Ch 4 Texas – Flashcards

Which is not a form of political participation? a. Writing letters to local representatives b. Distributing campaign literature c. Watching political news shows d. Voting in elections

According to the authors, what is the defining characteristic of representative democracies? a. Elections c. C. Writing letters to local representatives b. Voting d. Distributing campaign literature

Which of the following is not a demographic variable that affects turnout at the polls? a. Education b. Income c. only God knows d. Residency

Which of the following statements about voters is incorrect? a. The more education an individual has, the more likely the individual is to vote. b. A person who has a strong interest in politics is more likely to vote. c. The younger an individual is, the more likely that individual is to vote. d. Identification with either major political party makes a person more likely to vote.

Which is not a legal voting qualification in Texas? a. Being a citizen of the United States b. Being at least 18 years of age c. Being a registered voter d. Being a nonresident of the state

Which individuals are legally disqualified from voting? a. Individuals that have been legally declared mentally incompetent b. A convicted felon who has received a pardon c. Individuals who have been incarcerated d. Individuals who have lost their voter registration card

Which of the following statements about Texas registration laws is incorrect? a. A person may register in person or by mail. b. A person can register when renewing a driver's license. c. Registered spouses, parents, or offspring can register an individual. d. An individual's employer can register an employee as long as the employer is a registered voter.

Once they register, voters are automatically sent renewals at their address of record by a. January 15th in even -numbered years. b. January 1st in odd-numbered years. c. January 1st in even-numbered years. d. No registration material is sent, because voter registration is permanent and therefore new cards are not needed.

Which list(s) is (are) used to purge the names of voters from the voter registration rolls? a. Corner's reports b. List of felony convictions c. List of adjudications of mental incompetence d. All of the above lists are used to purge names of voters from registration rolls.

An individual must be registered at least __________ days prior to the election to be eligible to vote in Texas. a. 30 b. 180 c. 60 d. 3

Texas requires that all ballots and election materials be printed in other languages in addition to English if a. counties have at least 5 percent or greater language minority. b. counties have at least 10 percent or greater language minority. c. local laws require that counties must have bilingual ballots. d. individuals prove they speak in another language other than English.

Which of the following is not an argument put forward by those opposed to the voter ID law? a. Voter ID is a solution to a problem that does not exist. b. There is no real evidence of people impersonating other voters in Texas. c. It would have a big impact on legitimate voters who do not have a driver's license. d. It would only an advantage to minorities.

Making registration and voting in America easier has resulted in which of the following? a. An increase in voter turnout. b. A decrease in voter turnout. c. Voting turnout has remained the same. d. Effects not verifiable.

The total number of persons in the United States who are 18 years of age or older, regardless of citizenship, military status, felony conviction, or mental state defines a. voting age population. b. voter turnout. c. participation paradox. d. voter registration.

Which of the following can be a contributing factor to the decrease in participation in the United States after 1960? a. The passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment b. An increase in party identification by voters c. A decrease in party identification by voters d. Both options A and C are true.

Turnout in American general elections is __________ in comparison to other industrialized democracies of the world. a. slightly higher b. significantly lower c. about the same d. significantly higher

Which of the following concerning Texas elections is correct? a. In presidential elections, as the turnout nationally has declined since 1960, Texas's turnout has actually increased. b. In presidential elections, Texas's turnout is similar to U.S. turnout. c. In mid-term elections, Texas ranks higher in turnout than most other states. d. In mid-term elections, Texas has the same turnout as in presidential elections.

Texas required individuals to pay a poll tax to vote in state elections until it was declared unconstitutional by a. the Twenty-fourth amendment. b. the decision in the case Nixon v. Condon. c. the Twenty-third amendment. d. the decision in the case United States v. Texas.

The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave a. women the right to vote only in state primaries. b. women the right to register only in state general elections. c. full suffrage to women in Texas. d. women the right to vote only in bond elections

Smith v. Allwright a. banned Asians from voting. b. banned Native Americans from voting. c. banned the use of White primaries, d. banned women from voting.

In the case Carrington v. Rash, the courts decided that a. property ownership was unnecessary for revenue bond elections. b. members of the military could enjoy the full rights of suffrage in Texas. c. efforts to deny African Americans access to the primaries would be overturned. d. annual registration was prohibited.

Which of the following techniques to prevent voting was never used in Texas? a. Poll taxes b. Early registration c. Literacy tests d. Annual registration

Which case changed the state's early voter registration requirement in Texas? a. Carrington v. Rash c. Dunn v. Blumstein b. Smith v. Allwright d. Beare v. Smith

Which of the following is a deterrent to higher voter turnout in Texas? a. Large number of elections b. Long length of the ballot c. Lower income and education levels in Texas d. All of the above are correct.

Texas' political culture can best be described as a. traditionalistic. b. a mix of traditionalistic and moralistic. c. a mix of traditionalistic and individualistic. d. individualistic.

In a traditionalistic political culture, politics is a. the product of the Puritan era. b. viewed as the same as the business culture. c. a process in which business interests play a very strong role. d. the process of maintaining the existing social and economic order.

The traditionalistic political culture is especially characteristic of which Texas area? a. East Texas c. Central Texas b. Northwest Texas d. West Texas

A method of selecting the nominees from a political party where party members elect the candidates who represent them in the general election is known as a. precinct convention. b. party caucus. c. party convention. d. direct primary.

The Terrell Election Law enabled political party members to a. hold caucuses to select political party nominees. b. select candidates using political conventions. c. select political party nominees by allowing a direct primaries. d. allow state senators to select political party nominees.

The Texas Election Code requires each political party a. that receives 20 percent of the gubernatorial vote to hold a primary election. b. must use political conventions to nominate candidates. c. that is registered in the state to use the direct primary. d. to select a caucus, convention, or direct primary to nominate its party candidates.

New political parties in Texas must complete all of the following requirements to get their candidates on the general election ballot except a. hold a convention. b. must file with the secretary of state a list of supporters equal to 1% of the total vote for governor in the last general election. c. show that persons listed as supporters have not participated in the activities (primaries or conventions) of either of the two major political parties. d. have each page of their nominating petitions notarized.

For Texas primaries, the state party chair and the state executive committee of each party a. conduct a drawing to determine the order of the names on the ballot. b. certify the ballot to the county level officials. c. canvass the election returns after the primary. d. All of the above is correct.

To win a Texas primary election, a candidate must receive a. a plurality of the popular votes. b. the most votes. c. 50 percent plus one of the votes. d. two-thirds of the vote.

A __________ is held when one of the two top contenders of a second primary did not receive a majority of the votes. a. direct primary c. runoff primary b. primary d. second primary

A closed primary allows only those individuals who ____________ to participate. a. are registered voters b. possess a voter registration card c. are first time voters d. are party members

What type of primary allows a voter to choose on Election Day which primary they will participate? a. Closed primary b. Semiclosed-primary c. Open-primary d. Cross over voting primary

What is it technically called when a person who identifies with one political party opts to vote in the other party's primary to influence its outcome? a. Preventative voting b. Crossover voting c. Party busting voting d. This cannot be legally done in Texas.

Texas does not have term limits for which office? a. Governor b. State House of Representative c. State Senator d. All of the above are true

To win the general election, a candidate must win with __________ of the votes. a. an absolute majority c. a plurality b. two-thirds d. a simple majority

General elections in Texas are held on the a. Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd-numbered years. b. Monday after the first Tuesday in November of odd-numbered years. c. Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years. d. Monday after the first Tuesday in November of even-numbered years.

In presidential election years, which of the following offices is not on the Texas ballot? a. The entire Texas House b. One-half of the Texas Senate c. The Texas Governor d. The entire Texas delegation to the U.S. House

What year was the Texas Constitution amended to extend the terms (from two years to four years) for the governor and other major administrative officials? a. 1963 b. 1972 c. 2000 d. 2008

All special elections in the state a. are nonpartisan elections. b. are held only after a primary election. c. require only a plurality of the votes. d. require run-offs.

The chief election officer of the state is the a. registrar of voters. c. speaker of the house. b. comptroller of public accounts. d. secretary of state.

The duties of the secretary of state include all of the following except a. disbursing funds to the state and county executive committee to pay for the primary elections. b. keeping election records, both party and governmental. c. enacting legislation and voting guidelines. d. sitting on the board that canvasses election returns for state and district offices.

A type of ballot used in a general election where all of the candidates from each party are listed in parallel columns is called a. party-column ballot. b. office-block ballot. c. nonpartisan column ballot. d. straight party voting.

Supporters of the major political parties support the use of which ballot? a. Office-block ballot b. Party-column ballot c. Massachusetts ballot d. They do not have a preference.

Minor political parties in the state prefer the office-block ballot because it a. makes voting easier. b. makes straight-ticket voting for the major parties more difficult. c. makes the major parties more accountable. d. encourages voting.

What is another name for the Massachusetts ballot? a. Nonpartisan ballot b. Straight-ticket ballot c. The long ballot d. Office-block ballot

Which of the following statements about Texas elections is incorrect? a. Getting off an election ballot can be as difficult as getting on. b. For any party that received at least 5 percent of the vote for any statewide office in the previous general election, the full slate of candidates is placed on the ballot automatically. c. Write-in candidates are not listed on the ballot. d. The process of gaining access to the ballot by third parties is simple in Texas.

For a name to be placed on the general-election ballot, a candidate must be either a party nominee or an independent and a. have a party platform. b. hold a party convention. c. win 10 percent of any statewide office. d. win 5 percent of any statewide office.

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Justice ordered Harris County to provide ballots (and voting material) in which language? a. Vietnamese c. Mandarin b. Spanish d. Korean

One can vote early in Texas elections under which of the following conditions? a. Only if you will be out of town on day of the election b. Only if illness prevents you from going to your voting precinct. c. You can vote early for any reason. d. Only with the approval of the county election judge

The small piece of paper produced in punch-card ballots is known as a. check. b. chard. c. chip. d. chad.

Specific Texas laws regarding recounts in elections allow each of the following except a. a candidate can request a recount if he or she loses by less than 10 percent. b. the candidate who requests a recount is required to pay for the recount. c. a manual recount must be used. d. canvassing authorities are given very little discretion when interpreting an indentation on the chad.

A number of Texas counties introduced electronic voting in the 2002 midterm election because a. too many Republicans were winning statewide offices. b. a number of lawsuits were filed by Democrats. c. of the possibility of similar problems that occurred in Florida during the 2000 election. d. too many candidates were requesting recounts.

A political party's ultimate aim is to a. canvass voters. b. finance party candidates. c. nominate candidates in the primary or convention and get them elected. d. serve as advisors to county administrators.

In state elections, what two factors predominate? a. Party identification and incumbency b. Fundraising and incumbency c. Qualifications and party identification d. Name recognition and incumbency

Throughout their campaigns, Texas Democratic candidates tend to mobilize all of the following groups except a. African Americans. b. Latinos. c. teachers. d. business interests.

What strategy is used in election campaigns in which candidates attack opponents' issue positions or character? a. Timing b. Education c. Negative campaigning d. Campaigning

Candidates spend most of their "on the stump" time in _________, though stumping alone, nowadays, does not get a candidate elected. a. rural areas in the state. c. urban and suburban areas in the state. b. suburban areas in the state. d. rural and suburban areas in the state.

Organizations that raise and then contribute money to political candidates are known as a. political action committees. c. caucuses. b. super political action committees. d. political parties.

All PACs must be registered with the a. comptroller of public accounts. b. attorney general. c. secretary of state. d. speaker of the house.

Money spent by political parties on behalf of political candidates, especially for the purposes of increasing voter registration and turnout is called a. independent expenditure. b. PAC money. c. soft money. d. hard money.

The primary enforcement of regulations of state campaign laws is the responsibility of the a. secretary of state. c. political parties. b. governor. d. Texas Ethics Commission.

Which of the following is not included in the Texas campaign finance law? a. Limitations on the amount a candidate is allowed to spend b. Disclosure of who makes contributions c. Report of how much a candidate raises d. Disclosure of how campaign funds are spent

The first African American elected to a statewide office in Texas was a. Billy Williamson. b. Morris Overstreet. c. Barbara Jordan. d. Linda Davis.

According to Laura K. De La Cruz, which event was instrumental to the shift to the new media? a. The F.C.C. strengthening the fairness doctrine b. The F.C.C. strengthening of the equal time doctrine c. The F.C.C. eliminating of the fairness doctrine d. A decrease in media sources

Which of the following is not part of the new media? a. Cable b. Major traditional networks c. Talk radio/podcasts d. Websites