Deck 23: Parties and Elections in the States

Question 1

The ______________ Amendment required that U.S.senators be chosen directly by a state's voters rather than by its legislators.

A)Nineteenth
B)Twenty-Eighth
C)Seventeenth
D)Third
E)Twenty-Fourth

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The Fifteenth Amendment

A)lowered the voting age to 18.
B)established direct elections for U.S.senators.
C)extended the right to vote to women.
D)prohibits states from denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
E)prohibited states from charging voters a poll tax.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In a closed primary, only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which of the following is TRUE about office block ballots?

A)They are also known as the Indiana ballot
B)They are almost completely impossible to use with computerized ballots
C)They list all candidates under the office for which they are running
D)They encourage straight ticket voting
E)They have been found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court

Question 5

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment prohibited states from charging voters a poll tax.

Question 6

Which state has all candidates, regardless of party, run in a single election and only has a second election if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the initial election?

A)West Virginia
B)New Hampshire
C)Iowa
D)New York
E)Louisiana

Question 7

A state in which two parties alternate in winning majorities is called a

A)battleground state.
B)swing state.
C)unicameral state.
D)two-party state.
E)safe seat.

Question 8

_____________ refers to the redistribution of seats in the legislature to equalize the size of populations within legislative districts.

A)Reapportionment
B)Reallocation
C)Redivision
D)Reconstituting
E)Redistricting

Question 9

The most important factor in predicting how voters will cast their ballot is

A)candidate appeal.
B)issue orientation.
C)ideological consistency.
D)media endorsements.
E)party identification.

Question 10

Approximately what percentage of the voting age population votes in presidential elections?

A)40
B)50
C)65
D)75
E)85

Question 11

The practice of selling voter lists with addresses, phone numbers and party preferences is known as

A)ballot polling.
B)voter herding.
C)electoral sales.
D)preference tallying.
E)list vending.

Question 12

In Washington state in 2008, what percentage of voters voted by absentee ballot?

A)50%
B)60%
C)65%
D)80%
E)89%

Question 13

Traditionally, states redistrict how often?

A)Every year
B)Every other year
C)Every five years
D)Every decade
E)Every twenty years

Question 14

The U.S.Constitution provides general guidelines to the states for the regulation of elections in

A)Article I.
B)Article II.
C)Article III.
D)Article IV.
E)Article V.

Question 15

The ______________ Amendment prohibits states from requiring voters to pay a poll tax.

A)First
B)Nineteenth
C)Thirty-First
D)Seventeenth
E)Twenty-Fourth

Question 16

In exchange for accepting public matching funds, candidates

A)agree not to accept any other campaign contributions.
B)are forbidden from spending any of their own money on the campaign.
C)agree to limit their total campaign spending.
D)agree to pursue all campaign promises if elected.
E)agree not to run any negative political ads.

Question 17

When a person casts votes for all of one party's candidates, he or she casts a(n)

A)thoughtless ballot.
B)straight ticket vote.
C)absentee ballot.
D)office block ticket.
E)electronic voting machine.

Question 18

An office block ballot lists all of a party's candidates in a column under the party name.

Question 19

The national government is responsible for determining the times, places, and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives.

Question 20

The section of Article IV of the U.S.Constitution that addresses state and local elections guarantees that state elections should follow the example of national elections "as completely as possible."

Question 21

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population, is known as reallocation.

Question 22

Which state led the way in allowing women to vote and hold office?

A)Utah
B)Colorado
C)Idaho
D)Wyoming
E)California

Question 23

Which of the following best describes the section of Article IV of the U.S.Constitution that addresses state and local elections?

A)It guarantees only a "republican form of government."
B)It guarantees that state elections should follow the example of national elections "as completely as possible."
C)It gives power specifically to each state, "to be determined by its legislature in the way it deems most democratic."
D)It reserves the power to the U.S.Congress to "standardize the process in order to achieve efficiency of government."
E)It reserves the power to the federal judiciary, which is directed to "establish guidelines to which all states should adhere."

Question 24

Bosses were nineteenth-century party leaders who used patronage, government contracts, and access to power to dictate policy.

Question 25

Which U.S.constitutional amendment granted women suffrage?

A)Fifteenth
B)Sixteenth
C)Seventeenth
D)Eighteenth
E)Nineteenth

Question 26

The Nineteenth Amendment

A)prohibited states from charging voters a poll tax.
B)extended the right to vote to women.
C)established direct elections for U.S.senators.
D)lowered the voting age to 18.
E)prohibited states from denying the right to vote based on race or color.

Question 27

Who or what holds ultimate power over national elections in the U.S.?

A)The state legislatures
B)The U.S.Congress
C)The U.S.president
D)It is shared by the states and the federal government
E)The federal judiciary

Question 28

One of the roles of political parties in elections is to narrow the field of candidates.

Question 29

Which U.S.constitutional amendment required direct election of senators?

A)Fifteenth
B)Sixteenth
C)Seventeenth
D)Eighteenth
E)Nineteenth

Question 30

Voter turnout is typically defined as the proportion of registered voters that votes.

Question 31

Who is responsible for determining the times, places, and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives?

A)State legislatures
B)The Supreme Court
C)Congress
D)Local governments
E)The Committee on Presidential Elections

Question 32

Which article of the U.S.Constitution addressed the issue of the conditions for which elections for members of the U.S.Congress are held?

A)Article I
B)Article II
C)Article III
D)Article IV
E)Article V

Question 33

Which U.S.constitutional amendment prohibited poll taxes?

A)Twentieth
B)Twenty-First
C)Twenty-Second
D)Twenty-Third
E)Twenty-Fourth

Question 34

Which U.S.constitutional amendment established the voting age at 18?

A)Twenty-Fourth
B)Twenty-Fifth
C)Twenty-Sixth
D)Twenty-Seventh
E)Twenty-Eighth

Question 35

A one-party state is one in which the two major parties alternate in winning majorities.

Question 36

Decisions about the conduct of elections have traditionally been most influenced by

A)the president.
B)the federal government.
C)the Supreme Court.
D)city councils.
E)state governments.

Question 37

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment

A)lowered the voting age to 18.
B)prohibits states from denying the right to vote based on race or color.
C)established direct elections for U.S.senators.
D)prohibited states from charging voters a poll tax.
E)extended the right to vote to women.

Question 38

Which of the following statements about the electoral process in the United States is most accurate?

A)All elections are administered by the federal government
B)Elections are centralized in their rules and administration
C)The president and members of Congress are chosen in state elections conducted according to state rules
D)Restrictions on campaigning near the voting place are the same in most states
E)Election laws are subject to approval by a two-thirds majority in the Supreme Court

Question 39

Which U.S.constitutional amendment prohibits denying the vote based upon "race, color, or previous condition of servitude"?

A)Thirteenth
B)Fourteenth
C)Fifteenth
D)Sixteenth
E)Seventeenth

Question 40

The rationale for national government intervention in the regulation of elections "whenever extraordinary circumstances might render that interposition necessary to its safety" is found in

A)The Federalist, No.59.
B)the preamble to the Constitution.
C)the 2002 Help America Vote Act.
D)Article I of the Constitution.
E)the Declaration of Independence.

Question 41

What is the purpose of a recall election?

A)To remove an unpopular official from office
B)To recall the state legislature for an emergency session
C)To require the governor to appoint someone to fill a vacancy in the judiciary
D)To request federal intervention during a state crisis
E)To resolve a disagreement between federal and state statues

Question 42

Who signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law?

A)Lyndon Johnson
B)Richard Nixon
C)Ronald Reagan
D)Dwight D.Eisenhower
E)Gerald Ford

Question 43

Which of the following statements best sums up the current debate over voter identification laws in the states?

A)It continues to be a contentious issue.
B)The 2008 U.S.Supreme Court decision settled the issue; states may go beyond the 2002 Help America Vote Act in whatever way they determine.
C)The states that had implemented laws stricter than those set out by the 2002 Help America Vote Act have since reversed their laws, ending the debate.
D)Since primarily low-income voters are affected, this is no longer a serious issue of debate in the states.
E)Most states have followed the examples of states with much stricter laws than the 2002 Help America Vote Act, and the Supreme Court has not ruled on the constitutionality of those laws.

Question 44

Which of the following was NOT a result of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

A)African American voter registration increased.
B)African American voter turnout increased.
C)Southern politics became multiracial.
D)Literacy tests for voting were prohibited.
E)President Johnson lost his bid for reelection.

Question 45

Only the state of _____ does NOT require citizens to register before voting.

A)New Hampshire
B)Wisconsin
C)Minnesota
D)North Dakota
E)Idaho

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT among the rules of voting at the state level (even though they do not exist at the federal level)?

A)Allowing 16-year-olds to vote
B)Refusing to allow former felons to vote
C)Refusing to allow prison inmates to vote
D)Refusing to register citizens on probation or parole
E)Refusing to allow people who do not meet "mental competency" requirements to vote

Question 47

What is unique about Louisiana's nomination process?

A)All candidates, regardless of party, run in one election.
B)It uses a closed primary.
C)It uses an open primary.
D)It uses the caucus system.
E)There are no primary elections; all candidates run in the general election.

Question 48

Primary elections are under the control of

A)state law.
B)the Senate Committee on Party Nomination Procedures.
C)the inter-state compact on nomination processes.
D)the Supreme Court.
E)crossover voters.

Question 49

Since the Motor Voter Act was implemented, what percentage of registrations has been through its provisions?

A)22%
B)43%
C)12%
D)35%
E)68%

Question 50

Which of the following is among the ways in which party nominees are selected?

A)Primary elections
B)Caucuses
C)Conventions
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 51

In the 2000 election, approximately 49% of U.S.voters used lever machines, punch cards, or hand-counted paper ballots.After the implementation of HAVA, by 2006 what percentage of registered voters continued to use these methods?

A)7%
B)10%
C)12%
D)28%
E)32%

Question 52

In the debate over disenfranchising former felons, the ACLU and others who oppose the practice argue that as much as ___% of African Americans in some states may be affected.

A)10-20
B)15-20
C)20-30
D)30-35
E)35-40

Question 53

The Motor Voter Act is a federal law.What does it do?

A)It requires states to allow "drive-in window" type voter registration
B)It requires states to automatically register any driver 18 or over (who does not fall into one of the restricted groups in that state).
C)It requires states to offer voter registration when people apply for a driver's license, renew their license, or visit a government agency that offers public assistance benefits.
D)It requires states to use driver's license lists to send out voter registration cards to people over the age of 18 who have not yet registered (unless they are ineligible for some reason in that state).
E)It provides funding for state voter-registration drives by subsidizing the registration officials who must travel through the state to register voters.

Question 54

A vote for some of one party's candidates and some of another party's candidates is called

A)chaotic voting.
B)party-line voting.
C)straight ticket voting.
D)split ticket voting.
E)schizophrenic voting.

Question 55

What is the only state that does NOT require voters to ratify changes to the state constitution in a referendum?

A)California
B)Delaware
C)Massachusetts
D)Texas
E)Alabama

Question 56

Which of the following states implemented voter identification laws that were stricter than those required by the Help America Vote Act of 2002?

A)California
B)Indiana
C)Nevada
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 57

The biggest concern of opponents of voting by mail is

A)high turnout.
B)split ticket voting.
C)high costs of mail.
D)possible advantage for Democratic candidates.
E)voter fraud.

Question 58

Which of the following is NOT an accurate description of recent experiences with voting by mail?

A)Higher voter participation than the norm for in-person special elections
B)Little documented evidence of fraud
C)Continuing concerns that voters may be pressured to vote a certain way, either by family members or by a candidate's supporters
D)High costs in administering vote-by-mail elections
E)Oregon's problems with the system highlight the systems' flaws.

Question 59

What state is best known for the caucus system?

A)New Hampshire
B)Iowa
C)Idaho
D)California
E)Massachusetts

Question 60

In 2008, in how many states can voters cast absentee ballots without the requirement of providing a reason for needing to do so?

A)12
B)14
C)23
D)28
E)34

Question 61

Which of the following was a provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

A)Requiring states to charge no more than a $10 poll tax for voting
B)A prohibition against the use of literacy tests to deny the right to vote
C)Special enforcement provisions aimed at states that had no history of discrimination
D)The provision of brand new voting machines to all precincts that had turnout over 60%
E)None of the above

Question 62

As of the 2000 elections almost one in ________ counties in the United States used punch-card ballots.

A)ten
B)one hundred
C)twenty-five
D)five
E)fifty

Question 63

An office block ballot encourages

A)straight ticket voting.
B)longer waits at the voting location.
C)voting for independent candidates.
D)split ticket voting.
E)None of the above

Question 64

A(n) ______________________ ballot lists all of a party's candidates in a column under the party name.

A)office block
B)split ticket
C)unified government
D)secret
E)party column

Question 65

The National Voter Registration Act is also known as the

A)Democratic Bonus Act.
B)Help America Vote Act.
C)Motor Voter Act.
D)Public Assistance Benefits Offices Act.
E)Voting is Patriotic Act.

Question 66

Laws authorizing grants of government funds to qualifying candidates for elective office, to be used in their campaigns, are known as

A)taxpayer fleecing statutes.
B)politician subsidization acts.
C)democracy support laws.
D)citizen contribution rules.
E)public financing laws.

Question 67

___________ deal with how registered voters can demonstrate to poll workers that they are who they say they are.

A)Voter verification rules
B)Eligibility proof laws
C)Voter registration requirements
D)Voter identification laws
E)Voter turnout calculation rules

Question 68

In 2008, approximately _________% of all ballots in Washington state were absentee ballots.

A)10
B)89
C)50
D)35
E)60

Question 69

What is a midterm election?

A)One held halfway between presidential elections
B)A special election to fill a vacated U.S.Congress seat
C)One held in June rather than November
D)One held exclusively to elect a governor
E)One held to allow voters to vote on constitutional amendments or initiatives only

Question 70

Federal law establishes the date of the presidential election.When is it held?

A)The first Tuesday in November.
B)The first Tuesday in November after the first Monday in November.
C)The second Tuesday in November.
D)The second Tuesday in November after the first Monday in November.
E)The fifth of November, unless that day is a Saturday or Sunday, in which case it is moved up to the next Monday.

Question 71

A primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote is called a(n)

A)blanket primary.
B)crossover primary.
C)closed primary.
D)caucus primary.
E)convention primary.

Question 72

Which of the following is TRUE about party column ballots?

A)They are required by Congress to be used for elections to the national government
B)They list all candidates under the office for which they are running
C)They encourage straight ticket voting
D)They have been found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
E)They have been shown to consistently depress voter turnout

Question 73

What is a PAC?

A)A personal accounting corporation
B)A professional action commission
C)A political auto workers' committee
D)A political action committee
E)A professional activist coalition

Question 74

Crossover voting is

A)voting for some of one party's candidates and some of another party's candidates.
B)voting in another party's primary.
C)voting for a candidate of the opposite gender.
D)voting for a candidate of the party that tends to lose statewide elections in the state.
E)None of the above

Question 75

What is a disclosure law?

A)A law that requires candidates to specify the source(s) of their campaign finances
B)A law that requires candidates to make their personal income tax information public
C)A law that requires candidates to decide whether or not to accept public funding before officially launching their campaign
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 76

Involuntary (mandatory) candidate expenditure limits

A)are a common feature of public financing programs.
B)are currently used by most southern states.
C)can only be enacted if approved by a supermajority of state voters.
D)have been ruled to be unconstitutional by the U.S.Supreme Court.
E)None of the above

Question 77

How many U.S.governors have been removed from office by a recall election?

A)None
B)One
C)Two
D)Three
E)Four

Question 78

How many states do NOT restrict corporate contributions to candidates?

A)None
B)Three
C)Six
D)Nine
E)Twelve

Question 79

Elections in which actual officeholders are chosen are called _____________ elections.

A)primary
B)recall
C)general
D)petition
E)retention

Question 80

The election that brought Republicans to power in many states and mobilized voters with the "Contract with America," was in reaction to the unpopular policies of

A)Richard Nixon.
B)Lyndon Johnson.
C)Ronald Reagan.
D)Bill Clinton.
E)George W.Bush.