Deck 21: Political Parties, interest Groups, elections, and Campaigns in Texas

Question 1

Of the reforms involving campaigns and elections in Texas over the past few years,the most successful has been in the area of reforming

A) PACs and corporate contributions.
B) voter registration procedures for former prisoners.
C) voter photo identification.
D)Texas's primary date.
E) ballot access.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Business groups and trade associations are NOT generally interested in achieving which of the following?

A)Low taxes for business
B)Restricted union influence
C)Favorable regulatory climate
D)Establishing the right to collective bargaining
E)Maintaining a favorable climate for business in Texas

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Up until the early 1960s,Democratic primaries were the most important elections in Texas because

A)the most influential political force in the nineteenth century was the Grange, which was an offshoot of the Democratic Party.
B)Democratic candidates always won the general elections.
C)voter turnout was low among Anglos.
D)the Texas legislature made the Republican Party illegal in Texas.
E)the Texas legislature passed laws stating that Democratic primary winners were automatically
Considered the general election winners.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Primary elections are

A)government elections.
B)interest group elections.
C)social movement elections.
D)party elections.
E)held after the general election.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about the Democratic and Republican Parties in Texas is accurate?

A)A majority of Texas Democrats are moderates.
B)A majority of Texas Republicans are moderates.
C)The Democratic Party is dominated by moderates, but the Republican Party is dominated by
Conservatives.
D)The Republican Party is dominated by moderates, but the Democratic Party is dominated by
Liberals.
E)There is a higher proportion of Democratic moderates than Republican moderates.

Question 6

If you are attending your party's precinct convention,your principal task at the convention is to cast votes for the state party's executive committee chairperson.

Question 7

The temporary party organization consists of

A)standing committees.
B)conventions.
C)party chairpersons.
D)volunteers.
E)elected officials.

Question 8

Those between 18 and 29 years of age are most likely to consider themselves

A)Republicans.
B)Democrats.
C)independents.
D)Libertarians.
E)Socialists.

Question 9

Texas law defines lobbying exclusively as efforts to influence the legislature when it is in session.

Question 10

All of the following are done by Texas state party conventions,EXCEPT

A)adopting the party platform.
B)selecting presidential electors.
C)selecting candidates for county government offices.
D)selecting a state party chair.
E)certifying the results of the primary.

Question 11

Those who wish to participate in their precinct conventions can return to their polling place after the polls have closed on the date of the primary election to do so.

Question 12

Litigation,today a common tool of interest groups,was first practiced extensively by what groups in the 1950s and 1960s?

A)Professional and labor groups
B)Business and professional groups
C)Environmental and civil rights groups
D)Professional and environmental groups
E)Civil rights and labor groups

Question 13

Prior to the 1980s,the Republican Party had control of Texas government only during Reconstruction.

Question 14

General elections in Texas are held

A)every six months on the first day of January and the first day of July.
B)every year on the first Monday in October.
C)every two years in even numbered years on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.
D)every two years in even numbered years on the first Tuesday in March.
E)every four years on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.

Question 15

The functional head of the state political party is often the governor or the party chairperson.

Question 16

The era of one-party dominance in Texas by the Democratic Party lasted

A)about 110 years, from the end of Reconstruction to the 1980s.
B)about 165 years, from the creation of the Republic until today.
C)about 50 years, from the end of Reconstruction until the end of World War I.
D)from the start of the oil boom in the early 1900s until the beginning of the twenty-first century.
E)from the landslide election of Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 until the landslide re-election of Republican President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Question 17

If you are a member of the Sierra Club,you are a member of a

A)business group or trade association.
B)racial and ethnic group.
C)public-interest group.
D)professional association.
E)labor group.

Question 18

The principal purpose of a precinct convention is to

A)select delegates to the party's county or state senatorial convention.
B)increase voter turnout in local precinct elections.
C)select delegates to the state convention and reform platform measures.
D)elect state party chairpersons.
E)nominate candidates for the general election.

Question 19

Efforts to influence public officials through personal contacts with them is referred to as

A)grassroots lobbying.
B)electioneering.
C)litigation.
D)direct lobbying.
E)electioneering.

Question 20

Changes in party identifications have caused party coalitions in Texas to become

A)more like their national counterparts.
B)less like their national counterparts.
C)more like party coalitions found in Texas during the 1800s.
D)more like party coalitions found in Texas during the early 1900s.
E)extremely fragmented.

Question 21

What establishes the formal organization of political parties?

A)State law
B)The U.S. Constitution
C)Federal law
D)Common law
E)The governor's office

Question 22

Party identification in Texas is weak.

Question 23

In Texas,who elects the party chairperson for each party?

A)The Texas congressional delegation
B)The state legislature
C)The state party convention
D)The county conventions
E)The precinct captains

Question 24

The primary task of a precinct convention is to

A)create local rules for primary elections.
B)select local candidates for the general election.
C)select delegates to the state convention.
D)select delegates to the county or senatorial district conventions.
E)organize grassroots support for presidential candidates.

Question 25

The principal purpose of county or senatorial district conventions is to

A)select delegates to the party's state convention.
B)select candidates who would run in the national election.
C)determine the basis for vote allocation
D)select members of the state electoral commission
E)prepare a roster of public policy recommendations to submit to the county commissioners court.

Question 26

What are the primary functions of the party organizations?

A)Providing services to constituents and to candidates
B)Party building and electoral activities
C)Candidate recruitment and drafting legislation
D)Endorsing candidates and establishing tax rates
E)Advising lawmakers and distributing pork

Question 27

Political parties have a(n)_____ in every county in Texas.

A)state executive committee member
B)county chairperson and a county executive committee
C)annual temporary party organization
D)annual state senatorial district convention
E)vice chairperson on the state executive committee

Question 28

Since 1976,control of the Democratic Party organization in Texas has been in the hands of

A)fundamentalist Christians.
B)independents.
C)ideological conservatives.
D)ideological liberals.
E)ideological moderates.

Question 29

Who dominated Texas politics from a period immediately following Reconstruction until the latter part of the twentieth century?

A)Prohibitionists
B)Libertarians
C)E)J. Davis
D)The Democratic Party
E)The Republican Party

Question 30

In the 1950s and 1960s,__________ were generally in control of the government in Texas.

A)independents
B)liberal Democrats
C)moderate Republicans
D)conservative Democrats
E)conservative Republicans

Question 31

In Texas,most conflicts within the Republican Party are usually over

A)goals and policies.
B)national defense.
C)cooperation with the national party.
D)personal issues.
E)minority participation.

Question 32

In Texas,a state party's ability to perform its party-building duties is based on which of the following sources?

A)Fund-raising
B)Electoral mobilization programs
C)Public opinion polling
D)Issue leadership
E)All of the above

Question 33

Republic Party activists are overwhelmingly

A)liberal.
B)conservative.
C)xenophobic.
D)libertarian.
E)progressive.

Question 34

The dominant issue that divided the 1996 state Republican convention was

A)the death penalty.
B)school prayer.
C)abortion.
D)capital punishment.
E)evolution versus creationism.

Question 35

Vacancies in the Texas legislative and executive branches are filled through special elections.

Question 36

A political party meeting held at the polling places following the conclusion of the primary election for the purpose of selecting delegates to the county convention and adopting resolutions is known as the

A)first tier party convention.
B)precinct convention.
C)caucus meeting.
D)platform convention.
E)election selection convention.

Question 37

Assume you are a high school teacher and run into your Texas state representative by the concession stand at a high school football game.You introduce yourself,buy the legislator a Diet Coke,and urge the legislator to vote for higher teacher pay.According to state law,you are now required to register as a lobbyist.

Question 38

The ultimate goal in a political campaign is winning.

Question 39

While interest groups developed slowly in Texas,they proliferated

A)when Texas was annexed as a state.
B)after the Republican Party was formed in Texas.
C)after the election of Franklin Roosevelt as president.
D)after World War II.
E)in the 1960s.

Question 40

Which of the following Texas Republican intraparty coalitions believes most strongly in promoting conservative political ideology over winning elections?

A)Pragmatists
B)Economic conservatives
C)Moderates
D)Social conservatives
E)Realists

Question 41

According to the authors of the textbook,the most important function of a political party is

A)policy analysis.
B)promoting social capital.
C)public opinion polling.
D)manipulating the media.
F)winning elections.

Question 42

The party in the electorate is most accurately defined by which of the following?

A)Frequent voters who register as members of a particular political party
B)Independents who are not registered with any party but still vote in elections
C)The staff of a particular party involved in electoral campaigns
D)Members of a particular political party who currently hold public office
E)Those who identify with a political party and consider themselves members

Question 43

Suppose you receive an email asking you to contact your representatives and ask them to vote "yes" on a particular upcoming bill which affects the group that sent you the email.This communication would be an example of

A)direct lobbying.
B)indirect lobbying.
C)log-rolling.
D)electioneering.
E)grass-tops lobbying.

Question 44

A strong __________ is one in which all public officials who are appointed or elected under the same party label work to implement party policies.

A)party in the electorate
B)party organization
C)party in government
D)party executive
E)party caucus

Question 45

Which of the following interest groups is NOT a labor group?

A)American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
B)American Federation of Teachers
C)Communication Workers of America
D)Texas Trial Lawyers Association
E)American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

Question 46

Which ethnic minority groups have the largest number of groups representing their interests in Texas?

A)African Americans and Asians
B)Hispanics and African Americans
C)Asians and Native Americans
D)Hispanics and Native Americans
E)African Americans and Native Americans

Question 47

What are the main tasks for the party organization at the county and precinct level?

A)Campaigning and getting voters to the polls
B)Fund-raising and advising statewide candidates
C)Candidate recruitment and retention
D)Training and organizing unions
E)Issue analysis and purging inactive voters from the electoral rolls

Question 48

How are most judges in Texas selected?

A)Non-partisan election
B)Partisan election
C)Appointment by governor
D)Appointment by legislature
E)Nomination by the Judicial Selection Committee of the State Bar of Texas and confirmation by
The electorate

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT an activity engaged in by interest groups?

A)Lobbying
B)Electioneering
C)Litigation
D)Fund-raising
E)Agency administration

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT an impediment to party cooperation in the executive branch?

A)Independent election of executive officers
B)Officials' aspirations to higher office
C)Lack of incentive to campaign together
D)Legal restrictions on communications between officials
E)Tendency to run independent campaigns

Question 51

In Texas,appointments of judges by governors are generally viewed as an attempt to fill the courts with judges

A)who are the most qualified jurists.
B)who share the governor's socio-economic background.
C)who share the governor's political ideology.
D)who are from the governor's electoral district.
E)who are the fairest and most efficient possible candidates for the bench.

Question 52

In 1991,the Texas legislature limited the annual amount that a lobbyist could spend on a public official to

A)$500.
B)$5,000.
C)$10,000.
D)$80,000.
E)$120,000.

Question 53

Efforts by individuals to influence policies of the legislature and the executive branches is known as

A)lobbying.
B)log-rolling.
C)pork-barreling.
D)co-option.
E)ear-marking.

Question 54

What do business interest groups and public-interest groups have in common?

A)They both run candidates in elections
B)Neither is required to register as lobbyists
C)They both advocate for the same public policies
D)They both prefer to interact with the public and with lawmakers
E)They both seek to influence public policy.

Question 55

All lobbyists in Texas are required to register with

A)the governor's office.
B)the Speaker of the House.
C)the lieutenant governor's office.
D)the State Lobbying Committee.
E)the Texas Ethics Commission.

Question 56

In Texas,the percentage of people who identify with neither major political party has

A)led to an increase in voter turnout, particularly for primary elections.
B)led to the development of a large and powerful third party movement in Texas.
C)decreased over the years.
D)increased over the years.
E)remained the same over the years.

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT closely related to party realignment in Texas?

A)Some Democrats switched to the Republican Party.
B)Republican candidates won in more counties.
C)New residents of Texas were more likely to be Republicans.
D)The number of independents in Texas has decreased.
E)Young voters were more likely to identify with the Republican Party.

Question 58

What is a political action committee?

A)A local-level party organization that focuses on voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts
B)A registered interest group that engages in direct lobbying
C)A group formed to solicit funds and then to use those funds to help elect or defeat candidates
D)A candidate's political advisory committee
E)The mechanism by which the political parties select their leaders

Question 59

Who benefited the most from the recent party realignment in Texas?

A)Liberals
B)Nonvoters
C)Republicans
D)Democrats
E)Third parties

Question 60

In Texas,the governor and the lieutenant governor are generally elected to office

A)on the same ticket with the president and vice-president.
B)independent of one another.
C)in special elections.
D)in party caucuses.
E)in primary elections.

Question 61

A special election is held in Texas to

A)elect executive branch members.
B)fill vacancies in the state legislature.
C)resolve a primary election if no candidate receives a majority vote.
D)select judges.
E)recall the governor.

Question 62

Most contributions from Political Action Committees go to

A)challengers.
B)incumbents.
C)independents.
D)gubernatorial candidates.
E)Democrats.

Question 63

Partisan considerations are absent in the Texas legislature.

Question 64

Interest groups participate in lobbying,electioneering,and litigation.

Question 65

The Republican Party was the dominant party in Texas in the early 1900s.

Question 66

You are the treasurer for a candidate running for state office in Texas.Where must you submit regular contribution and expenditure reports for the candidate?

A)U)S. Secretary of State's office
B)Comptroller of Public Accounts
C)Texas Bar Association
D)Ethics Commission
E)Legislative Redistricting Board

Question 67

Which of the following best describes the restrictions placed on using money in political campaigns?

A)Campaigns can spend their money only on television advertising and other types of campaign communication.
B)Campaigns are limited to spending no more than $108,000 in Texas Senate elections and $76,000 in Texas House elections.
C)Campaigns cannot spend money within the last month before the election.
D)Campaigns are required to give ten percent of their contributions to the state to pay for the administration of the election.
E)There are relatively few restrictions.

Question 68

Which of the following reduces the costs of voting?

A)Poll taxes
B)Voter registration
C)White-only primaries
D)Early voting
E)All of the above

Question 69

In the Texas legislature,party caucuses and committees are formed to provide information to party members on policy issues and to formulate the party's position on issues.

Question 70

What was Governor Rick Perry's stated rationale for vetoing a bill that would have notified former prisoners when their voting rights were restored?

A)"Just become someone has served their time, doesn't mean they have paid their debt to society."
B)Texas should not "make a greater effort to register former inmates to vote than we would any other group of citizens in this state."
C)Former prisoners "are mostly Democrats and we don't really want them to vote, now do we?"
D)"It is unfathomable that the state of Texas would waste its time and money to aid those who have wasted their lives away instead of being contributing members of society."
E)"A poll tax is a poll tax is a poll tax-even if you dress it up and act like it's about helping those in need."

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a type of election in Texas?

A)Primary
B)Special
C)General
D)Run-off
E)Regional

Question 72

Political parties developed slowly in Texas.

Question 73

How long is the early voting period in Texas?

A)One month
B)Two weeks
C)One week
D)Three days
E)There is no early voting in Texas

Question 74

Which of the following is NOT an argument against electronic voting systems?

A)Computers are susceptible to hardware, software, and virus problems.
B)Electronic voting is insecure.
C)Electronic voting systems provide insufficient means to verify votes.
D)The length of the ballot often leads to voter mistakes.
E)Computer hackers can penetrate the system and distort the actual vote.

Question 75

Which of the following lessons can be taken away from the 2008 Democratic primary in Texas between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?

A)Size matters.
B)Front-loading is always beneficial.
C)There are some advantages to having a late primary election date.
D)The Texas primary handed the general election to Barack Obama.
E)The "Texas two-step" encourages voter fraud.

Question 76

A party's gubernatorial nominee has influence over selection of the state party chairperson.

Question 77

Suppose three candidates are running in the Texas Democratic primary for governor.What happens if Candidate X wins 45% of the vote,Candidate Y receives 30% of the vote,and Candidate Z wins 25% of the vote?

A)Candidate X becomes the governor.
B)Candidate X becomes the Democratic candidate for governor.
C)Candidates X and Y compete in the general election to determine who will be governor.
D)Candidates X and Y compete in a run-off election to determine who will be the Democratic
Candidate for governor.
E)Candidates X, Y, and Z compete in a run-off election to determine who will be the Democratic
Candidate for governor.

Question 78

Which of the following is a requirement to vote in Texas?

A)Payment of poll tax
B)Ability to read and write
C)Not being declared mentally incompetent by a court of law
D)English language proficiency
E)Possession of a driver's license

Question 79

Elections held to fill positions in county and municipal governments are known as

A)special elections.
B)mid-term elections.
C)local elections.
D)run-off elections.
E)primary elections.

Question 80

In Texas,any party whose candidate for governor receives more than 20 percent of the vote must

A)hold a primary election to nominate candidates.
B)hold a party caucus to nominate a candidate.
C)subject the proposed slate of candidates to a state-wide referendum.
D)hold a recount of all primary votes.
E)register with the Texas Ethics Commission.