Deck 12: Elections

Question 1

In recent U.S.elections, women have voted more than men, a reflection of __________.

A)women's higher education levels
B)feminism
C)women's higher income levels
D)regional differences

Answer 1

A

Question 2

How was the 2012 U.S.election an example of an election that turned on voter turnout?

A)Republicans boosted the participation rates of their traditional voters, and pushed voter registration for those favorably disposed to the Republican Party, while the Democrats paid less attention to grass-roots work, concentrating instead on TV advertising.
B)Democrats boosted the participation rates of their traditional voters, and pushed voter registration for those favorably disposed to the Democratic Party, while the Republicans paid less attention to grass-roots work, concentrating instead on TV advertising.
C)Democrats boosted the participation rates of their traditional voters, despite Republicans pushing voter registration for those favorably disposed to their party, and concentrating on TV advertising.
D)Democrats boosted the participation rates of their traditional voters, and pushed voter registration for those favorably disposed to the Democratic Party, and despite Republicans paying attention to grass-roots work, and concentrating instead on TV advertising they still lost.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Americans must __________ sometimes months before the election and before campaign excitement mounts.

A)lobby
B)declare an allegiance to a particular party
C)register to vote in person
D)caucus

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Describe the impact of education on those who vote.

A)Education drops the sense of participation and makes people feel more cynical, which makes people more likely to take action, but not to actually follow political news.
B)Education lifts the sense of participation and abstract intellectual curiosity, which makes people more likely to follow individual politicians.
C)Education lifts the sense of political knowledge, which makes people more likely to follow political news and feel involved.
D)Education lifts the sense of participation and abstract intellectual curiosity, which makes people more likely to follow political news and feel involved.

Question 5

Describe the impact thinkers believe negative campaigning might have on voter turnout.

A)Young voters, in particular, may be turned off by negative campaigning, and conclude that all politicians are dirty.
B)Potential voters may be turned off by robocalls, and conclude that all politicians are dirty.
C)Potential voters may be turned off by negative campaigning, and conclude that all politicians are dirty.
D)Potential voters may be turned excited by the luridness of negative campaigning, but nevertheless conclude that all politicians are dirty.

Question 6

What impact does young people beginning to pay taxes have on their relationship to voting?

A)It tends to make them more likely to vote, but less likely to work for a given campaign.
B)Beginning to pay taxes tends to make them less interested in elections.
C)It tends to make them more liberal in their voting.
D)As they begin paying taxes they become more interested in elections.

Question 7

Describe the average European ballot.

A)They are no more and no less complicated than American ballots.
B)They are simple, typically offering only a choice of party, but most countries do little to nothing to control and limit TV political advertising.
C)They are even more complex than American ballots, typically offering a multitude of choices, and most countries do little to control and limit TV political advertising.
D)They are simple, typically offering only a choice of party, and most countries control and limit TV political advertising, while some allow none.

Question 8

What is the relationship between African-American voting rates and Barack Obama's run for president?

A)African-American voting rates rose to those of white voters, as black income and education levels rose.
B)African-American voting rates unexpectedly remained far below those of white voters, as black income and education levels remained steady.
C)African-American voting rates rose to those of Hispanic voters, as black income and education levels rose.
D)African-American voting rates fell unexpectedly below those of white voters, despite black income and education levels rising.

Question 9

What do you think might be a side-effect of or a cause of nations with very high voter turnout having that level of turnout?

A)They may have a kind of political fever in which partisan politics has become too intense.
B)They likely play host to elections in which indistinct personalities and a relatively unified electorate bring out more voters.
C)They probably don't offer automatic voter registration.
D)They usually have mandatory voting.

Question 10

What is the likely reason for middle-aged and older people being more likely to vote than the young?

A)The middle-aged person is at peak earning and the old person is concerned with Social Security and Medicare.
B)The middle-aged person is at medium earning and the old person is concerned with retiring and grandchildren.
C)Middle-aged people tend to be more highly educated and the old person is concerned with Social Security and Medicare.
D)Middle-aged people tend to live in urban areas and the old person is concerned with Social Security and Medicare.

Question 11

__________ gives people a stake in election outcomes, and education raises levels of interest and sophistication.

A)Life in the suburbs
B)Family tradition
C)Nationalism
D)High income

Question 12

Why is it that in most of the world, cities have higher turnouts than rural areas?

A)Partly because those who live rurally tend to feel less enfranchised
B)Partly because urbanites on average have higher education levels
C)Partly because people who have lived in the same place are less likely to vote than are transients or newcomers
D)Partly because men tend to vote more than men

Question 13

U.S.turnout seldom falls below 40 percent in __________elections.

A)local
B)congressional
C)gubernatorial
D)presidential

Question 14

What is the American voters' general response to the typically long ballot featuring a variety of local, state and national candidates, and often referendums, as well?

A)A display of extensive knowledge of the various campaigns
B)Excitement
C)Bafflement
D)Relative to international trends, record high time spent in the voting booth

Question 15

Why might factory workers in small towns feel a different sense of the stakes elections hold than executives and professionals?

A)Factory workers in small towns may perceive a great deal of difference between candidates, noticing considerable change from one administration to another, while executives and professionals feel generally less involved, but still perceive a direct correlation between who wins and their personal fortune.
B)Factory workers in small towns may perceive little difference between candidates, noticing little change from one administration to another, and while executives and professionals share this sense of noticing little change from one administration to another, they still perceive a direct correlation between who wins and their personal fortune.
C)Factory workers in small towns may perceive little difference between candidates, noticing little change from one administration to another, while executives and professionals feel involved and perceive a direct correlation between who wins and their personal fortune.
D)Executives and professionals may perceive little difference between candidates, noticing little change from one administration to another, while factory workers in small towns feel involved and perceive a direct correlation between who wins and their personal income.

Question 16

Describe the argument of Anthony Downs's landmark 1957 work, An Economic Theory of Democracy.

A)The text argued that people vote if the returns outweigh the costs.
B)The text claims that property owners fearing tax hikes still don't tend to vote.
C)The text argued that citizens are not intimidated by the level of the stakes and they will go to the trouble of voting.
D)The text makes the claim that the cost of political information has no impact on determining whether a person will vote.

Question 17

The __________ overcame some of the barriers in the way of black voter registration, predominantly in the south.

A)postmaterialism movement
B)1965 Voting Rights Act
C)1865 Gettysburg Address
D)Brown vs. Board of Education case

Question 18

The peak of U.S.voter turnout was in 1960 at __________ percent.

A)30
B)63
C)73
D)56

Question 19

How are Sweden, Italy and Germany examples of nations with high voter turnout? Turnout in those nations has __________.

A)occasionally reached 90%
B)often reached 95%
C)sometimes been as high as 65%
D)very regularly been as high as 90?

Question 20

Why do Americans vote so little?

A)Typically, given the enormous number of immigrants the U.S. plays host to, most U.S. nonvoters are poorly-versed in the tradition of voting, and are therefore are largely unengaged by most elections.
B)Typically, more than half of U.S. nonvoters say they that while they are interested in and satisfied with candidates, they still feel that their vote makes no difference or that none of the candidates is really good, while the two large parties may not offer an interesting or clear-cut choice.
C)Typically, most U.S. nonvoters say they are uninterested in or dissatisfied with candidates, feeling their vote makes no difference or that none of the candidates are really good, while the two large parties may not offer an interesting or clear-cut choice.
D)Typically, most U.S. voters find it impossible to convince others to vote, despite the fact that nonvoters are most likely to vote if convinced by those close to them.

Question 21

The impact of the Supreme Court's 1972 "one person, one vote" ruling had a side-effect of __________.

A)many states resisting taking a census
B)many states now redistricting after every census
C)a few states redistrict after every census
D)gerrymandering being undermined by redistricting

Question 22

Why did most 18-to-29-year-old voters vote for Obama in 2008 and 2012?

A)They were more open on race and worried about their jobs during the financial crisis.
B)There were more men than women who voted in that age range.
C)They were fearful of economic experiments.
D)They had lost faith in the Republican party.

Question 23

The Clinton victories in 1992 and 1996 and the Obama victory of 2008, all based on the __________, undermine the theory of electoral realignment.

A)economy
B)military
C)right to life
D)grassroots movements

Question 24

Scholars have noticed spreading __________ in the U.S.electorate and are concerned that it could do damage to democracy.

A)party hopping
B)creation of parties
C)polarization
D)influence of social media

Question 25

Why do some working class people vote for conservative parties?

A)Because they perceive themselves to be middle class, have a school tradition, or have individual convictions
B)Because they perceive themselves to be middle class, have a family tradition, or lack individual convictions
C)Because they perceive themselves to be upper class, have a family tradition, or have individual convictions
D)Because they perceive themselves to be middle class, have a family tradition, or have individual convictions

Question 26

__________ electoral system(s) can guarantee translating the public's will into governance in a way that is both fair and simple.

A)No
B)Democratic
C)Modern
D)State

Question 27

The party __________ of many voters dissolved in several watershed presidential elections.

A)shifting
B)loyalties
C)recruitment
D)skepticism

Question 28

What does partisan polarization look like?

A)Partisans take to the streets, armed and prepared for street battles with the opposing party.
B)Party identifiers maintain the same militancy they have always possessed, continuing their dislikes and slurs against the other party.
C)Party identifiers become violent in their campaigning.
D)Party identifiers become more militant, as do dislikes and slurs against the other party.

Question 29

If Nixon's 1968 election was indicative of realignment, then what would Carter's election in 1976 mark?

A)A definitive expansion of Democratic values
B)An indicator of depolarization
C)A massive upset
D)A deviating election

Question 30

How does the rise in the percentage of blacks who make up the electorate relate to American political parties?

A)This demographic shift works against Democrats.
B)This demographic shift works against Republicans.
C)This demographic shift works against the Green Party.
D)This demographic shift works against urban Democrats.

Question 31

Why has the theory of critical or realigning elections been so long debated by political scientists?

A)Political scientists tend to be even more partisan than the average voter.
B)Some emphasize the idea that party ID remains largely unchanged per voter across elections, while others point to watershed elections in which party loyalties shift.
C)Statisticians can offer almost no notable data on party loyalty or lack thereof.
D)"Critical elections" definitively determine how nearly every elections will go.

Question 32

Describe the "marriage gap."

A)Married people are several points more Republican than unmarried people.
B)Married people are several points more Libertarian than unmarried people.
C)Married people are several points more Democratic than unmarried people.
D)Married people are several points more nationalistic than unmarried people.

Question 33

Describe an example of a "deviating election."

A)A candidate shift that is only temporary, with voters going back to the candidate they initially favored
B)A party shift that appears permanent, but sees voters going back to their long-term party ID years later
C)A party shift that is only temporary, with voters going back to their long-term party ID
D)A party shifting its support from one primary candidate to another, with the going back to support that initial candidate in subsequent elections

Question 34

Party ID is important to party __________.

A)enfranchisement
B)loyalty
C)stability
D)influence

Question 35

Describe the purpose of the Electoral College.

A)To provide an alternative to the generally democratic approach to politics in the U.S.
B)To overrepresent states with fewer voters, especially the Southern states
C)To allow for greater constitutional change
D)To avoid the problem of a "hung" government

Question 36

How was the 2012 instance of Romney winning most of the white Protestant evangelical vote an example of the role of religion in U.S.elections?

A)Religious versus secular has fallen off as one of the strongest predictors in U.S. voting.
B)Nonreligious versus Catholics is the single strongest predictor in U.S. voting.
C)Religious versus secular is the single strongest predictor in U.S. voting.
D)Religious versus secular is only one of the many predictors in U.S. voting.

Question 37

__________ regions may harbor economic and cultural resentments at rule by a distant capital.

A)Urban
B)Liberal
C)Northern
D)Outlying

Question 38

Why are "independent" voters key to one's understanding of whether substantial dealignment is occurring?

A)Many voters who call themselves "independent" actually lean to one party or the other.
B)More than 75 percent of voters who call themselves "independent" are genuine neutrals.
C)At least 45 percent of those who cast ballots call themselves "independent."
D)Most voters who call themselves either a Democrat or a Republican actually lean "independent."

Question 39

__________ tend to embrace conservative values and vote for conservative parties.

A)Academics
B)Country and suburban dwellers
C)Urban dwellers
D)West coast dwellers

Question 40

Describe what the 2008 and 2012 winning coalitions of young people, women, and minorities indicated.

A)the emergence of a new, liberal bloc
B)the emergence of a new, socialist bloc
C)the emergence of a new, working class bloc
D)the emergence of a new, independent bloc

Question 41

Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama were prime examples of __________.

A)winning political personalities
B)winning political personalities, and politicians who led leaders in other countries to adopt similar approaches
C)liberal political personalities, and politicians who led leaders in other countries to adopt similar approaches
D)conservative political personalities, and politicians who led leaders in other countries to adopt similar approaches

Question 42

The voting age in the U.S.was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1960.

Question 43

What does the Index of Consumer Confidence do, as regards elections?

A)Offers no indication on the way presidential elections will turnout
B)Measures how economically secure Americans feel, but reflects little how presidential elections will go
C)Measures how secure Americans feel in the industrial sector of the economy
D)Predicts most presidential elections

Question 44

Opportunistic reaction to events compose much of political life.

Question 45

Voters engage in prospective voting when they base their decision on an incumbent president's actions during his tenure.

Question 46

Many working-class people identify as middle class and therefore vote more conservatively than they should according to their class.

Question 47

The higher a person's education and income, the more likely they are to vote.

Question 48

People very often vote without __________.

A)any party affiliation
B)knowing precisely what they are voting for or why
C)having been granted citizenship
D)knowing the parties involved in the election

Question 49

According to the postmaterialism theory, a person with a higher level of education will not necessarily be more likely to vote.

Question 50

Voting blocs __________ the public-opinion blocs.

A)tend to parallel
B)tend to contradict
C)rarely take part in
D)disregard

Question 51

The 2012 victory for Democrats came through their emphasis on __________ operations.

A)covert media
B)rural voter registration
C)neighborhood turnout
D)non-"swing" state

Question 52

Johnson in 1964, Nixon in 1972, Reagan in 1984, etc.are examples of the phenomenon of __________.

A)voters rewarding the incumbent's party when they think the government in general is doing a good job
B)voters rewarding the challenging party when they think the government in general is doing a bad good job
C)voters punishing the incumbent's party when they think the government in general is doing a bad job
D)lobbyists rewarding the incumbent's party when they think the government in general is doing a good job

Question 53

The last major party realignment in the U.S.came in 1980 with Reagan being elected president.

Question 54

Why is a strong positive retrospective view potentially crucial for parties? Such a view __________.

A)can turn into a party identification
B)can often spur voters to found their own parties
C)rarely turns into a party identification
D)often turns voters off from voting altogether

Question 55

What are the habits of candidates as regards their positions on issues?

A)They are endlessly opportunistic, but tend to alter their positions on issues only in the face of scandal or crisis.
B)They resist being opportunistic, rarely altering their positions on issues to win the most votes.
C)They are only relatively opportunistic, altering their positions on issues to win the most votes.
D)They are endlessly opportunistic, altering their positions on issues to win the most votes.

Question 56

Describe the innovations that super-PACs brought to the 2012 presidential election.

A)They produced more, and progressively effective, TV ads than ever.
B)They produced more robocalls than ever.
C)They produced more, and progressively negative, TV ads than ever.
D)They produced less robocalls than ever.

Question 57

Voter turnout in the U.S.is traditionally higher than European countries such as Sweden, Germany, and Italy.

Question 58

Why are voting blocs not what they used to be?

A)People are often Libertarian on some things and Tea Party-ist on other things.
B)Americans continue to fit demographic, ethnic, and religious pigeonholes.
C)Attitudes on religion, free enterprise, welfare, patriotism, civil rights, and other issues do not cut across the old voting blocs.
D)Americans do not fit demographic, ethnic, or religious pigeonholes.

Question 59

Elections were called early and at opportune times by Margaret Thatcher in Britain.

Question 60

The electoral college can produce a winner of the presidential election that does not win the majority of the popular vote.

Question 61

What are realigning elections? Describe voter realignment? In addition to critical elections, what are the causes of realignment? Are we undergoing another realignment now? Are realignments positive or negative? Explain.

Question 62

The __________ constitutional amendment lowered the U.S.voting age from 21 to 18.

Question 63

How are elections won? In other words, what distinguishes candidates who win from those who lose? Have these factors changed over time? Are the current factors that influence electoral outcomes positive or negative for a democratic society? Explain and provide examples.

Question 64

Roosevelt's __________ influenced an electoral realignment in U.S.politics.

Question 65

Why do Americans vote so little?

Question 66

Why do democracies tend to see candidates adjusting their positions toward the center as election day nears?

Question 67

How does party identification tend to evolve from childhood through adulthood? Explain your answer.

Question 68

Fewer than 20 American adults is involved enough in politics to attend a political meeting, contribute money, or __________ a neighborhood.

Question 69

Mass and leader __________ influence(s) citizen's vote choice in presidential elections and threatens the role of rational choice.

Question 70

What types of people are most likely to vote? Provide examples and explain why these groups are more likely than others to vote.Discuss their interests and abilities in your answer.

Question 71

"Retrospective voting" involves voters choosing whether or not to vote for a candidate based on overall __________ performance, especially in regard to the economy.

Question 72

What are the most important factors in determining why people vote? Are there particular factors which appear to be more important than other factors? Does this hold True for all countries or just the U.S.? Why are people not voting in the U.S.? What role do the two parties play in this?

Question 73

Being older than __________ would make a person more likely to vote.

Question 74

The province of __________, in Canada, is an example of periphery regions that experience center-periphery tensions that often affect voting patterns.

Question 75

The __________ voting bloc is the strongest predictor in U.S.voting.

Question 76

Describe those who tend to be nonvoters, and explain why they tend to be nonvoters.

Question 77

Is the U.S.electoral system defective? Explain your answer.

Question 78

Recently, party identification in the U.S.has been __________ and the number of swing voters has been __________.

Question 79

Cities have __________ turnouts than rural areas because __________.

Question 80

What are the long-term and short-term factors in why people vote? Why? What role does party identification play? Discuss the role class plays in voting, as well.Finally, touch upon the role region plays.