Deck 7: Elections, Electoral Systems, and Voting Behaviour

Question 1

Researchers have found that negative attack ads _______ voting turnout.

A) reduce
B) increase
C) do not impact
D) none of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following countries uses runoff elections?

A) Canada
B) the United States
C) Britain
D) France

Answer 2

D

Question 3

______________ continue to be the leading means of campaign persuasion in the United States and Canada.

A) Debates
B) Televised commercials
C) Door to door canvasing
D) Telephone conversations

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is gerrymandering?

A) the tendency to vote along party lines
B) the ability of an electoral commission to oversee voting
C) the manipulation of electoral districts so as to benefit a particular party
D) a process by which votes are counted using a prescribe formula

Question 5

Which of the following is a feature MOST likely to be associated with premodern election campaigns?

A) Creating photo-ops
B) Opinion polls
C) Neighbourhood canvassing
D) Attack ads

Question 6

To ensure elections are conducted fairly, it is important that the process be overseen by a(n) _____________.

A) independent commission
B) bi-partisan commission
C) head of state
D) judicial panel

Question 7

What body elects the president of the United States?

A) House of Representatives
B) Electoral College
C) State Senate
D) Popular vote of eligible voters

Question 8

A proportional representation electoral system _____________.

A) encourages coalition governments and numerous smaller parties
B) distorts the result of voter preferences
C) is more likely than SMP to produce majority governments
D) involves only one representative per district

Question 9

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be DIRECTLY associated with the characteristics of postmodern election campaigns

A) Internet mobilization
B) Creating photo-ops
C) Social media
D) Permanent campaigns

Question 10

Under a proportional representation electoral system, the number of members elected by each party is roughly equal to ____________.

A) the number of seats in the legislature
B) its share of the popular vote
C) the total number of votes cast in the election
D) its percentage of the country's total population

Question 11

Of the following, which party has benefitted most from the tendency of the SMP electoral system to favour parties with a strong geographical concentration of support?

A) the Alliance Party
B) the Green Party
C) the NDP
D) the Bloc Québécois

Question 12

The British Columbia Citizen's Assembly on Electoral Reform recommended the use of the _____________ electoral system for B.C. elections.

A) single member plurality
B) proportional representation
C) mixed member proportional
D) single transferable vote

Question 13

What type of electoral system is used in Canada?

A) runoff
B) single-member plurality
C) single transferable vote
D) proportional representation

Question 14

The Single Member Plurality System (SMP) is also known as the ________ system.

A) first past the post
B) plural voting
C) universal ballot
D) run-off

Question 15

Democratic elections are based on the principle of ________.

A) party solidarity
B) one person, one vote
C) voter registration
D) legal representation

Question 16

Green parties in many countries tend to receive greater support from ______ voters.

A) older
B) younger
C) middle-class
D) less educated

Question 17

An electoral system that adopts aspects of both the single member plurality and proportional representation systems is known as a _____________ system.

A) mixed member proportional
B) Coalition
C) plurality/majoritarian
D) double member plurality

Question 18

Which among the following is considered to be a short-term influence on voting decisions?

A) candidates
B) class
C) party identification
D) gender

Question 19

In the May 2, 2011 the Conservative Party won 39.6 percent of the vote in the Canadian general election. This gave the Conservatives, led by Stephan Harper, a ____________.

A) majority government
B) minority government
C) coalition government
D) none of the above

Question 20

Which type of electoral system is most likely to result in an accurate translation of the voters' party preferences into party legislative representation?

A) single-member plurality
B) preferential voting
C) run-off elections
D) proportional representation

Question 21

In the 2015 Canadian election, strategic voting initiatives encouraged people upset with the policies of Harper's Conservative government to vote for the Liberal candidate in all ridings.

Question 22

In June 2016, an all-party House of Commons committee recommended the replacement of the single-member plurality system with a preferential ballot.

Question 23

What are the three major types of electoral systems used to elect members to legislative bodies?

Question 24

Incumbent members of the US Congress usually have a strong ability to win re-election.

Question 25

Pippa Norris (2002) traces a historical trajectory of the characteristics of election campaigns. What are the three general phases that she identifies?

Question 26

A valence issue is one with a high degree of ________.

A) consensus
B) controversy
C) divisiveness
D) ideology

Question 27

The proportion of people with strong party identification has been increasing in many countries in recent years.

Question 28

What is 'universal suffrage'?

Question 29

Describe at least four long-term social characteristics affecting voting behaviour.

Question 30

Incumbent parties tend to do better in elections when ________.

A) class is an issue
B) they make vague promises
C) they use negative advertising
D) the economy is doing well

Question 31

Canada has fixed dates for elections to be held every five years.

Question 32

____________ can be thought of as a long-term attachment to a particular political party.

A) Party isolation
B) Party unification
C) Party identification
D) Party gentrification

Question 33

Voting for different parties in Quebec in recent Canadian elections has been particularly affected by views concerning ________.

A) the free enterprise system
B) Quebec sovereignty
C) traditional moral values
D) class positions

Question 34

An analysis of data in 35 elections in seven Western countries including Canada found that the personality traits of the party leaders had no effect on voters

Question 35

Plurality and majoritarian systems often result in a party gaining a majority of legislative seats even if that party did not win a majority of votes.

Question 36

What are two general categories that affect voting behaviour?

Question 37

In 2006 the Conservative party did not win any seats in Canada's three largest cities.

Question 38

Economic conditions have no effect on voters and outcome of elections.

Question 39

Which of the following is not an example of short-term factor that influences voting behaviour?

A) Gender
B) Political accountability
C) Party identification
D) Geographical region

Question 40

In a preferential voting system, voters can rank candidates rather than just mark an X.

Question 41

Define negative campaign ads and discuss the reason they have been used in recent election campaigns as well as their disadvantages.

Question 42

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Canada's single-member plurality electoral system?

Question 43

What are the features of a fair, democratic election?