Deck 14: Campaigns and Elections

Question 1

Jimmy Carter won the Democratic Party nomination for president in 1976 and went on to win the presidency. Carter was considered a low-key outsider who was not the first pick of the party power elites. How did Carter win the Democratic primary election?

A) He swayed the party leaders to back his candidacy.
B) Many consider the 1976 election as a "stolen election."
C) Carter won enough primary votes in the southern states that he did not need states from other areas of the country.
D) Carter was the only major candidate running for president in 1976.
E) He was the first to appeal directly to the primary voters and gain their support.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

After the 1824 election, Jackson founded a new political party, which

A) believed in the enfranchisement of all white men, rather than just the propertied class.
B) dramatically expanded white male suffrage throughout the country.
C) saw more and more state political parties adopt open caucuses, in which party members met to provide input as to the candidate their party should nominate for elective office.
D) was called the Democratic Party.
E) All of the above are true.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

What was the importance of the Twelfth Amendment, which was ratified in 1804?

A) It created a requirement that electors cast two votes: one for president and one for vice president.
B) It created the right to vote for all Americans.
C) Women gained the right to vote.
D) It abolished the poll tax and literacy test that were used to deny suffrage to minority groups.
E) It mandated that two political parties must always exist in order to give balance to the electoral process.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Normally, the period from January through June of the year of a presidential election is referred to as the nomination campaign. What occurs during this period?

A) The candidates declare their intention to seek the office of president.
B) All campaign funds are required to be expended.
C) Primary elections are held in each state to determine the number of delegates each candidate will be allowed to send to the nominating convention.
D) The electoral college meets to cast their formal votes.
E) The nationwide vote is held and the next president is chosen.

Question 5

In the early days of American democracy, state legislatures chose electors who then cast two votes for president of the United States. Why cast two votes?

A) One vote was for their state and the other vote for the other states.
B) If voters rejected the electors' first choice, then the second place finisher became the winner.
C) If one candidate was ruled as ineligible, it would not be necessary to hold another election.
D) The candidate with the most votes became president, while the second-place candidate became the vice president.
E) To ensure that the vote totals were the same.

Question 6

An open caucus is a method where

A) voters can show up on primary election day and cast their ballots without declaring party affiliation.
B) the party's leaders select the party's nominee for President.
C) the party's Congressional delegation selects the party's nominee for President.
D) party members are invited to a statewide meeting that votes for a slate of delegates to send to the national convention.
E) party members formally meet to provide input as to who their party should nominate for elective office.

Question 7

Political parties, though weaker today than in the past, have provided the framework for every presidential election since

A) 1788.
B) 1792.
C) 1796.
D) 1828.
E) 1860.

Question 8

The political elite of a party (governors, mayors, party chairs, and other officials) selected most of the delegates and thus had most input choosing the party's Presidential nominee, until what decade?

A) 1920s
B) 1930s
C) 1940s
D) 1950s
E) 1960s

Question 9

In 1824 Andrew Jackson was the first presidential candidate in American history to win the popular vote but not win a majority of the electoral college. What happened as a result of these election results?

A) The election was scratched and a new election held with Jackson losing in the second election.
B) As Jackson did not win a majority of the electoral college, the House of Representatives made the choice.
C) The Republican Party was created from the turmoil and began to win elections.
D) A political stalemate formed that prohibited the formation of other parties.
E) The turmoil was so great that the election was not held and the existing president served for three more years.

Question 10

By the 1796 presidential election, just eight years after the signing of the Constitution, two political parties had formed and were actively seeking candidates to represent them in the elections. What were these first two political parties?

A) Democrats and Republicans
B) Democrats and Liberals
C) Republicans and Independents
D) Federalists and Democratic-Republicans
E) Communists and Socialists

Question 11

The District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) does not lie within a state; therefore, in the U.S. Constitution its citizens did not originally have a vote for president nor did they have any electoral votes. How was this changed in 1961 to allow residents of the District to cast votes for president?

A) The citizens of the District of Columbia held violent protests and government officials succumbed.
B) The District of Columbia became a state and then assumed the right to extend voting privileges to its citizens.
C) The U.S. Constitution was amended to include the District of Columbia in the electoral college.
D) The District of Columbia's representatives in the U.S. House and Senate introduced legislation to make the change.
E) A federal law was created that extended the right to vote.

Question 12

The first state to hold a direct primary in a Presidential election was

A) Wisconsin.
B) Illinois.
C) Wyoming.
D) New York.
E) Florida.

Question 13

The U. S. Constitution calls for Congressional elections to occur

A) every year.
B) every two years.
C) every four years.
D) every six years.
E) until Congress person dies or retires.

Question 14

During the Progressive era of the early 1900s, the direct primary was created and implemented. What was the purpose of this direct primary?

A) It bypassed the voters and placed the election of candidates in the hands of the governor.
B) It cut out the campaign phase and proceeded directly to the voting phase.
C) It gave voters the opportunity to select party candidates rather than party leaders choosing the person who would represent the party.
D) It eliminated the power of the political parties.
E) It eliminated the voter registration process so voters had less chance of losing their right to vote.

Question 15

Presidential elections have two distinct phases. The phase in which the political parties select candidates to run against other party candidates is called the

A) nomination phase.
B) general election.
C) interview process.
D) categorizing procedure.
E) indoctrination phase.

Question 16

The Twenty-second Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits presidents to how many terms?

A) No limit
B) One term
C) No limit as long as there is a four-year break between terms
D) Two consecutive terms
E) Two terms

Question 17

Political parties select individuals to serve the parties as presidential and vice presidential candidates. This duo is referred to as

A) the force.
B) the executive branch.
C) the "party ticket."
D) democracy.
E) plurality.

Question 18

What does the U.S. Constitution say about the choosing of candidates or the process by which individuals become candidates for president?

A) The Constitution restricts the number of political parties that can be active in an election.
B) The Constitution requires that an individual file as a candidate for president at least two years before the election.
C) Beyond setting eligibility requirements, the Constitution has nothing to say about choosing candidates or the process of becoming a candidate.
D) The Constitution sets high filing fees for the office of president in order to keep the field of candidates at a moderate level.
E) The Constitution requires that political parties hold their presidential primary elections in the same year as the general election.

Question 19

Why did the Framers of the U.S. Constitution not anticipate the first phase of the presidential elections?

A) In that period, two elections were illegal.
B) They did not anticipate that a two-party system would emerge.
C) There was not enough population to warrant an election.
D) The population was so low that it was possible to create a ballot with all names listed.
E) It was very likely an oversight on their part.

Question 20

The first Presidential election in which a state held a direct primary was

A) 1880.
B) 1912.
C) 1900.
D) 1916.
E) 1892.

Question 21

Which of the following would NOT be considered a factor in the general election campaign?

A) Whether an incumbent is running
B) Who is picked for the number two position on the ticket
C) How advertising campaigns are waged
D) The presidential debates
E) How early the primary elections were held

Question 22

Who was NOT in the invisible primary for the Republican Party in 2012?

A) Mitt Romney
B) Michelle Bachmann
C) Rick Perry
D) John McCain
E) Herman Cain

Question 23

Which of the following is the correct order of stages in selecting the president?

A) The national convention; the prenomination campaign; the nomination campaign; the electoral college decision; the general election campaign
B) The prenomination campaign; the nomination campaign; the national convention; the general election campaign; the electoral college decision
C) The general election campaign; the national convention; the prenomination campaign; the nomination campaign; the electoral college decision
D) The electoral college decision; the national convention; the prenomination campaign; the nomination campaign; the general election campaign
E) The prenomination campaign; the national convention; the nomination campaign; the electoral college decision; the general election campaign

Question 24

The nomination campaign is a state-by-state process over several months. What is the primary goal of the candidate during this part of the campaign?

A) To illustrate the ability to garner support
B) To raise the most money
C) To complete the process and enter the national convention with the largest number of delegates committed to support his/her campaign
D) To win the general election
E) To emerge as a frontrunner

Question 25

What is the primary benefit for a candidate who emerges as a frontrunner in a political party's campaign for president?

A) The federal government increases the amount of funding for the campaign.
B) Media coverage of the candidate tends to increase significantly.
C) The candidate could experience an increase in support in the public opinion polls.
D) It guarantees the candidate a spot on the general election ballot.
E) State governments are required at this point to contribute campaign funding for the candidate.

Question 26

Becoming an early frontrunner in a campaign for a party's nomination guarantees

A) that the candidate will have the momentum to carry him/her through to the national convention.
B) that the candidate will win his/her party's nomination.
C) that the candidate will receive a nomination for vice president, at the very least.
D) a spot on the ballot in the general election will be awarded.
E) nothing.

Question 27

A less common, but still utilized approach for selecting the party's candidate is for voters to show up at the polling place and request either a Republican or Democrat ballot, regardless of how they are registered with the Board of Elections. This approach is called a(n)

A) open primary.
B) closed primary.
C) the caucus.
D) open referendum.
E) cross-party poll.

Question 28

A handful of states do not hold elections for individual parties to select their candidates. Instead, the party members are invited to attend local meetings at which they choose delegates who make a commitment to a candidate for the party nomination. This process is called a(n)

A) open primary.
B) closed primary.
C) caucus.
D) referendum.
E) sifting.

Question 29

In today's American society, what is the primary purpose of the national party conventions that are held in the summer prior to the presidential elections?

A) To showcase the party's presidential candidate and garner momentum for the upcoming election
B) To interview and narrow the field of candidates for the upcoming primary elections
C) To appoint cabinet members and other officeholders in case the party's candidate wins the election
D) To seek balance and a cooperative spirit between the two major parties on major issues prior to the election
E) To introduce new legislation to Congress in order to satisfy campaign promises

Question 30

A governor decides that he wants to explore a run for president. After six months the prospective candidate cannot seem to generate any widespread interest or raise funds so he drops out of consideration for the presidential election. This scenario is an example of which of the presidential processes?

A) Prenomination
B) Nomination
C) National convention
D) General election
E) Electoral college

Question 31

__________ is a statewide election that selects delegates who will represent a state at the party's national convention?

A) General election
B) Presidential primary
C) Referendum
D) Political party survey
E) Party appointment

Question 32

Candidates seeking a political party's nomination often battle each other for months while vying to achieve "frontrunner" status. This process is often referred to as

A) the primary election.
B) the screening process.
C) the debate process.
D) self-identification.
E) the invisible primary.

Question 33

The Twenty-third Amendment, ratified in 1961, provides __________ with three electoral votes.

A) Guam
B) U.S. Virgin Islands
C) Puerto Rico
D) Washington, D.C.
E) American Samoa

Question 34

The final determination of which candidate wins the presidential election is based upon

A) a determination of the U.S. Supreme Court.
B) the actual number of states that each candidate wins.
C) the official results of the votes cast by electors in the electoral college.
D) a review and vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
E) certification of the election results by the two major political parties.

Question 35

What is the purpose of "exploratory committees"?

A) They seek negative publicity on electoral opponents.
B) They are part of a money-making ploy used by politicians.
C) Potential presidential candidates use them to assess the feasibility of making a formal declaration of official candidacy.
D) They represent the electoral equivalent of an ethics investigation.
E) They are committees appointed by Congress to assess the needs of Americans.

Question 36

The number of electoral votes from each state is determined by

A) the state legislatures of each state.
B) a vote in Congress prior to each election.
C) a number that is equivalent to the state's allotment of House members plus two more for each senator from the state.
D) each political party.
E) results of a conference between the two major political parties.

Question 37

The period between the national party conventions in the summer of the presidential election year and the actual election in November is referred to as

A) the nomination campaign.
B) the general election campaign.
C) the pre-nomination campaign.
D) the presidential debates.
E) the electoral wrap-up.

Question 38

Most states require that a voter declare a party affiliation ahead of time and, at the time of voting, he/she can only vote in that party's election. This process is called a(n)

A) open primary.
B) closed primary.
C) the caucus.
D) forced selection.
E) restricted access.

Question 39

How does a candidate win in the electoral college?

A) He/she must receive an outright majority of all electoral votes.
B) He/she must receive two-thirds of the electoral votes.
C) The results of the electoral college are considered and another vote is then taken in Congress to confirm the votes.
D) He/she must receive three-fourths of all electoral votes.
E) The electoral college is symbolic and is no longer used in presidential elections.

Question 40

Observers often list the first stage of a presidential election as the prenomination campaign that occurs shortly after a presidential election is concluded. What occurs during this phase?

A) The candidates for the next presidential election must be selected so that they have the full four years to campaign.
B) Political parties hold primary elections to determine who they can accept as possible candidates.
C) The president appoints committees from each party to begin searching for his competitors in the next election.
D) Possible candidates begin to test the waters, raise money, attract media attention, and try to sway support of influential party members.
E) The political parties hold their national conventions to plot the campaign for the next four years.

Question 41

In 2012, which state(s) is (are) the only state(s) permitted to hold contests for delegates before February?

A) Iowa
B) Iowa and New Hampshire
C) Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina
D) Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida
E) Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Georgia

Question 42

How many total contests (primaries and caucuses) are held to select delegates to national party conventions?

A) 50
B) 51
C) 52
D) 53
E) 54

Question 43

What is meant by "open seat election"?

A) Voters from either party can vote for any candidate.
B) Anyone can file as a candidate for the seat.
C) Neither candidate is an incumbent.
D) Neither candidate has declared a party affiliation.
E) Non-registered citizens may still cast votes if they prove residency.

Question 44

How does a presidential candidate win in the electoral college?

A) The candidate must have a plurality of the electoral votes.
B) The candidate must win a simple majority of the 538 electoral votes.
C) The candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes in two-thirds of each of the states.
D) The candidate must receive at least one-third of the electoral votes coupled with a simple majority of the popular vote.
E) The candidate must win a three-fourths majority of all electoral votes.

Question 45

Unique to the 2008 presidential campaign was the fact that neither an incumbent president nor vice president ran for the office. The last time that this occurred was in

A) 1992.
B) 1976.
C) 1960.
D) 1928.
E) 1860.

Question 46

A presidential race between a sitting president and a challenger is called

A) a primary election.
B) an incumbent race.
C) a policy referendum.
D) a confirmation election.
E) a tilted race.

Question 47

The first televised presidential debate that generated a high level of scrutiny and interest was held in

A) 1860 between Lincoln and Douglas.
B) 1912 between Wilson and Taft.
C) 1932 between Roosevelt and Hoover.
D) 1960 between Kennedy and Nixon.
E) 1992 between Clinton and Bush.

Question 48

What effect have televised presidential debates had on election outcomes?

A) Moderate results at best but likely no real impact.
B) Debates are proven to be very effective in swaying voter opinion.
C) The majority of the potential voters will change their candidate preference following the debate.
D) Historically the winner of the debates usually wins the presidency.
E) It almost always helps the underdog candidate at the expense of the major candidate.

Question 49

In 2012, states that allocated their delegates proportionate to the voting outcome were permitted to hold contests as early as the first Tuesday in

A) February.
B) March.
C) April.
D) May.
E) January.

Question 50

The unit rule, in which the candidate who receives the most votes among the popular votes cast for President receives all of the electoral votes for that state, is used by all states except

A) Maine and Nebraska.
B) Rhode Island and Hawaii.
C) Texas and California.
D) Kansas and Arkansas.
E) Louisiana and Michigan.

Question 51

A trend has emerged in the last 20 years or so in which states move their primary elections or caucuses earlier in the presidential election year in order to increase their significance nationwide. This process has become known as

A) frontloading.
B) leap-frogging.
C) intensifying.
D) opening the process.
E) narrowing the field.

Question 52

Which of the following would NOT be a consideration for a presidential candidate in choosing his or her vice presidential running mate?

A) Geographical and regional balance
B) Ideological balance
C) Balance of party affiliation between the two candidates
D) Character and personal demeanor
E) Balance of experience

Question 53

How many national conventions have been held in Chicago?

A) 11
B) 10
C) 14
D) 25
E) 30

Question 54

How many senators represent the District of Columbia in the U.S. Senate?

A) None
B) One
C) Two
D) Three
E) Five

Question 55

All states have a minimum of three electoral votes. The state with the most electoral votes in the electoral college is

A) Texas.
B) New York.
C) Florida.
D) Vermont.
E) California.

Question 56

What is meant by the term "battleground state"?

A) The state cannot be considered safely Democrat or Republican so either party has a chance of winning that state in the presidential election.
B) Party politics are so strong in the state that nearly all efforts to move forward are met with huge battles.
C) The majority of the voters in the state are ideologically moderate.
D) A state that splits its distribution of votes in the electoral college.
E) Election results in such states are normally decided within the courts weeks after the election.

Question 57

How can the number of electoral votes in a state be changed?

A) Electoral votes are assigned by the U.S. Constitution and cannot be changed.
B) Each state legislature has the power to change its allotment of electoral votes.
C) The census is taken every 10 years and significant population shifts between states will lead to reapportionment of the 538 total electoral votes between states.
D) To add electoral votes, the U.S. Constitution must be amended.
E) The electoral votes proportionally represent the popular vote from each state so will change as it changes.

Question 58

Which of the following is NOT considered "determinants of vote choice"?

A) Familiarity of the candidate
B) Party identification
C) The candidate's religion
D) The candidate's stance on particular issues
E) The image and personal traits of the candidate

Question 59

How many incumbents have lost their bids for another term?

A) 5
B) 7
C) 11
D) 15
E) 19

Question 60

March 6, 2012-"Super Tuesday"- was so named because

A) with that day's results, 26 states had held their contests.
B) with that day's results 28 contests (50 percent plus 1) had been held.
C) fifteen states all held their contests on that day.
D) nine states all held their contests that day.
E) it commemorated the fictional arrival of Kal-El on earth.

Question 61

Through much of U.S. history, citizens of the District of Columbia were not allowed to vote in presidential elections. When and how did this change? Is the District of Columbia included in the electoral college?

Question 62

Describe the major stages or steps that an individual candidate experiences between his/her first serious interest in the upcoming presidential election to the point of winning or losing the election.

Question 63

Looking specifically at the election of 2012, track how the GOP evolved from the invisible primary to the final electoral college vote. Who were the major parties involved and what were the specifics in the results?

Question 64

Identify and describe the five determinants of vote choice. Which do you feel is the most powerful for American voters and why?

Question 65

Discuss the concept of "power of the incumbency." What is meant by the term? Do you feel that it is a realistic phenomenon? What advantages would an incumbent have over an inexperienced challenger? Is this power the same for members of Congress and the President?

Question 66

In presidential elections the winner is often a strong enough candidate that his success has positive results for his party all the way to the various state and local races. This phenomenon is called the

A) coattail effect.
B) trickle-down theory.
C) subordinate submission phenomenon.
D) force of election theory.
E) presidential impact.

Question 67

Describe the various methods for funding a presidential campaign. How does the federal government regulate such campaign funding?

Question 68

Which U.S. Supreme Court case ruled that Congress could limit campaign contributions consistent with the First Amendment, but that it could not limit independent campaign expenditures or personal money spent by candidates on behalf of their own campaigns?

A) Buckley v. Valeo
B) McConnell v. F.E.C.
C) McCulloch v. Maryland
D) Plessy v. Ferguson
E) Scott v. Sanford

Question 69

How is the number of electoral votes determined for each state? Many states have debated changes to the process by which electoral votes are awarded. Can such changes be made? If so, what are the options?

Question 70

Campaign contributions that go directly to the candidate are called

A) bribes.
B) influence maneuvers.
C) hard money.
D) soft money.
E) high profile money.

Question 71

Retrospective voting

A) posits that evaluation of an incumbent's past performance in office provides important cues for voters in deciding whether to vote for that candidate.
B) posits that candidates who have more favorable images than their opponents among voters tend to fare much better in election contests.
C) posits that when a particular issue captures the attention of many people in the electorate, voters are more likely to use a candidate's position on that issue to form a vote decision.
D) posits that issue voting occurs more often when an issue is of particular personal concern to a voter.
E) posits that in making a choice, voters examine the past career of the challenger to the incumbent president.

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT a major source of campaign funding?

A) Individual citizens
B) Interest groups
C) PACs
D) Foreign investors
E) Political parties

Question 73

A seat in a congressional district that has relatively similar numbers of Democratic and Republican voters is known as a(n)

A) open seat.
B) safe seat.
C) closed seat.
D) marginal seat.
E) midterm seat.

Question 74

Which of the following is NOT true of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002?

A) It is popularly known as the McCain-Feingold Act.
B) It prohibited national parties and candidates for federal office from accepting soft money.
C) It raised limits on contributions to a particular candidate for federal office.
D) It required that all federal candidates accurately disclose campaign contributions.
E) It regulated expenditures on ads.

Question 75

Franking privilege allows incumbent members of congress to

A) travel to and from their home state for free.
B) never pay taxes.
C) mail materials to constituents without paying for postage.
D) enjoy free medical and dental benefits.
E) garner an extensive financial bonus yearly to go towards a charity of their choice.

Question 76

The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) did all of the following except

A) that it was passed in 1971 and amended in 1974.
B) increased limits on hard money donated directly to candidates and their campaigns.
C) required that all federal candidates accurately disclose campaign contributions.
D) required that all federal candidates must document all campaign expenditures.
E) imposed an outright ban on certain campaign contributions by corporations, unions, national banks, and foreign nationals.

Question 77

Midterm congressional elections

A) are held when the president dissolves Congress, ending the congressional term.
B) see all House seats and all Senate seats contested.
C) are held when the president loses a vote of confidence in the Congress.
D) Options A, B, and C are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 78

A(n) __________ is a congressional seat from a district that includes a high percentage of voters from one of the major parties.

A) open seat
B) safe seat
C) closed seat
D) marginal seat
E) midterm seat

Question 79

Midterm Congressional elections

A) are held between presidential elections.
B) see all House seats and one-third of the Senate seats contested.
C) fail to offer Congressional candidates the "coattail effect," in which voters' selection of Congressional candidates may be influenced by their choice for President.
D) Options A, B, and C are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 80

How have campaign finance laws evolved? Citing specific examples, describe the ways in which current laws influence campaign finance.