Question 1

State laws trump party rules in the delegate selection process.

Accepted Answer

State laws have the final say in how delegates are selected, regardless of any rules or preferences set by political parties.

Question 2

Laws in these two states require the nominating process to start before the second Tuesday in March.&#10;A)Illinois and Nevada&#10;B)South Carolina and Michigan&#10;C)Texas and New York&#10;D)Iowa and New Hampshire

Accepted Answer

Iowa and New Hampshire are the states that require the nominating process to start before the second Tuesday in March.

Question 3

Democrats changed the delegate selection rules after the turbulent convention of _________.&#10;A)1932&#10;B)1948&#10;C)1968&#10;D)1992

Accepted Answer

The Democratic Party changed their delegate selection rules after the turbulent 1968 convention in which protests and police brutality occurred. The changes included the creation of more transparent and representative processes for selecting delegates, as well as the inclusion of more women, minorities, and young people in the delegate pool.

Question 4

Third-party candidates are not eligible for federal matching grants or general election funding.

Accepted Answer

Third-party candidates are eligible for federal matching grants and general election funding if they meet certain criteria set by the Federal Election Commission, such as receiving a minimum percentage of the vote in the previous election or demonstrating sufficient public support through small contributions.

Question 5

Authority over federal elections (ballot access, registration, and the time and place for voting) is largely in the hands of&#10;A)Congress.&#10;B)state legislatures.&#10;C)local governments.&#10;D)the political parties.

Accepted Answer

According to the Constitution, the power to regulate federal elections is given to the states, specifically the state legislatures. While Congress has some authority over federal elections, such as setting the date for presidential and congressional elections, states have the primary responsibility for administering and regulating these elections, including ballot access, voter registration, and polling place locations. Local governments may have some role in administering elections, but ultimate authority rests with the states. Political parties do not have any inherent authority over federal elections, but they do play a significant role in the nomination of candidates and the mobilization of voters.

Question 6

Threshold rules are designed to allocate delegates in proportion to the vote they receive, after receiving a certain minimum percentage.

Accepted Answer

Threshold rules require a party or candidate to receive a minimum percentage of the vote in order to receive any delegates, and then allocate delegates proportionally based on the vote received above the threshold.

Question 7

Changes in the way that the major parties select their presidential nominees, beginning in the 1970s, have made the presidential selection process&#10;A)more democratic.&#10;B)less democratic.&#10;C)more centralized.&#10;D)less competitive.

Accepted Answer

The changes in the presidential selection process since the 1970s, including the use of primaries and caucuses, have made the process more democratic by giving party members a greater say in the selection of their nominee. Prior to these changes, party leaders and insiders had more control over the nominating process, which was less representative of the broader party membership.

Question 8

Party officials generally believe that the less divisive the nomination process, the better their nominees will do in the general election.

Accepted Answer

Party officials want to present a united front and avoid conflict within their own party in order to present a strong, cohesive message to voters in the general election. A divisive nomination process can lead to internal party fractures and negative publicity, making it harder to win in the general election.

Question 9

Front-loading refers to&#10;A)the scheduling of state caucuses and primaries toward the beginning of the nomination calendar.&#10;B)the candidate's quest for contributions the year before the primaries and caucuses.&#10;C)news media coverage given to the front-runners.&#10;D)all the work that has to be done before the caucuses and primaries are actually held.

Accepted Answer

Front-loading refers to the scheduling of state caucuses and primaries toward the beginning of the nomination calendar, typically in order to increase the influence of those states in the selection of the party's nominee.

Question 10

Republican and Democratic Party rules for the primaries requires that each state's pledged delegates be selected in proportion to the vote that the candidates to whom they are pledged receive.

Accepted Answer

The Democratic Party uses a proportional allocation system for pledged delegates, while the Republican Party allows states to choose between proportional, winner-take-all, or hybrid systems.

Deck 4: Party Rules and Their Impact