Deck 10: Participation, Voting, and Elections

Question 1

Citizens who have a say in the national decision-making process show greater levels of __________ with the political system as a whole.

A) dissatisfaction
B) disenfranchisement
C) apathy
D) appreciation
E) satisfaction.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

In a nation as large as the United States, the Athenian kind of democracy is

A) absolutely necessary.
B) challenging, but attainable.
C) logistically impossible.
D) helped by the fact that in addition to the large geographic size, there also exists a large population.
E) is necessary for full democratic rights.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What percent of American citizens are completely inactive in the political process?

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 33 percent
D) 50 percent
E) 75 percent

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In summarizing the participation levels of the American citizens, one can conclude that

A) very few Americans are active to any degree in politics.
B) close to half of the population is engaged in some form of politically oriented activity.
C) nearly all Americans are active participants in political life.
D) only 10 percent of the population watches political television ads.
E) citizens are never active in political life unless an election is involved.

Question 5

The right of African American males to vote was guaranteed by the

A) Voting Rights Act of 1866.
B) Fifteenth Amendment.
C) Emancipation Proclamation.
D) presidential Executive Order No. 101.
E) Twenty-sixth Amendment.

Question 6

The poll tax, the literacy test, and the good-character test were all designed to

A) keep White women from voting.
B) keep African American men and women from voting.
C) encourage White women to vote.
D) encourage African American men and women to vote.
E) to provide greater access to voting for all people.

Question 7

All of the following were used by southern states to keep African Americans from voting EXCEPT

A) use of intimidation and threats of violence.
B) requiring the payment of a poll tax prior to voting.
C) passing laws that stated that former slaves and children of slaves could vote.
D) using difficult literacy tests when African Americans sought to register.
E) none of the above.

Question 8

What Amendment gave women the right to vote?

A) Eighteenth
B) Nineteenth
C) Twenty-third
D) Twenty-sixth
E) Twenty-fourth

Question 9

All of the Amendments expanded political participation EXCEPT the

A) Eighteenth Amendment.
B) Nineteenth Amendment.
C) Twenty-third Amendment.
D) Twenty-sixth Amendment.
E) Twenty-fourth Amendment.

Question 10

A fee that had to be paid before one could vote that was used to prevent African Americans from voting is known as

A) a good character test.
B) literacy test.
C) electoral responsiveness.
D) voter turn-away.
E) poll tax

Question 11

A requirement that voting applicants had to demonstrate an understanding of national and state constitutions and that was primarily used to prevent African Americans from voting in the South is known as

A) a good character test.
B) literacy test.
C) electoral responsiveness.
D) voter turn-away.
E) poll tax

Question 12

A requirement that voting applicants wishing to vote produce two or more registered voters to vouch for their integrity is known as

A) a good character test.
B) literacy test.
C) electoral responsiveness.
D) voter turn-away.
E) poll tax

Question 13

Many political observers measure the health of a democracy by the degree to which citizens participate in elections. This is referred to as

A) voter turnout.
B) voter pullover.
C) voter mobility.
D) electoral responsiveness rate.
E) the good character test.

Question 14

The most central act in a democracy is the citizen's decision to

A) protest.
B) write their Congress person.
C) register to vote.
D) contribute money to a campaign.
E) vote.

Question 15

As many as ______________ registered voters were prevented or discouraged from casting their ballots in the 2008 election, demonstrating major malfunctions in the country's election process

A) 1 million
B) 3 million
C) 5 million
D) 7 million
E) 10 million

Question 16

The percentage of eligible voters who actually show up and vote on election day is called

A) voter turnout.
B) voter pullover.
C) voter mobility.
D) electoral responsiveness rate.
E) the good character test.

Question 17

Registration laws in most states seem designed to

A) depress election turnout rates.
B) increase election turnout rates.
C) have no effect on election turnout rates.
D) hide election turnout rates.
E) prevent fraudulent voting.

Question 18

What percentage of Americans live in states where they must register to vote in advance?

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) between 30 and 40 percent
D) around 75 percent
E) more than 90 percent

Question 19

The National Voter Registration Act (1995) encouraged voter registration by simplifying the registration process. This act is also known as

A) the Campus-wide Voter Initiative.
B) the Simplified Registration Initiative
C) the Motor Cycle Voter Law.
D) the Same-day registration law.
E) the Motor-Voter Law.

Question 20

Which of the following variables DOES NOT affect vote choice?

A) education
B) social status
C) age
D) career
E) marital status

Question 21

The higher one's socioeconomic level

A) the more likely one is to vote.
B) the less likely one is to vote.
C) the less likely one is to run for political office.
D) the more likely one is to refuse to make a financial contribution to a political campaign.
E) the more apathy exhibited toward the electoral system.

Question 22

What is the most common form of political participation?

A) voting in elections
B) campaign work
C) seeking information
D) civil disobedience
E) protest.

Question 23

Which of the following are policy proposals placed on the ballot for voter consideration at the instigation of a group of citizens?

A) "white papers"
B) initiatives
C) term limits
D) short-term elections
E) red and blue papers.

Question 24

If state legislature were to ask the voters to approve the sale of state bonds to finance various programs, such as education and prisons, this would be an example of a(n)

A) initiative.
B) referendum.
C) poll.
D) questionnaire.
E) white paper.

Question 25

The one overwhelming influence on voting decisions is

A) region of residence.
B) sex and sexual preference.
C) party identification.
D) religion.
E) incumbency.

Question 26

Party loyalists who vote for only one party are said to be voting

A) protest votes.
B) split-ticket ballots.
C) straight-party tickets.
D) without consideration for rational alternatives.
E) for the incumbent.

Question 27

A nonpartisan election

A) is illegal.
B) only takes place at the federal level.
C) allows voters to choose among candidates whose affiliation is unknown.
D) violates the principle of "direct democracy."
E) is only used in primary elections.

Question 28

What is the key determinant of voting?

A) money
B) image
C) party affiliation
D) age
E) candidate appeal

Question 29

The powerful form of issue voting where voters look back over the last term to judge how well the incumbent candidate or party has performed is called

A) retrospective voting.
B) two-pronged voting.
C) rational analysis voting.
D) rudimentary voting.
E) reflective voting.

Question 30

The most recent innovation in outlets for political information is

A) fax machines.
B) "spot radio" ads.
C) television stations and programs that focus on political affairs.
D) "talk shows" at state public educational institutions.
E) social media.

Question 31

A form of political participation that takes the form of demonstrations, letters to newspapers and public officials, or opting out of the system by failing to vote or participate in any other way may be described as

A) boycotts.
B) embargoes.
C) civil disobedience.
D) participatory democracy.
E) protest.

Question 32

A means of political participation whereby people nonviolently defy laws deemed unjust is called

A) boycotts.
B) embargoes.
C) civil disobedience.
D) participatory democracy.
E) non-voting.

Question 33

Congressional elections

A) generally receive less national attention than presidential elections.
B) generally receive more national attention than the presidential election.
C) are generally ignored by a future presidential candidate.
D) are definite predictors regarding the outcome of future presidential elections.
E) usually have a higher voter turnout that presidential elections.

Question 34

What is the "coattails effect"?

A) all congressional candidates from one party running as a common partisan ticket
B) the impact on congressional elections of the popularity or lack of popularity of the president
C) the impact on elections of celebrity endorsements
D) the impact on presidential elections of the popularity or lack of popularity of the congressional party
E) a midterm election that occurs when the incumbent president is constitutionally prohibited from seeking reelection in the next presidential election.

Question 35

Typically, in presidential elections, the winning presidential candidate's party

A) loses seats in Congress.
B) gains seats in Congress.
C) maintains the same number of seats in Congress.
D) adopts a liberal philosophy toward welfare programs.
E) has no effect on the election of seats in Congress.

Question 36

Identify the first presidential role model.

A) George Washington
B) John Adams
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Abraham Lincoln
E) Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Question 37

The Constitution indicates that the number of electors who will cast ballots for president and vice president

A) cannot exceed 550.
B) cannot be changed without an amendment.
C) is to be determined by the president every ten years.
D) is equal to the number of representatives and senators a state has in Congress.
E) is equal to the number of senators a state has in Congress.

Question 38

The framers' original idea to have an Electoral College was

A) based on the concept of direct democracy.
B) to strengthen the two-party system.
C) to eliminate the need for factions.
D) to have electors use their own discretion in deciding who would make the best president.
E) to strengthen third party competition.

Question 39

The Twelfth Amendment

A) abolished the Electoral College.
B) guaranteed that the winner of the national popular vote would also win the electoral college.
C) provided for casting separate Electoral College votes for president and vice president.
D) lowered the voting age to eighteen.
E) extended suffrage to the African American population.

Question 40

To be officially elected president one must

A) receive a majority of the total Electoral College votes.
B) have both the highest popular vote total and win a majority of the total Electoral
College votes.
C) win a majority in a congressional vote of confidence and investiture.
D) win a plurality of total electoral college votes.
E) win the popular vote.

Question 41

A faithless elector

A) is not a member of the electoral college.
B) is a member of the Electoral College who casts his or her vote for someone other than the state's popular vote winner.
C) has never been present.
D) is required to prove his or her political allegiance.
E) is someone who believes his/her vote doesn't count in an election.

Question 42

An election held in the House if no candidate receives the required majority of votes in the Electoral College is referred to as a

A) contingency election.
B) disputed election.
C) non-political election.
D) selective election.
E) null and void election

Question 43

What are the two states that do not choose electors on a winner-take-all basis?

A) Nebraska and Maine
B) Texas and Louisiana
C) California and Nevada
D) Alabama and Mississippi
E) Florida and California

Question 44

The most favored alternative to the Electoral College is

A) independent voting by special recognized groups.
B) another indirect way of choosing the president.
C) a direct vote to elect the president.
D) computer-assisted voting by special government aides.
E) allow representatives to choose the president.

Question 45

The 1932 presidential election is referred to as

A) a "fluke of history."
B) a maintaining election.
C) a deviating election.
D) a realigning election.
E) a reforming election.

Question 46

An election in which the majority party of the day wins both Congress and the White House, maintaining its control of government is referred to as

A) a "fluke of history."
B) a reforming election.
C) a deviating election.
D) a realigning election.
E) a maintaining election.

Question 47

An election in which the minority party captures the White House because of short-term intervening forces, and thus a deviation from the expectation that power will remain in the hands of the dominant party is referred to as

A) a "fluke of history."
B) a reforming election.
C) a deviating election.
D) a realigning election.
E) a maintaining election.

Question 48

Independent expenditures are

A) illegal in presidential campaigns.
B) illegal in congressional campaigns.
C) loopholes in the campaign finance law.
D) no longer necessary because of large private donations.
E) were eliminated with the Twenty-second amendment.

Question 49

Felony disenfranchisement is:

A) The practice of prohibiting individuals who have been convicted of felony crimes from voting.
B) Limited to northern states.
C) Does not have an impact on elections.
D) A special kind of crime committed at fast food restaurants.
E) None of the above.

Question 50

Mass political involvement through voting, campaign work, political protests, and civil disobedience, among many others, is referred to as participation.

Question 51

The Nineteenth Amendment (1920) provide women with the right to vote.

Question 52

Part of the National Voter Registration Act provides registration services through drivers' license agencies.

Question 53

Voting is the only form of political behavior essential to a democracy.

Question 54

Historically, American politics has been notable for the steady addition of new barriers to democratic participation.

Question 55

Voters today must still satisfy varying property requirements.

Question 56

A poll tax is a fee one must pay in order to vote.

Question 57

The literacy test was a requirement that voting applicants demonstrate some ability to read and write.

Question 58

Poll taxes and literacy tests were devices used in some states to disenfranchise African American citizens.

Question 59

Prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, fewer than 10 percent of African Americans voted regularly.

Question 60

The U.S. Supreme Court erased many barriers to African American participation, striking down state poll tax laws in 1966.

Question 61

The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920.

Question 62

Residents of the District of Columbia were not allowed to vote in presidential elections until the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Question 63

Political activity costs nothing in terms of time and effort.

Question 64

Voter turnout expresses the percentage of the electorate that pays the poll tax.

Question 65

Many political observers define the health of a representative democracy by the degree to which its citizens participate in elections.

Question 66

The 2004 presidential election had one of the lowest rates of voter turnout.

Question 67

In many nations voting is compulsory.

Question 68

In the United States, citizens must change their registration or re-register each time they change addresses.

Question 69

In recent years, few states have taken steps to minimize the costs of registering and voting.

Question 70

In some states such as California, employers must give employees paid time off to vote.

Question 71

Socioeconomic status is a crucial variable in determining the probability of voting.

Question 72

Men prefer to vote for Democratic candidates.

Question 73

Initiatives and referenda are examples of direct democracy.

Question 74

Initiatives are typically instigated by state governors.

Question 75

Party identification is a deep-seated sense of loyalty to a particular political party.

Question 76

Candidate personality has seldom played a major role in elections in the United States.

Question 77

Initiatives are policy proposals placed on the ballot for the voters to decide directly.

Question 78

Retrospective voting is only relevant to incumbents.

Question 79

Political campaigns rely heavily on paid staffers.

Question 80

Felony disenfranchisement has a long history in America.