Deck 5: Voting,campaigns,and Elections

Question 1

The Texas Campaign Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1973 provides that every candidate for political office must appoint a campaign treasurer before accepting contributions or making expenditures.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Voter turnout in Texas for presidential and congressional elections is above the national average.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The framers of the U.S.Constitution gave the national government the power to determine the qualifications for voting in all elections.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Even within the United States,suffrage has not been substantially nationalized.

Question 5

Despite the fact that registration has been relatively easy in Texas for more than three decades,voter turnout is still below national levels.

Question 6

Except at the presidential level,the United States is one of the few democracies that do not have public funded campaigns that enable successful candidates to be relatively free of obligations to special interests.

Question 7

The differences between rich and poor citizens are no longer strongly related to differences in turnout rates for ethnic groups.

Question 8

To vote in Texas,one must be eighteen years old and registered to vote at least thirty days prior to election day.

Question 9

In 2011,the Texas legislature successfully passed a law requiring citizens to show a photographic identification card before they could be issued a ballot at a polling booth on election day.

Question 10

The United States has publicly funded campaigns for a wide variety of offices at every level of government.

Question 11

Under current Texas law,one must register between October 1 and January 31 to be eligible to vote.

Question 12

Once registered,a voter remains registered in Texas as long as he or she remains qualified.

Question 13

There is virtually no control over,and very little effort to ensure the public disclosure of,the influence of money in Texas political campaigns.

Question 14

People who volunteer to work on a political campaign generally become cynical and intolerant.

Question 15

Negative campaigning enhances democracy because it causes more people to pay attention to the election and vote.

Question 16

African Americans and Hispanic turnout is lower than that of Anglos in Texas.

Question 17

In the 1976 case of Buckley v.Valeo,the U.S.Supreme Court ruled that limits on the amount of money that candidates may contribute to their own campaigns violate the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech.

Question 18

The Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the U.S.Constitution outlawed the Texas Poll Tax.

Question 19

The Revenue Act of 1971 is a federal law intended to broaden the base of financial support and minimize the dependence of candidates on large donations from a few contributors.

Question 20

From the perspective of an individual,there may seem to be no reason to vote since public elections are almost never won by the margin of a single vote.

Question 21

The closed primaries in Texas keep voters who haven't paid party dues from participating.

Question 22

Because Texas law does not require that the winning candidate in a primary election receive a majority of the votes,no runoff elections are held in the state.

Question 23

Which of the following statements about the present system of voter registration in Texas is not correct?

A) The voter must register in person unless ill or disabled.
B) A parent, child, or spouse who is registered may register for the voter.
C) The voter remains registered as long as he or she remains qualified.
D) The voter may register at any time.
E) The voter is eligible to vote if registered thirty days prior to the election.

Question 24

The Texas Campaign Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1973 requires that every candidate for political office appoint a(n)____ before accepting contributions or making expenditures.

A) campaign manager
B) campaign treasurer
C) legal adviser
D) interest group liaison
E) ethics counselor

Question 25

The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1972 limited contributions by individuals to no more than ____ in each primary or general election campaign for federal office,though since that time,dollar amounts have been adjusted upwards for inflation.

A) $1,000
B) $2,000
C) $5,000
D) $7,500
E) $10,000

Question 26

Why is the percentage of Texans who vote significantly smaller than the percentage of Americans in general who vote?

A) Institutions of political socialization in Texas do not promote voting.
B) Voting levels tend to be lower in states lacking competitive party systems.
C) The poverty rate in Texas is high and the poor tend not to vote.
D) The state's African American and Mexican American citizens are less likely to vote than Whites.
E) All of the above are factors.

Question 27

The resources all political candidates must have regardless of their strategies are

A) time and money.
B) people and money.
C) time and information.
D) media and information.
E) polling data and money.

Question 28

Poll taxes and literacy tests were all designed to

A) increase voter turnout rates.
B) discourage voting by African Americans, Mexican Americans, and poor Whites.
C) eliminate voter fraud in local elections.
D) encourage two-party competition.
E) assure and educated and responsible electorate.

Question 29

The ____ is the period of time before the voting day in which the candidates attempt to persuade potential voters to support them.

A) election
B) primary
C) run-off
D) campaign
E) contest

Question 30

The election of 2010 resulted in a sweep of winning statewide offices for the Republican Party.

Question 31

Voter turnout in Texas is

A) above the national average.
B) below the national average.
C) approximately the same as the national average.
D) above the national average for presidential elections but below for others.
E) below the national average for presidential elections but above for others.

Question 32

In Texas,only those who expect to be out of the county on election day may vote early.

Question 33

Primary elections in Texas are administered entirely by party officials.

Question 34

The primary reason most people vote is that they

A) believe that their vote may determine the outcome of the election.
B) understand the importance of voting as a means of decreasing alienation.
C) wish to confer legitimacy on democratically elected officeholders.
D) view a large turnout as a means of preventing dishonesty in elections.
E) have been taught to believe that voting is their duty.

Question 35

The Democratic party "dream team" strategy for the 2002 election relied on nominating a male for governor and a female for lieutenant governor.

Question 36

When minorities in Texas fail to vote,____ candidates are hurt most.

A) liberal Democratic
B) conservative Democratic
C) Republican
D) Independent
E) Libertarian

Question 37

Although Texas laws technically provide for an open primary,in practice primary elections in the state are closed.

Question 38

Not until Congress passed the ____ in 1965 did the federal government begin to enforce the right of African Americans to vote.

A) Voting Rights Act
B) Civil Rights Act
C) Universal Suffrage Act
D) 14th Amendment
E) 26th Amendment

Question 39

The campaign for governor in 2002 was a very spirited and positive campaign with few personal attacks.

Question 40

The 24th Amendment to the U.S.Constitution outlawed

A) White-only primaries.
B) property qualifications for voting.
C) annual registration requirements for voting.
D) the poll tax.
E) literacy tests.

Question 41

Compare and contrast the implications for democracy of private financing versus public financing of election campaigns.What has been done in Texas to try to control money in campaigns? What,if anything,should be done by the state to improve campaign finance regulation? Explain why your suggested reform might have a positive effect.

Question 42

The U.S.Supreme Court's ruling in the 1976 case of ____ paved the way for Clayton Williams and Tony Sanchez to spend millions of dollars of their own money to finance their own campaigns for Texas governor.

A) Baker v. Carr
B) Smith v. Allwright
C) Buckley v. Valeo
D) Kirkpatrick v. Preisler
E) Mapp v. Ohio

Question 43

In Texas,primary elections are administered by officials of the

A) city government.
B) county government.
C) state government.
D) national government.
E) political parties.

Question 44

In the 2002 elections in Texas,

A) former President Bill Clinton helped the Democrats make a comeback.
B) the Democratic "dream team" won a narrow victory.
C) Republicans won every statewide office and captured control of the house of representatives.
D) Republicans captured a majority of Hispanic and African American voters.
E) Democrats won several statewide offices and regained a majority in the senate.

Question 45

In Texas,most cities choose their councils in ____ elections.

A) primary
B) runoff
C) general
D) nonpartisan
E) partisan

Question 46

The principal election officer in Texas is the

A) attorney general.
B) secretary of state.
C) lieutenant governor.
D) governor.
E) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Question 47

Elections and campaigns in Texas are incompatible with democratic theory for which of the following reasons?

A) The low voter turnout in state elections raises questions about the legitimacy of government, and the disproportionately high turnout of minority voters biases the patterns of public policy.
B) The disproportionately high turnout of minority voters biases the patterns of public policy, and the impact of money on campaigns suggests that wealthy elites control the policy process.
C) The impact of money on campaigns suggests that wealthy elites control the policy process, and men vote at much higher rates than women.
D) The disproportionately high turnout of minority voters biases the patterns of public policy, and men vote at much higher rates than women.
E) The low voter turnout in state elections raises questions about the legitimacy of government, and the impact of money on campaigns suggests that wealthy elites control the policy process.

Question 48

Texas citizens may vote absentee

A) without restriction in any election.
B) without restriction in primary elections only.
C) only when necessary due to a planned absence from the county on election day.
D) only when necessary due to illness.
E) only when necessary due to disability.

Question 49

Discuss the distinctions between primary and general elections.Explain why primary elections in Texas can be labeled "open."

Question 50

One of the basic rights of citizenship in the United States is the right to vote.In your essay,briefly trace the extension of suffrage in the United States by race,gender,and age.Explain how the white primary and the poll tax limited suffrage in Texas.

Question 51

Discuss the impacts of negative campaigning on elections.Explain how negative campaigning has influenced at least one election in Texas.

Question 52

The ethics bill passed by the Texas legislature in 1991

A) limits campaign contributions in all state elections.
B) limits campaign contributions only in judicial elections.
C) limits campaign contributions only in legislative elections.
D) limits campaign contributions only in gubernatorial elections.
E) does not place any limits on campaign contributions for state elections.

Question 53

Why does negative campaigning undermine democracy?

A) Such campaigning means some elections are decided on the basis of inaccurate charges.
B) Discussions of public policy are discouraged as candidates throw mud.
C) Many good people may decide not to enter political life.
D) Negative campaigning disheartens citizens, contributing to many deciding not to vote.
E) All of the above factors contribute to undermining democracy.

Question 54

Discuss variations in the level of political participation in Texas by wealth,education,and ethnicity.Explain the effect that higher voter turnout might have on state politics.

Question 55

Primary elections in Texas are

A) technically closed but open in practice.
B) technically open but closed in practice.
C) held only by the Democratic party.
D) held only by the Republican party.
E) often called a "blanket primary"

Question 56

Campaign contributions that go to political parties for party building activities are called

A) hard money.
B) soft money.
C) skimmed money.
D) corrupt money.
E) public interest money.

Question 57

General elections in Texas are held on Tuesday after the first Monday in ____ in even-numbered years.

A) March
B) May
C) June
D) September
E) November