Deck 7: Political Participation

Question 1

Which of the following reforms would likely lead to an increase in voter participation rates?

A)Allow citizens to register to vote on the same day and at the same location where they cast their ballots
B)Lower the legal minimum voting age from 18 to 16 years
C)Limit the amount of money candidates can spend on their campaigns
D)Shorten the length of time polling places are open on Election Day
E)Reintroduce the poll tax

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Compared with other industrialized democracies,voter turnout in the United States is probably lower for what reason?

A)Political parties are weaker.
B)The population is older.
C)Citizens are poorer.
D)The population is more religious.
E)The population is younger.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a personal resource in the context of political participation?

A)Time
B)Money
C)Civic skills
D)Political efficacy
E)Communication skills

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Republican women

A)ran for office in 2010 in higher numbers than ever before.
B)are less likely to vote than Democrat women.
C)were instrumental in electing Barack Obama as president.
D)were the driving force behind the National Voter Registration Act.
E)are more likely to be pro-choice than Democrat women.

Question 5

To what does the term political efficacy refer?

A)The extent to which an individual believes he can influence the policymaking processes
B)An individual's assessment of the responsiveness of government to his or her demands
C)The government's attempts to block certain groups of voters from participating in elections
D)Efforts to extend voting rights to resident aliens in the United States
E)Efforts to create barriers to voting

Question 6

Of the following,which has the lowest turnout rate?

A)Australia
B)France
C)United States
D)Germany
E)Italy

Question 7

Studies show that voting participation rates are higher for African Americans than political scientists would otherwise anticipate on the basis of socioeconomic status.What is the best explanation for this political phenomenon?

A)As a group,African Americans are older than other groups of Americans and consequently more likely to vote.
B)Levels of political efficacy are lower for African Americans than they are for other groups of Americans.
C)African American participation rates are enhanced by the effectiveness of organizations in the African American community.
D)As a group,African Americans are younger than other groups and consequently more likely to vote.
E)As a group,African Americans are wealthier than other groups of Americans and consequently more likely to vote.

Question 8

Voting in America is a two-step process.Before being able to vote,Americans must

A)register.
B)get fingerprinted.
C)take a literacy test.
D)go to the state capitol and file paperwork.
E)pay a poll tax.

Question 9

Which of the following groups is disproportionately represented among nonvoters?

A)Older adults
B)People who attend church regularly
C)College graduates
D)Younger voters
E)Married people

Question 10

In which of the following forms of political participation are Americans most likely to take part?

A)Influence others to vote
B)Contribute money
C)Attend political meetings
D)Work for candidates
E)Vote

Question 11

The U.S.lags behind most other nations in electoral participation and has

A)more than one-fourth of its eligible voters not even registered.
B)three-fourths of its eligible voters not even registered.
C)100 percent of its eligible voters registered.
D)only 10 percent of its registered voters casting votes.
E)voter turnout that usually exceeds the 70 percent mark.

Question 12

Which of the following factors accounts for relatively low voter turnout rates in the U.S.?

A)Political parties in the U.S.are relatively weaker than they are in other countries.
B)Church attendance in the U.S.is relatively higher than it is in other countries.
C)Voter registration requirements are simpler in the U.S.than in other countries.
D)Political parties in the U.S.are stronger than they are in most other countries.
E)All of the above

Question 13

Which of the following individuals would you expect to be most active politically?

A)A 20-year-old college student
B)A 40-year-old college professor
C)A 30-year-old secretary
D)A 40-year-old construction worker
E)An 18-year-old high school senior

Question 14

How has Australia remedied low voter turnout?

A)By lowering the voting age
B)By paying citizens to vote
C)Compulsory voting
D)Optional voting
E)Giving tax breaks to those who vote

Question 15

Which of the following is the most common act of political participation in the U.S.?

A)Voting
B)Campaigning
C)Contacting a public official
D)Joining a political group
E)Marching and demonstrating

Question 16

The average age of the U.S.population is increasing.What impact would you expect this development to have on voter participation rates?

A)Voter participation rates will decline because elderly people are often unable to participate politically because of poor health.
B)Voter participation rates will decline because elderly people are less interested in politics than younger adults.
C)Voter participation rates will decline because elderly people have lower internal political efficacy.
D)Voter participation rates will decline because elderly people have lower external political efficacy.
E)Voter participation rates will increase because older adults are generally more likely to participate than younger adults.

Question 17

Recent data show that women are more likely to vote than men,but men are more likely to engage in other forms of political activity,such as contributing money to a campaign or joining a political organization.These differences reflect

A)differences in resources and psychological engagement between men and women.
B)the income gap that favors women over men in earnings.
C)the fact that women are better informed and more interested in politics than men are.
D)that women are not welcomed by campaigns or other political organizations.
E)that women are more introverted than men.

Question 18

How would increased voter turnout most likely influence election results?

A)It would favor Democrats because low-income people and minorities have lower rates of voter turnout and both of these groups traditionally vote Democrat.
B)It would favor Republicans,since most nonvoters are conservative and would vote Republican.
C)It would not change anything,since nonvoters are as evenly divided ideologically as voters.
D)It would favor third-party candidates,since nonvoters are alienated and more likely to cast a vote for a third party if they do vote.
E)It would favor independent candidates,since most nonvoters are independents.

Question 19

In which of the following elections would you anticipate having the highest participation rate of eligible voters?

A)An election for president
B)An election for Congress
C)An election for governor
D)An election for mayor
E)An election for city council

Question 20

Which of the following is the most common reason Americans give for not voting?

A)I was too busy.
B)I didn't know enough about the candidates.
C)I didn't get registered in time.
D)I thought the election was next week.
E)I didn't want to vote.

Question 21

Minorities and lower-income people tend to vote Democrat.

Question 22

Consider your political efficacy,in relation to such factors as personal resources,psychological engagement,and community involvement.

Question 23

What can be done to increase voter turnout?

Question 24

Why is participation bias important?

A)It has an impact on public policy.
B)It denies some citizens the ability to participate in politics.
C)The result is a low voter turnout.
D)It has consistently resulted in Republican agendas.
E)It has consistently resulted in Democrat agendas.

Question 25

Examine the graph on p. 132, and discuss which types of political participation are most influenced by one’s income. Page: 132; LO: 7.2; Skill Level: Analysis

Question 26

Other than voting,identify three ways individuals participate in politics.

Question 27

Voter turnout rates are higher in the U.S.than in most other democracies.

Question 28

Voting is the most common form of political participation.

Question 29

Suppose Congress was considering a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age in the U.S.from 18 to 16.If this were to take place,how would you anticipate that it would affect voter turnout? Explain the basis of your answer.

Question 30

What are the advantages and disadvantages of compulsory voting?

Question 31

Compared to State A,the average age of the population of State B is young and unmarried and the state has experienced a good deal of immigration in the last few years.Would you expect voter turnout to be higher in State A or State B? Explain the basis for your answer.

Question 32

Trying to convince nonvoters to participate in elections is a form of political participation.

Question 33

How does voter turnout in the U.S.compare with the turnout in other industrialized democracies? Give at least two reasons identified by political scientists to explain the disparity.

Question 34

Political participation is

A)protesters determining election outcomes.
B)government officials making all rules without regard for the public's preferences.
C)taking public opinion polls.
D)interest groups deciding issues and voters only choosing candidates.
E)any activity that has the intent of influencing government policy.

Question 35

Voter turnout exceeded 60 percent in the presidential elections of 2004 and 2008.

Question 36

The Tea Party is

A)a loose network of people against higher taxes and increased government spending.
B)against higher taxes except for those on wealthier Americans.
C)a viable political party that is socially conservative.
D)not a political party but a political movement that favors more control of the economy by the government.
E)not a viable political party but has registered to become an official party for the 2012 election.

Question 37

Voter participation rates for younger adults are generally lower than participation rates for middle-aged adults.

Question 38

Individuals with high school educations vote as often as people with college degrees.

Question 39

On which of the following election outcomes would you expect an individual,acting alone,to have the most influence?

A)An election for a seat on the local school board
B)An election for a seat in the state legislature
C)An election for a seat in Congress
D)An election for president
E)An election for governor

Question 40

Explain what the term psychological engagement means.

Question 41

Since the early 1960s,American voter turnout has declined in most presidential elections.Write an essay discussing the reasons for the general decline and whether the upswing in turnout recorded in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections as compared to the 1996 presidential election)was the beginning of a trend toward higher voter participation rates.

Question 42

View the chart on page 132 showing participation rates by income level.Why do you think people with higher incomes vote in much higher numbers than those with lower incomes? What effect do you think this has on elections? What effect might this have on the government policies that are enacted?

Question 43

What are some of the factors that affect voter turnout among racial and ethnic groups? Why are they less likely to vote as compared to white voters? Why are there differences among the ethnic and racial groups themselves? What makes one minority group more likely to vote than another?

Question 44

Political scientists sometimes explain an individual's decision to participate politically in terms of personal resources,psychological engagement,voter mobilization,and community involvement.Describe the role each plays in shaping an individual decision to participate in politics.

Question 45

Explain the paradox that voter turnout in the United States is relatively low,but other forms of participation are relatively higher than in other advanced democracies.Why is voter turnout as low as it is in the U.S.? Why are other forms of participation higher than in many other countries? What could be done to increase voter turnout?