone to error.
D) Legislative districts in the United States must conform to the principle of "one person, one vote."
E) none of the above

Question 11

Most European nations utilize a ________.

A) majority system
B) plurality system
C) system of proportional representation
D) blanket primary
E) closed primary

Question 12

The primary responsibility for conducting public elections rests with ________.

A) the federal government
B) state and local governments
C) political parties
D) the candidates running for office
E) privately owned and operated election companies

Question 13

The practice of ________ means that district boundaries have been purposefully drawn to unfairly advantage one group or party.

A) proportional representation
B) gerrymandering
C) balloting
D) incumbency
E) recall

Question 14

During midterm elections, voters are selecting ________.

A) federal judges
B) members of Congress
C) the president
D) the secretary of state
E) national-level referendums

Question 15

For the presidential primaries, most but not all state parties use what type of election?

A) winner-take-all
B) proportional representation
C) majority rules
D) the unitary system
E) plurality

Question 16

In order for a political party to select a candidate to run in the general election, it holds a(n) ________.

A) primary election
B) referendum
C) midterm election
D) franchise vote
E) exploratory committee

Question 17

Before the 1890s, who was responsible for printing election ballots?

A) the federal government
B) state governments
C) political parties
D) the National League of Women Voters
E) voters

Question 18

________ occurs when a voter must be registered with a party prior to voting in that party's election.

A) An open primary
B) A closed primary
C) A majority system
D) The Australian ballot
E) A referendum

Question 19

The principle of "one person, one vote" was established by the Supreme Court in the ________.

A) 1790s
B) 1820s
C) 1870s
D) 1930s
E) 1960s

Question 20

National elections are held in the United States the first Tuesday of November ________ year(s).

A) every
B) every other
C) every three
D) every four
E) every five

Question 21

The ________ is the last example of indirect voting in national elections.

A) referendum
B) electoral college
C) closed primary
D) open primary
E) franchise

Question 22

Before the post-World War II era, dark-horse candidates were most likely to arise at a national convention when

A) deadlocks between major factions developed.
B) no other candidate wanted the nomination.
C) charismatic leaders dominated the proceedings.
D) economic conditions were extremely poor.
E) an incumbent president was running for re-election.

Question 23

Which of the following is a difference between Democratic and Republican primaries?

A) The Democratic Party requires that state presidential primaries allocate delegates on the basis of a winner-take-all system while the Republican Party does not.
B) The Democratic Party requires that state presidential primaries allocate delegates on the basis of proportional representation while the Republican Party does not.
C) The Republican Party requires that state presidential primaries allocate delegates on the basis of proportional representation while the Democratic Party does not.
D) The Republican Party requires a two-thirds majority vote in a state to secure delegates while the Democratic Party does not.
E) The Republican Party has only closed primaries while the Democratic Party has only open primaries.

Question 24

Which party has reserved slots at the national convention for elected super-delegates?

A) the Republicans
B) the Democrats
C) the Greens
D) the Reform Party
E) the Independents

Question 25

________ occurs when state legislators concentrate the members of one party in as few districts as possible in order to ensure that their opponents will elect as few representatives as possible.

A) A referendum
B) Lobbying
C) Packing
D) Redlining
E) Caucusing

Question 26

________ was a dark-horse nominee for president.

A) James Polk (1844)
B) Warren Harding (1920)
C) both a and b
D) Ulysses S. Grant (1868)
E) Franklin Roosevelt (1932)

Question 27

A runoff election is likely to occur when

A) there are only two candidates running in the election.
B) there are more than two candidates running in the election.
C) there is only one candidate running in the election.
D) turnout in the election is very high.
E) turnout in the election is very low.

Question 28

"King Caucus" refers to

A) the significance of Iowa as the first caucus of the presidential campaign.
B) the importance of caucuses, not primaries, for Barack Obama's 2008 Democratic nomination.
C) the use of each party's congressional caucus to nominate presidential candidates during the early nineteenth century.
D) Daniel Webster, who had unrivaled influence over the presidential nominating process during the 1820s and 1830s.
E) the fact that caucuses are inherently undemocratic methods of selecting nominees for national political office.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Federal law since 2002 requires that all states use the same type of voting equipment.
B) The Supreme Court justices have mandated that all voting machines provide a paper ballot.
C) Voting equipment varies from county to county throughout the United States.
D) Since 2000, all voting equipment has been required to use a butterfly ballot.
E) The Supreme Court has ruled that elections using electronic voting machines are unconstitutional.

Question 30

Early presidential primaries and caucuses are more important because they

A) allocate more than 85 percent of all delegates in the nomination process.
B) encourage more candidates to run for the nomination in later primaries and caucuses.
C) determine who the vice presidential nominee will be.
D) can help a candidate secure media attention and financial support.
E) are held in the largest, most populated states.

Question 31

Which of the following politicians was recalled from office?

A) President Warren Harding (1921)
B) New York City mayor David Dinkins (1993)
C) California governor Gray Davis (2003)
D) President Richard Nixon (1972)
E) President George W. Bush (2007)

Question 32

Generally speaking, a recall effort begins with a ________.

A) petition campaign
B) lawsuit
C) law passed by the state legislature
D) decree by the governor
E) law passed by Congress and signed by the president

Question 33

Which of the following political officers is/are subject to recall elections?

A) the president
B) senators
C) members of the House of Representatives
D) federal judges
E) the governor of the state of California

Question 34

What is a referendum?

A) It is the congressional election held between presidential elections.
B) It is the right and power to vote.
C) It is the practice of voting directly for proposed laws.
D) It is the process by which a party selects its candidates for the general election.
E) It is the process by which voters are allowed to remove state officials from office before their terms expire.

Question 35

Which of the following is FALSE?

A) Benjamin Harrison won the presidency in 1888 despite losing the popular vote.
B) Rutherford B. Hayes won the presidency in 1876 despite losing the popular vote.
C) All states distribute electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis.
D) George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000 despite losing the popular vote.
E) none of the above

Question 36

Which states do not distribute electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis?

A) Maine and Nebraska
B) Delaware and New Hampshire
C) Connecticut and Utah
D) Illinois and South Dakota
E) Mississippi and New Mexico

Question 37

When did national conventions begin in American politics?

A) 1780s
B) 1830s
C) 1870s
D) 1910s
E) 1940s

Question 38

In ________, the Supreme Court justices determined that purposefully drawing districts where the majority of voters were members of a single minority group, in order to ensure minority representation, was unlawful.

A) Reynolds v. Sims (1964)
B) Bush v. Gore (2000)
C) Shaw v. Reno (1993)
D) Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
E) United States v. Nixon (1974)

Question 39

During the earliest years of the United States, who nominated the candidates for president?

A) The incumbent president chose both candidates.
B) Members of the major political parties chose their own nominees.
C) Nominations were controlled by each party's congressional caucus.
D) Political machine bosses controlled the entire nominating process.
E) State legislatures selected one candidate from each party.

Question 40

Smaller and weaker parties are most likely to have electoral success under which system of elections?

A) the proportional representation system
B) the majority system
C) the plurality system
D) the unitary system
E) the referendum system

Question 41

Modern political campaigns do NOT depend on ________.

A) broadcast media
B) direct mailings
C) a large army of volunteers from the party
D) phone banks
E) public-opinion polling

Question 42

A ________ is an effort by political candidates and their staffs to win backing and support by voters in the quest for political office.

A) gerrymander
B) campaign
C) caucus
D) platform
E) national convention

Question 43

Who is the incumbent?

A) the current officeholder, running for re-election
B) the candidate who raises the most money during the campaign
C) the official candidate for a political party, running in the general elections
D) whoever is leading in the polls on the day of the election
E) a candidate who is running against a current officeholder in an election

Question 44

By using donor lists or magazine subscription lists, candidates are able to engage in ________.

A) direct-mail solicitations
B) sample polling
C) town meetings
D) redlining
E) benign gerrymandering

Question 45

Spot advertisements are useful because they

A) permit a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience before people can tune out.
B) are essentially free of charge, because the media needs to fill the "spot."
C) are funded through a loophole in campaign finance laws.
D) are the best means for an audience to get the most information about the policy preferences of candidates, rather than the candidates' personalities.
E) are funded by nonpartisan organizations rather than candidates.

Question 46

Approximately ________ is needed for a candidate to have a reasonable chance of winning a seat in the House of Representatives.

A) $50,000
B) $100,000
C) $500,000
D) $5,000,000
E) $10,000,000

Question 47

What is the first step in running for president?

A) forming an exploratory committee
B) attending the party's national convention
C) participating in party debates
D) running in party primaries and caucuses
E) enrolling in the electoral college

Question 48

Campaign consultants do all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A) conduct public-opinion polls
B) organize direct mailings
C) develop the issues on which the candidate will focus
D) produce television commercials
E) print ballots for the election

Question 49

In contemporary politics, local election campaigns tend to be ________, while statewide elections tend to be ________.

A) caucuses; primaries
B) media driven and capital intensive; organizationally driven and labor intensive
C) organizationally driven and labor intensive; media driven and capital intensive
D) front-loaded; back-loaded
E) back-loaded; front-loaded

Question 50

If Barack Obama won the plurality of votes in California during the 2012 election, and California had 53 representatives in the House of Representatives, how many electoral votes from California did Obama win?

A) 0
B) 53
C) 55
D) 62
E) 77

Question 51

While traditional party conventions were ________, contemporary party conventions are ________.

A) deliberative assemblies to determine nominations; simple ratifications of nominations that have already been determined
B) simple ratifications of nominations that had already been determined; deliberative assemblies to determine nominations
C) financed solely by the federal government; financed by interest groups, private donors, and corporations
D) financed by interest groups, private donors, and corporations; financed solely by the federal government
E) held on the year before the presidential election; held one week before the presidential election

Question 52

When do incumbents have difficulty securing supporters and contributors?

A) some of the time
B) when they have experienced negative publicity
C) never
D) a majority of the time
E) none of the above

Question 53

________ glanced at his watch during a presidential debate, which undoubtedly hurt his presidential campaign.

A) Richard Nixon
B) Jimmy Carter
C) George H. W. Bush
D) Bill Clinton
E) Ross Perot

Question 54

Plurality and majority systems tend to

A) increase the number of political parties.
B) decrease the number of political parties.
C) evolve into single-party systems.
D) devolve into anarchy.
E) make political parties illegal.

Question 55

When candidates for office sponsor hearings, undertake inspection tours of disaster areas, or meet with foreign dignitaries, the form of publicity they receive is called ________.

A) a press junket
B) free media
C) the coattail effect
D) the C-SPAN effect
E) a spot advertisement

Question 56

Which of the following is the best example of direct democracy in practice in the United States?

A) gerrymandering
B) retrospective voting
C) prospective voting
D) referendum
E) issue advocacy

Question 57

The ________ is the most common electoral system used in general elections in the United States.

A) majority system
B) plurality system
C) proportional representation system
D) gerrymandered system
E) referendum

Question 58

A major factor in John Kennedy's 1960 presidential victory over Richard Nixon was

A) the fact that, unlike Nixon, Kennedy had hired a professional political consultant.
B) that Kennedy had a much stronger performance than Nixon during televised debates.
C) Nixon's failure to develop infomercials.
D) Kennedy's aggressive use of push polls, especially in the Northeast.
E) Kennedy's strategic use of "soft money" and 527 committees.

Question 59

The boundaries of legislative districts in the United States are to be redrawn every ________ years.

A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 10
E) 15

Question 60

When states vie for influence by holding their nominating processes earlier, it is called ________.

A) gerrymandering
B) the winner-take-all system
C) closed caucusing
D) open caucusing
E) front-loading

Question 61

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, election campaigns tended to be ________.

A) capital intensive
B) labor intensive
C) media driven
D) guided by campaign consultants
E) short and peaceful

Question 62

Why did many members of Congress vote to ban advocacy groups from running ads that mention a candidate's name within 30 days of a primary election and 60 days of a general election?

A) They thought that the ban would eliminate the importance of money in politics.
B) They thought that the ban would make the system of American elections more consistent with the campaign requirements specified in the Constitution.
C) They thought that the ban would make it less likely for wealthy advocacy groups to flood the media with ads and unfairly influence the outcome of elections.
D) They thought that the ban would make it more difficult for opponents to defeat incumbents.
E) They thought that the ban would increase the number of people who vote in elections.

Question 63

The majority of political action committees represent ________.

A) single-issue advocacy groups
B) trial lawyers
C) business and professional groups
D) Republicans and Democrats
E) environmental groups and religious organizations

Question 64

A(n) ________ is a media format in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens, without the input of journalists or commentators.

A) town hall meeting
B) spot ad
C) infomercial
D) photo op
E) caucus

Question 65

________ occurs when a citizen votes for a candidate because he or she approves of the candidate's past record.

A) Prospective voting
B) Retrospective voting
C) Poll testing
D) Ticket splitting
E) Recall voting

Question 66

Partisan loyalty is likely to be highest in the election of ________.

A) the president
B) a state legislator
C) a U.S. senator
D) members of the House of Representatives
E) a governor

Question 67

Which of the following statements about campaign spending in Senate elections is true?

A) Incumbents generally spend less money than challengers in Senate campaigns.
B) Incumbents and challengers generally spend the same amount of money in Senate campaigns.
C) Incumbents generally spend more money than challengers in Senate campaigns.
D) Incumbents and challengers in Senate campaigns are legally limited to spending only $2 million.
E) Incumbents and challengers in Senate campaigns are legally limited to spending only $5 million.

Question 68

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Positive ads are more effective than negative ads.
B) American citizens typically reject negative campaigning.
C) both a and b
D) Voters tend to learn more from negative ads than positive ads.
E) Negative ads are highly counterproductive.

Question 69

The themes, issues, and messages that candidates present during a campaign are generally based on

A) the election rules passed by Congress each year.
B) the size of the constituency they are seeking to represent.
C) polls and focus groups.
D) legally binding orders that are issued from the national party organizations.
E) an objective assessment of what the most important problems facing the country are.

Question 70

A citizen can currently give no more than ________ per candidate for federal office per election in a given two-year election cycle.

A) $1,000
B) $2,600
C) $5,000
D) $25,000
E) $117,500

Question 71

Money contributed directly to a political party to be used for voter registration or party building is called ________.

A) graft
B) soft money
C) a bribe
D) hard money
E) housekeeping dollars

Question 72

The Supreme Court justices ruled that the government could not restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions to political campaigns in ________.

A) Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
B) Bush v. Gore (2000)
C) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
D) the case involving Jon Corzine in New Jersey
E) none of the above

Question 73

When does public-opinion polling take place during a campaign?

A) at the very beginning
B) only toward the end of the campaign
C) throughout the entire campaign
D) only at the very beginning and the very end of the campaign
E) Most campaigns do not use public-opinion polling.

Question 74

Which of the following statements concerning the public funding of presidential campaigns is INCORRECT?

A) Federal law requires the presidential candidates from the major parties to use public funding during the general election.
B) Many presidential candidates are opting not to accept public funding in order to be free of any spending restrictions.
C) Third parties can receive public funding only if they received 5 percent of the vote in the previous presidential election.
D) Taxpayers may contribute to the public funding of presidential campaigns, at no cost to themselves, on their federal income tax forms.
E) Candidates who accept matching funds may spend no more than $42 million, including matching funds, in their presidential primary campaigns.

Question 75

The right of candidates to spend their own money on running for office

A) is limited by a cap of $50 million.
B) is protected absolutely by the First Amendment according to the Supreme Court justices.
C) was forbidden by the Campaign Reform Act of 1974.
D) is allowed only if the candidate can match every personal dollar with a dollar from outside donations.
E) was forbidden by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.

Question 76

Which three types of factors influence the decisions of voters at the polls?

A) wealth, education, and issues
B) advertising, partisan loyalty, and personality
C) partisan loyalty, issues, and the characteristics of candidates
D) advertising, debates, and issues
E) honesty, partisan loyalty, and wealth

Question 77

Political scientists call voters' choices that focus on future behavior ________ voting, while those based on past performances are called ________ voting.

A) prospective; retrospective
B) retrospective; prospective
C) partisan; issue
D) issue; partisan
E) issue; prospective

Question 78

Politicians attempt to "balance the ticket" with members of many important groups because

A) interest groups frequently engage in direct lobbying to enhance diversity in campaigns.
B) affirmative action legislation from the 1960s requires proportional representation in all elections.
C) federal campaign finance laws provide higher spending limits for more "balanced" tickets.
D) voters tend to prefer candidates who are closer to themselves in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, geography, and social background.
E) the Constitution requires at least minimal levels of representation in election campaigns.

Question 79

Which of the following statements about campaign spending in House elections is true?

A) The amount of money spent by challengers and incumbents has decreased at the same rate since 1980.
B) The amount of money spent by incumbents has decreased since 1980 and has decreased at a much faster rate than the amount spent by challengers.
C) The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 but has grown at a much slower rate than the amount spent by challengers.
D) The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 and has grown at a much faster rate than the amount spent by challengers.
E) The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 and has grown at the same rate as the amount spent by challengers.

Question 80

Private groups that raise and distribute funds for election campaigns are called ________.

A) corporations
B) political parties
C) political action committees
D) political consulting firms
E) executive agencies