Deck 8: Political Participation Political Participation

Question 1

 Today,voter turnout in midterm national elections has 

A) averaged below 50 percent. 
B) increased compared to the 1800s. 
C) stayed about the same compared to the mid-1900s. 
D) ranged between 65 percent and 80 percent. 
E) averaged below 25 percent.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

 Between 1860 and 1900,the percentage of eligible voters participating in presidential elections 

A) was rarely above 30 percent. 
B) was rarely above 40 percent. 
C) was usually around 50 percent. 
D) was generally comparable to that of today. 
E) ranged between 65 and 80 percent.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

 The ___________ to the U.S.Constitution ensured that the residents of the District of Columbia could vote in presidential elections. 

A) Nineteenth Amendment 
B) Twentieth Amendment 
C) Twenty-First Amendment 
D) Twenty-Second Amendment 
E) Twenty-Third Amendment

Answer 3

E

Question 4

 Research into the consequences of motor-voter laws has shown that  

A) less burdensome registration processes rarely have much of an impact because people don't find out about them. 
B) people are suspicious of less burdensome registration processes and are thus unlikely to use them. 
C) people who register when the process is free are more likely to vote. 
D) people who register when the process is free are less likely to vote. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 5

 In 1971,ratification of the __________ to the U.S.Constitution extended voter eligibility to all persons age 18 or older. 

A) Twenty-Third Amendment 
B) Twenty-Fourth Amendment 
C) Twenty-Five Amendment 
D) Twenty-Sixth Amendment 
E) Twenty-Seventh Amendment

Question 6

 In most European countries,voter registration is 

A) complex. 
B) costly. 
C) automatic. 
D) as difficult as in the United States. 
E) not effective.

Question 7

 American voter turnout as a percentage of voting-age population is __________ that of other industrialized countries. 

A) easier to measure than 
B) harder to measure than  
C) less than  
D) greater than 
E) comparable to

Question 8

 By the start of this president's administration,suffrage had been extended to include virtually all white male adults. 

A) John Adams. 
B) Thomas Jefferson. 
C) Andrew Jackson. 
D) James Monroe. 
E) James Madison.

Question 9

 When registered nonvoters are asked why they did not vote,the most common responses given include each of the following EXCEPT 

A) scheduling conflicts. 
B) mathematical irrelevance of one vote. 
C) lack of interest in voting. 
D) illness or disability. 
E) lack of appeal in either candidate.

Question 10

 When it comes to voting,Americans aged 18 to 24 are 

A) less likely than older Americans (aged 65 and older) to register and vote. 
B) engaged in the political process more than middle age Americans. 
C) more likely than older Americans (aged 65 and older) to register but not more likely to vote. 
D) less likely than older Americans (aged 65 and older) to register but more likely to vote. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 11

 Voter turnout rates in America today are 

A) higher than they were for previous generations. 
B) lower than they were for previous generations. 
C) higher than in most European democracies. 
D) about the same as they were for previous generations. 
E) not recorded by scholars.

Question 12

 Scholars have suggested that the most effective way to convince people to vote is to 

A) inform them that their neighbors will find out whether they voted. 
B) point out that public officials are unlikely to listen to constituents who haven't voted. 
C) explain that, mathematically, each vote has a non-negligible probability of deciding the outcome of the election. 
D) bribe them. 
E) educate them on the workings of American government.

Question 13

 The nation with the highest voter turnout as percentage of voting-age population is 

A) Belgium 
B) Italy 
C) United States 
D) Sweden 
E) New Zealand

Question 14

 American voter turnout as a percentage of registered voters is __________ that of other industrialized countries. 

A) easier to measure than 
B) harder to measure than  
C) less than  
D) greater than 
E) comparable to

Question 15

 With respect to impact of motor voter laws,the evidence suggests 

A) the number of registrants has not increased but voter turnout has increased slightly. 
B) the number of registrants has increased somewhat but voter turnout has not increased significantly. 
C) voter turnout and registration has increased significantly. 
D) voter turnout and registration has not increased significantly. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 16

 Which of the following statements is incorrect? 

A) No state may restrict voting based on discriminatory tests, taxes, or residency requirements. 
B) In half of the states, people can register to vote when applying for a driver's license. 
C) Most states allow absentee ballot voting prior to election day. 
D) Some states allow people to register on the same day that they vote. 
E) In areas where many non-English speakers live, election authorities must supply ballots written in the appropriate native languages.

Question 17

 What method have all of the states used to try to improve voter turnout? 

A) Give voters the option to vote prior to election day via mail-in ballots. 
B) Institute election holidays. 
C) Conduct elections over the Internet. 
D) Schedule election day on Saturdays. 
E) Allow people to vote on numerous days.

Question 18

 VEP measures of turnout might be preferable to VAP measures because they 

A) usually render a lower, more conservative, estimate. 
B) round fractions up to the nearest tenth. 
C) are derived from representative samples in telephone interviews. 
D) are based on census data. 
E) remove ineligible voters from the equation.

Question 19

 In recent years,the gap between the VAP and VEP has 

A) increased. 
B) remained about the same. 
C) decreased somewhat. 
D) decreased considerably. 
E) varied in no consistent way.

Question 20

 In 1856,this state stopped being the last one to require voters to own property to vote. 

A) South Carolina 
B) North Carolina 
C) New Hampshire 
D) Georgia 
E) Kentucky

Question 21

 The first presidential elections in which all persons between the ages of 18 and 21 were able to vote were held in 

A) 1944. 
B) 1956. 
C) 1972. 
D) 1984. 
E) 1985.

Question 22

 Blacks first voted in large numbers in the South 

A) in the 1980s. 
B) after the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 
C) after World War II. 
D) early in the twentieth century. 
E) soon after the Civil War.

Question 23

 Which of the following statements regarding turnout of the youth vote (those under thirty)in 2008 is correct? 

A) It was the highest in any election since 1972. 
B) It was the lowest in any election since 1972. 
C) It increased for the third consecutive election and was fairly high. 
D) It increased for the third consecutive election but remained fairly low. 
E) It remained about the same as it had over the last three elections.

Question 24

 The __________ Amendment states that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race,color,or previous condition of servitude." 

A) Twelfth 
B) Seventeenth 
C) Fifteenth  
D) Twenty-fifth 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 25

 When Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1970 and lowered the voting age to eighteen, 

A) the president vetoed the act. 
B) the Fourteenth Amendment was overturned. 
C) the Supreme Court declared the adjustment unconstitutional. 
D) thirty-five state governors protested the change. 
E) the number of eligible voters instantly doubled.

Question 26

 Presidential electors were at first picked by 

A) state legislatures. 
B) the voters directly. 
C) federal judges. 
D) the U.S. Senate. 
E) the U.S. House.

Question 27

 In 1842,a federal law required that all House members be elected by 

A) popular vote. 
B) state legislators. 
C) congressional delegations. 
D) districts. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 28

 Which of the following was required by the U.S.Constitution? 

A) Adult free male suffrage 
B) Popularly elected presidential electors 
C) Nonpartisan election commissions 
D) Popularly elected senators 
E) Popularly elected House members

Question 29

 Those who see the decline of voter turnout as a function of party organization change believe all of the following EXCEPT 

A) parties originally aimed to increase mass political participation. 
B) parties used caucuses and conventions and fought against legal barriers to voting to increase participation. 
C) the nation was split by region in the late 1890s, and two-party competition decreased in many places. 
D) both parties became more liberal. 
E) citizens lost interest in politics because the parties did not respond to their needs.

Question 30

 The purpose of the grandfather clause in early voter registration laws was to 

A) prevent black people from voting by forcing them to pay a poll tax. 
B) prevent black people from voting by forcing them to prove that they could read. 
C) prevent black people from voting by forcing them to provide proof of their grandfathers' lineage. 
D) ensure that black people were not subject to the restrictions that prevented white people from voting. 
E) ensure that white people were not subject to the restrictions that prevented black people from voting.

Question 31

 In 2012,youth voting 

A) increased for the fifth election in a row. 
B) stayed constant from 2008. 
C) dropped back to historic levels. 
D) dropped to historic lows. 
E) saw an increase in the percent of youth voting, but a decrease in the share of the vote that was under 30.

Question 32

 In the late 1800s,voter turnout in a typical presidential election has been estimated to be 

A) 40 percent. 
B) 50 percent. 
C) 60 percent. 
D) 70 percent. 
E) 90 percent.

Question 33

 During the nineteenth century,voting ballots were printed by 

A) neutral foreign parties. 
B) Congress. 
C) the courts. 
D) state legislatures. 
E) political parties.

Question 34

 One explanation given by the text for the decline in U.S.voter participation in presidential elections after 1900 is that 

A) parties began functioning to mobilize mass voter turnout. 
B) fewer citizens were directly affected by the outcome of presidential elections. 
C) other forms of political participation became more accessible to citizens. 
D) election fraud was rampant during the nineteenth century. 
E) the Republican Party began to attempt to mobilize individuals who were least likely to vote.

Question 35

 When those below the age of 21 were first allowed to vote in presidential elections,they 

A) flocked to the Republican candidates. 
B) flocked to the Democratic candidates. 
C) almost uniformly voted for Independent candidates. 
D) generally voted for Richard Nixon. 
E) did not flock to any particular party or candidate.

Question 36

 Between 1915 and 1925,the size of the eligible voting population in the United States almost doubled.The main reason for this was that 

A) the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. 
B) women were given the right to vote. 
C) the grandfather clause, which denied voting to blacks, was ruled unconstitutional. 
D) literacy tests for blacks were ruled unconstitutional. 
E) voter-registration laws were abolished in seventeen states.

Question 37

 Until 1920,women were generally kept from voting by 

A) intimidation. 
B) social custom. 
C) their own choice. 
D) tradition. 
E) law.

Question 38

 In 1880,the number of disenfranchised adult males in England was roughly __________ that of the United States.  

A) three times 
B) two times 
C) equal to 
D) half of 
E) a third of

Question 39

 All of these were used to deny African Americans the vote EXCEPT 

A) the grandfather clause. 
B) the poll tax. 
C) the literacy test. 
D) the Australian ballot. 
E) the white primary.

Question 40

 With respect to voting,which of the following is an accurate comparison between women and young people? 

A) Young people, like women, voted in great numbers after receiving the right to vote. 
B) Unlike women, young people voted in great numbers after receiving the right to vote. 
C) Unlike young people, women voted in great numbers after receiving the right to vote. 
D) Young people, like women, did not vote in great numbers after receiving the right to vote. 
E) Young people, unlike women, flocked to one party after receiving the right to vote.

Question 41

 Congress's efforts to reform voting in the aftermath of the Florida vote-count controversy of 2000 might be faulted for the fact that it 

A) did not require states to develop systems for counting disputed votes. 
B) did not provide funds for upgrading voting equipment. 
C) stopped short of creating a uniform national voting system. 
D) did not provide funds for training election officials. 
E) did not investigate names that were not on official registration lists.

Question 42

 The willingness to engage in partisan competition separates which two of the voter participation groups? 

A) Campaigners from complete activists 
B) Inactive voters from campaigners 
C) Parochial participants from communalists 
D) Inactive voters from parochial participants 
E) Communalists from campaigners

Question 43

 Which of the following participation groups avoids both elections and community groups in its political activity? 

A) Voting specialists 
B) Campaigners 
C) Communalists 
D) Parochial participants 
E) Inactive voters

Question 44

 Which participation group does not vote? 

A) Parochial participants 
B) Communalists 
C) Campaigners 
D) Voting specialists 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 45

 Compared with the rest of the population,voting specialists tend to be 

A) younger and more educated. 
B) younger and less educated. 
C) older and more educated. 
D) older and less educated. 
E) middle-aged and highly educated.

Question 46

 During the nineteenth century,the term floaters referred to 

A) individuals who were undecided as election day approached. 
B) individuals who voted more than once. 
C) members of political parties who defected to the other side. 
D) voters who refused to support incumbents. 
E) voters who always supported incumbents.

Question 47

 In the aftermath of the 2002 reforms,voters can vote for president by 

A) paper ballots. 
B) lever machines. 
C) punch cards. 
D) optical scans. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 48

 Rates of political participation tend to be higher among those who 

A) are employed. 
B) have gone to college. 
C) are white. 
D) are black as opposed to Hispanic. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 49

 Campaigners are distinguished from the general population by their 

A) higher education levels and stronger opinions. 
B) lower education levels and stronger opinions. 
C) higher education levels and weaker opinions. 
D) lower education levels and weaker opinions. 
E) lack of party identification and distaste for conflict.

Question 50

 Compared with voters in the United States,most European voters have the opportunity to cast ballots 

A) more frequently, for as many offices. 
B) less frequently, for as many offices. 
C) less frequently, for fewer offices. 
D) more frequently, for fewer offices. 
E) more frequently, for more offices.

Question 51

 The steady decline in U.S.voter turnout appears to be the unintentional result of 

A) strict voter-registration procedures. 
B) the poll tax. 
C) the fraudulent reporting of election results. 
D) literacy testing. 
E) media campaigns.

Question 52

 The primary motivation behind the adoption of the Australian ballot was to  

A) decrease voter fraud. 
B) give political parties more power over the balloting process. 
C) reduce the complexity of the voter registration process. 
D) reduce the complexity of the voting process. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 53

 Youth,low income,and minority status are associated with which of the following participation groups? 

A) Inactive voters 
B) Parochial participants 
C) Communalists 
D) Campaigners 
E) Voting specialists

Question 54

 Hispanic turnout in the United states is comparable to that of voting-eligible whites and blacks after adjusting for  

A) age. 
B) education. 
C) residential mobility. 
D) income. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 55

 Educated people tend to  

A) vote infrequently but participate in politics in other ways. 
B) vote frequently but not participate in politics in other ways. 
C) participate in politics about as much as non-educated people. 
D) participate less in politics than non-educated people. 
E) participate more in politics than non-educated people.

Question 56

 Which of the following statements regarding the Australian ballot is FALSE? 

A) It is printed by the government. 
B) It appeared first in the states. 
C) It appeared in the late 1800s. 
D) It is cast in secret. 
E) It eliminated vote fraud.

Question 57

 Non-voting political participation among today's citizens is __________ that of Americans half a century ago. 

A) about equal to 
B) significantly greater than 
C) somewhat greater than  
D) significantly less than 
E) somewhat less than

Question 58

 The text suggests there has been little decrease,and some increase,in the percentage of Americans who 

A) campaign. 
B) contact government officials. 
C) volunteer. 
D) work on community issues. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 59

 This presidential election year witnessed the lowest level of voter turnout since 1924. 

A) 2008 
B) 2012 
C) 2004 
D) 1996 
E) 1992

Question 60

 Policymakers tend to respond less to the needs of young people than to those of old people because 

A) young people's involvement in politics is violent or otherwise unconstructive. 
B) young people are less involved in politics. 
C) young people are immature and their needs are not actually very important. 
D) most of the people who make laws are old. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 61

 One problem with get-out-the-vote campaigns is that they usually target the people who are already the most likely to vote. 

Question 62

 Voter fraud today is more prevalent than in the nineteenth century. 

Question 63

 The rise of the Internet has little effect on political participation. 

Question 64

 "Floaters" were good for political parties and democracy. 

Question 65

 When the voting age was lowered to eighteen,those aged eighteen to twenty-one voted in impressive numbers. 

Question 66

 The VAP is problematic as a baseline measure because some people in that figure are not actually eligible to vote. 

Question 67

 Voting is more often viewed as a special occasion in Europe than it is in America. 

Question 68

 The Supreme Court's rulings were not effective at securing enfranchisement for blacks. 

Question 69

 Poll taxes and literacy tests were methods used to keep blacks from voting. 

Question 70

 When VEP is used instead of VAP,estimates of voter turnout tend to decrease. 

Question 71

 Staying informed about government and politics is an example of political participation. 

Question 72

 Americans typically have higher rates of political participation than do citizens of other democracies. 

Question 73

 In most European nations,voter registration is automatic. 

Question 74

 One theory of why voter turnout started to decline in the early 1900s is that the legal barriers to participation,such as complex registration procedures,started to increase. 

Question 75

 After adjusting for voter registration,voter participation in America is comparable to that of Europe. 

Question 76

 Several states permitted women to vote prior to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. 

Question 77

 In areas where many non-English speaking persons live,election authorities can supply ballots to voters that are written in the appropriate native language. 

Question 78

 Strict voter registration requirements reduce fraud but also reduce voter turnout. 

Question 79

 The 2008 presidential election featured a record level of voter turnout among people aged thirty and below. 

Question 80

 The motor-voter law has led to an increase in the number of registered voters and in voter turnout.