Deck 21: Parties and Elections in Texas

Question 1

Factional rivalries exist within the Republican Party between

A) urban and rural Republicans.
B) the religious right and economic conservatives.
C) supporters and opponents of George W. Bush.
D) the liberal and conservative wings of the party.
E) anti-immigration and pro-business Republicans.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The ______ election decides who is elected to an office.

A) primary
B) open
C) general
D) final
E) closed

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is not an important level of party organization in the state of Texas?

A) precinct
B) county
C) city
D) state
E) district

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The main role of the precinct convention is to

A) nominate candidates for state and local office.
B) develop the party platform in preparation for the state convention.
C) select delegates for the county convention.
D) mobilize grassroots support in the precinct.
E) raise money for future campaign efforts.

Question 5

When a voter must declare a party affiliation before the day of voting, the election is called a(n)

A) open primary.
B) closed primary.
C) special election.
D) convention.
E) uncontested primary.

Question 6

To get onto the ballot in Texas as an independent candidate requires

A) a filing fee of $5,000.
B) a petition containing a significant number of voter signatures.
C) a letter of permission from the secretary of elections.
D) a filing fee of $10,000.
E) nothing; anyone who fills out the proper paperwork can run.

Question 7

By 2010, what was the partisan makeup of the Texas legislature?

A) Both houses were majority Republican.
B) Both houses remained in the control of the Democrats.
C) The Democrats controlled the House, and the Republicans had a majority in the Senate.
D) The Senate was controlled by Democrats, while the Republicans dominated the House.
E) Both houses were evenly split between the Republicans and Democrats.

Question 8

Suburban counties in Texas are more likely to have

A) fewer registered voters than the Texas average.
B) a Republican majority among voters.
C) suffered from a declining population.
D) older, Democratic voters.
E) younger, Democratic voters.

Question 9

In the 1950s, who were known as the Shivercrats?

A) supporters of Governor Alan Shivers's bid for the White House in 1952 and 1956
B) conservative Democrats who voted for Republican presidential candidates
C) liberal Republicans who supported Democrat Alan Shivers's governorship
D) poor rural Democrats who could not afford to buy heating oil because of soaring energy costs
E) conservative Republicans who voted for Democratic presidential candidates

Question 10

The pattern, beginning in the 1950s, of Texans voting for a Republican president but sticking with conservative Democrats for state offices is called

A) yellow-dog democracy.
B) presidential Republicanism.
C) the white primary.
D) the Eisenhower syndrome.
E) the Republicrat movement.

Question 11

During much of the twentieth century, what was one benefit to Texas of having a one-party state?

A) Ideological in-fighting was kept to a minimum.
B) Elected officials stayed in office longer and built up seniority.
C) It helped increase voter turnout, especially among minority voters.
D) It led to easier recruitment of qualified candidates for office.
E) Government was able to accomplish more in the policy arena.

Question 12

Which of the following is a function of special elections?

A) to choose which candidates will run in the general election
B) to fill vacancies in elected offices
C) to allow voters to vote directly on public policy
D) to choose which candidates will run in the primary elections
E) to elect judges to the Texas supreme court

Question 13

Which of the following situations made the 2006 election for Texas governor so unusual?

A) No Democratic candidate ran for the office.
B) There were two major independent candidates in the race.
C) The incumbent ran as both a Republican and a Democrat.
D) All candidates failed to win a majority of the vote.
E) All the candidates, but one, were women.

Question 14

The most local voting district is called the

A) precinct.
B) county.
C) city.
D) caucus.
E) township.

Question 15

The fastest growing demographic group in Texas is ______, who overwhelmingly vote for the ______ Party.

A) Hispanics; Democratic
B) whites; Democratic
C) Hispanics; Republican
D) African Americans; Republican
E) African Americans; Democratic

Question 16

Which statement concerning women's suffrage is correct?

A) Women were given the right to vote in the original Constitution of 1876.
B) The Texas constitution was amended in 1899 to permit women to vote.
C) Women were permitted to vote in all elections in Texas with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
D) Women were given full suffrage rights in Texas in 1932.
E) Texas was the last state to allow women to vote.

Question 17

What is the purpose of a primary election?

A) to select a party's candidate for the general election
B) to select a party's delegates for the state convention
C) to select precinct chairs throughout the state
D) to select the party's delegates for the precinct convention
E) to elect candidates directly to office

Question 18

In Texas, why were primary elections more important than general elections during most of the twentieth century?

A) The general election was often fixed.
B) The primary election was the only election held in many Texas counties.
C) The primary election was open to more voters than the general election.
D) In a one-party state, the winner of the primary will most likely win the general election.
E) More people voted in the primary elections than the general elections.

Question 19

The most important role for political parties in Texas elections is to

A) fund the candidates' campaigns.
B) offer the candidates a label by which they can identify with the voters.
C) lead get-out-the-vote drives.
D) create political action committees.
E) fund television and radio campaign advertisements.

Question 20

Which party dominated Texas politics throughout most of the twentieth century?

A) Democrats
B) Republicans
C) Populists
D) No party
E) Conservatives

Question 21

All of the following statements concerning white primaries are true except that

A) they were designed to disfranchise African Americans.
B) the Democratic Party in Texas was established as a private, racially restricted club.
C) the practice was declared illegal only with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
D) there were several Supreme Court cases regarding the white primary.
E) they were declared illegal in the Supreme Court case Smith v. Allwright.

Question 22

The Motor Voter Act of 1993

A) allows states to offer voters "drive-thru" voter booths.
B) allows citizens to register to vote while applying for a driver's license.
C) restricts one's right to vote because of unpaid traffic tickets.
D) was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
E) only allows citizens with a valid Texas driver's license to vote.

Question 23

The two most important factors that determine whether someone votes are

A) age and income level.
B) income level and education.
C) education and ethnicity.
D) ethnicity and age.
E) age and education.

Question 24

What do data indicate about races for judicial offices throughout Texas?

A) Television advertising makes little difference in the election.
B) Television ads have a large impact on the election.
C) Personal appearances, more than advertising, are the key to victory.
D) The support of special interest groups, such as trial lawyers, is the key to electoral success.
E) The decisions judges make on the bench have the largest impact on vote choices.

Question 25

Which statement about the partisan effects of early voting in Texas is correct?

A) Early voting has been a little more beneficial to the Republicans.
B) Early voting has strongly benefited turnout for the Democratic Party.
C) Overall voting rates have declined for both parties.
D) Early voting strongly favors the Republican Party over the Democrats.
E) Early voting has been a little more beneficial to the Democrats.

Question 26

In Texas, the poll tax was established in ______ and remained legal in the state until ______.

A) 1876; 1980
B) 1845; 1992
C) 1902; 1966
D) 1932; 1954
E) 1920; 1975

Question 27

Which of the following statements about early registration in Texas is false?

A) It required registering to vote more than nine months before a general election.
B) Individuals had to register to vote every year.
C) It prevented migrant workers from voting.
D) The federal courts have consistently upheld the constitutionality of early voting.
E) The provisions lasted until 1971, when they were voided by the federal courts.

Question 28

Which of the following is not true about parties and elections in Texas?

A) If Texas is to become a competitive two-party state, the Democrats need to win some statewide elections.
B) Voter participation in Texas is quite low.
C) Due to the expense of campaigns, candidates are often very wealthy individuals.
D) The key to success in future Texas elections is a party's ability to mobilize the Hispanic vote.
E) Republicans are secure as the dominant party in Texas.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is not a possible explanation for why Texas currently has a low voter turnout?

A) Texas has so many elections that voters are often overwhelmed with elections and candidates.
B) The Texas political culture has been one in which elites have discouraged voting.
C) The average age of Texans is younger than the national average, and younger voters vote in smaller numbers.
D) The residency requirement for new voters is six months.
E) Texas has weak political parties.

Question 30

It is difficult getting on the ballot in Texas as an independent candidate.

Question 31

Which of the following was not regularly used in Texas as a method of disfranchising many Texan minorities before the 1960s?

A) the white primary
B) early registration
C) poll taxes
D) requiring long periods of residency
E) literacy tests

Question 32

The Republican Party has been the dominant force in Texas politics throughout most of the twentieth century.

Question 33

Early voting in Texas has been shown to produce

A) a moderate increase in voter turnout.
B) a significant increase in voter turnout.
C) a moderate drop in voter turnout.
D) a drastic drop in voter turnout.
E) no noticeable change in voter turnout.

Question 34

In 2010, every official elected in a statewide election was Republican.

Question 35

In Texas, the most local level of a party organization is the county.

Question 36

What is the significance of the Supreme Court case Smith v. Allwright?

A) The Court declared the use of literacy tests a violation of the equal protection clause.
B) The case compelled Texas to integrate Hispanic students into "whites only" public schools.
C) The Court announced that in primary elections, states could not restrict voters on account of race.
D) It restricted the use of closed primaries.
E) The Court declared the use of poll taxes as a violation of the equal protection clause.

Question 37

In Texan elections, the ______ play(s) the largest role in running campaigns.

A) national party
B) state party
C) candidates
D) media
E) local party

Question 38

Beginning in the 1950s, Texas voters began to regularly split their ticket between Republicans and Democrats.

Question 39

Which of the following is not a requirement to vote in Texas?

A) U.S. citizenship
B) being at least eighteen years of age
C) being a resident of Texas for one year
D) being a resident of the county for thirty days
E) being a resident of Texas for thirty days

Question 40

John Nance Garner was

A) a powerful lieutenant governor during the 1980s and 1990s.
B) the first Republican senator from Texas since Reconstruction.
C) a U.S. Speaker of the House from south Texas.
D) a Texas governor during the 1910s who opposed women's suffrage.
E) considered one of the most powerful state comptrollers in Texas history.

Question 41

Describe the structure of political parties and elections in Texas. What are the different levels of party organization? What are some of the different types of elections found in Texas?

Question 42

Texas has instituted early voting in order to expand participation.

Question 43

Assess the role of political parties in campaigns. What are some of the resources that parties bring to a candidate's run for office? How large a role do parties play within each candidate's campaign? What accounts for some of the largest expenses in a political campaign?

Question 44

Describe the different roles that political parties play in Texas politics. What types of organizational structures do the Republican and Democratic parties have? What is the importance of party membership?

Question 45

The Texas constitution forbids special elections.

Question 46

Texans tend to vote less than the national average.

Question 47

Name recognition is essential for candidates running for office.

Question 48

Political participation is critical for any state. Describe some of the historical problems associated with restrictions on the right to vote for racial minorities and women. How were these restrictions overcome? How do political parties seek to increase participation today?

Question 49

The Supreme Court declared that the white primaries used in Texas were in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Question 50

To win a primary election in Texas requires an absolute majority.

Question 51

General elections for all national, state, and local offices must be held in November.

Question 52

Since 1876, women have been able to vote in state but not federal elections in Texas.

Question 53

Formally, Texas has a closed primary, but in practice it is an open primary.

Question 54

Poll taxes, such as those used in Texas, disfranchised poor voters.

Question 55

Describe the history of Texas as a one-party state. Which party dominated Texas politics, and what are the historical origins behind this control? What were some of the ramifications of one-party rule? What caused the rise of a two-party system in Texas?