question

If no candidate receives an electoral college majority,

answer

the House of Representatives chooses among the top three electoral vote winners

question

in its 2004 ruling the FEC ruled that 527 groups

answer

were not subject to strict contribution restrictions so long as their political messages did not make explicit endorsements of candidates using phrases like "vote for" or "vote against"

question

Between 1959 and 1995, the interest group world

answer

became more diverse

question

Why is the responsible party model an ideal model for political parties, according to the model's advocates?

answer

The responsible party model restricts the political terrain to two parties, and two parties only and this is a clear benefit for democracy. Also, a two party system that operates according to the responsible party model makes it easier convert policy promises into governmental policy.(both A and C).

question

News coverage of presidential campaigns tends to emphasize what on strategies and poll results?

answer

the candidates' positions on the issues

question

The Republicans had a long period as the country's dominant majority party, which ended

answer

in 1932

question

The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act

answer

placed legal limits on presidential campaign spending

question

When asked about the most important challenge of running party organizations, the national party chairman of both parties replied

answer

"money"

question

The law regulating whether an organization or firm should register their employees as lobbyists is the

answer

Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995

question

The McGovern-Fraser Commission

answer

had a mandate to make the Democratic Party conventions more democratic

question

According to Olson's law of large groups,

answer

the smaller the group, the more effective it will be

question

The funds allocated to public financing of presidential campaigns based on income tax check-offs have

answer

decreased substantially

question

Which is primarily responsible for crafting the political party's platform and for nominating its candidates for president and vice president?

answer

National convention

question

Because Bush's lead over Gore in the initial count was less than one-tenth of one percent, Florida law mandated

answer

an automatic recount

question

Which of these is NOT one of the provisions of the McCain-Feingold Act?

answer

a. The banning of soft money contributions b. the increasing of the amount that individuals can give to candidates, to rise with inflation *c. the subjecting of 527 groups to contribution restrictions* d. the barring of groups from running "issue ads" within 60 days of an election if they refer to a federal candidate are not funded through a PAC

question

which of the following statements is true?

answer

The Bush Doctrine advocates striking potential enemies first. (both a and b)

question

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the New Deal coalition?

answer

a. FDR was the first president to enthusiastically support unions and, as a result, he earned their support. b. poor voters overwhelmingly supported FDR c. large cities, such as Philadelphia and Chicago became bastions of Democratic support during the New Deal d. a majority of African American supported FDR and the Democrats even though their loyalties historically had been with the Republicans *E. the New Deal coalition did little to win the support of Jews and Catholics*

question

American national parties are best described as

answer

loose aggregations of state parties

question

In the 1976 case of Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court ruled that

answer

the limitation on the amount of money persons could contribute to their own election campaigns violated free speech, and was unconstitutional

question

Ticket splitting refers to

answer

voting for one party for one office, and another party for other offices

question

The first ____ in April 1970 helped to spur on a number of environmental groups

answer

Earth Day

question

The group of people with the lowest voter turnout rate is

answer

young people

question

Which of the following groups was NOT part of the New Deal coalition?

answer

*a. wealthy New Englanders* b. members of labor unions c. Catholics and Jews d. African Americans e. Southerners

question

Most PAC money goes overwhelmingly to incumbents because incumbents

answer

are the most likely to be able to return the investment

question

What was one of the reasons that urban party machines are no longer very active?

answer

Progressive reforms that placed jobs under the merit system weakened the machines' power

question

According to exit polls, ____ was a major reason voters selected Bush in 2004.

answer

the war on terrorism

question

In proportional representation systems,

answer

legislative seats are allocated according to each party's percentage of the nationwide vote

question

The election of 1896 was largely fought over the issue of

answer

economics

question

The largest segment of an American political party is described as

answer

the party in the electorate

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Who among the following did NOT run as a third party candidate?

answer

David Duke

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Among the states that allow voter registration at the polls on Election Day, voter turnout rates are

answer

higher than in other states

question

Elite theorists emphasize the power of

answer

business leaders

question

What was Nixon's "Southern Strategy"?

answer

By winning over Southern conservatives, Nixon hoped to break the Democratic Party's dominance in the South

question

Proponents of a national primary argue that it would do each of the following EXCEPT

answer

a. increase interest in more states b. bring directness and simplicity to the nomination process *c. lengthen the time of the campaign* d. no longer allow votes in one state to have more political impact than votes in another e. concentrate media coverage and increase interest and understanding

question

A political party is best defined as

answer

a team of men and women seeking control of the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election

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The final major event of each party's national convention, during the last hour or so on the fourth and final night, is the

answer

acceptance speech by the presidential candidate

question

Critics of the PAC system are concerned that

answer

PACs may control what the electoral winners do once in office

question

The people who keep the party running between elections and make its rules are members of which "head" of the party?

answer

party in government

question

A study of major party platforms by Gerald Pomper found that the parties broke their promises

answer

ten percent of the time

question

Andrew Jackson was the president identified as a(n)

answer

democrat

question

The group responsible for administering and enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act is the

answer

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

question

Which of the following is NOT true about Political Action Committees?

answer

most PAC money goes to challengers, rather than incumbents

question

The phenomenon that people often pay the most attention to things that already agree with and interpret them according to their own predispositions is called

answer

selective perception

question

____ is a communication by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf, directed to a government decision maker, particularly in the legislative and executive branch, with the hope of influencing his or her own decision

answer

lobbying

question

For a candidate, the most important and desirable result of the early nomination contests is

answer

doing better than expected, thus winning an image as the party's frontrunner and holder of momentum

question

Of the following, which is the most direct form of democracy?

answer

initiative

question

Aside from overturning the Florida Supreme Court, what did the Supreme Court rule in Bush v. Gore (2000)?

answer

That more precise and consistent standards for evaluating ballots would have to be applied in all counties for ballot recounts to be valid

question

The theory that seeks to explain political processes and outcomes as consequences of purposive behavior is called the

answer

rational-choice theory

question

The way in which candidates attempt to manipulate money, the media, and momentum to achieve the nomination is through

answer

campaign strategy

question

Right-to-work laws are most strongly supported by

answer

business groups

question

Linkage Institutions

answer

translate inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers

question

Which of the following statements about voting is FALSE?

answer

a. *none of the above* b. the costs of voting frequently outweigh the benefits of voting c. if there is little difference in the policy positions of the candidates, it is not rational to vote d. in many cases, your vote will not make a difference to the outcome of the election e. it might not be rational to spend time becoming informed, deciding who to vote for, and turning out on Election Day

question

Research has found that those most likely to view the candidates in terms of their personal attributes are

answer

college-educated voters

question

What was especially notable about the congressional elections of 1994?

answer

the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives after 40 years of Democratic control

question

In elections since 1968,

answer

the Republicans have dominated the presidency, while the Democrats have dominated the Congress

question

In the 1800 election presidential candidates were nominated by

answer

their parties' elected representatives in Congress

question

As _____, political parties serve the role of translating inputs from the public into outputs from policymakers

answer

linkage institutions

question

Which of the following have been found to be most successfully affected by the campaigns?

answer

reinforcement and activation

question

The Democratic National Convention in ___ led to serious reforms in the methods it used to choose its convention delegates

answer

1968

question

Frontloading refers to

answer

the recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar year in order to capitalize on media attention

question

The member of a presidential campaign who helps reporters make their deadlines with stories that the campaign would like to see reported is the

answer

press secretery

question

The first peaceful transfer of power between parties via the electoral process in the history of the world occurred as a result of the presidential election of

answer

1800

question

Party machines in large cities relied primarily on ___ to reward friends and punish enemies

answer

patronage

question

The McGovern-Fraser Commission was set up to reform

answer

the rules for selecting delegates to the Democratic National Convention

question

A voter supporting a candidate based specifically on comparing the candidate's stances on the issues of abortion rights, health care, and government aid to education to the voter's own preferences on such issues is an example of

answer

policy voting

question

Largely to prevent corruption associated with stuffing ballot boxes, states adopted ___ around the turn of the twentieth century

answer

voter registration

question

In Bush v. Gore (2000), the United States Supreme Court ruled that

answer

although a recount was legal, the same (or more precise) standards for evaluating ballots would have to be applied in all counties

question

Which of the following was NOT a reason for the Democratic Party adding superdelegates to its national nominating conventions?

answer

a. the feeling that earlier reforms had given too little say to the party's state and national leaders, with disastrous election results b. the sense that party insiders and elected officials would be more likely to support the most electable candidate c. none of the above d. the need for establishing a "peer review" to the process, with input from politicians who often know the candidates best *e. the insistence of the McGovern-Fraser Commission to have superdelegates play a major veto-like role*

question

The courts were forced to play a pivotal role in a presidential election for the first time ever in the ____ election

answer

2000

question

Today's campaigns promote ___ in American politics

answer

individualism

question

Interest groups employ the strategy of "going public"

answer

a. to create good will among the American public b. to help improve their own reputations as meaningful forces among the public c. so they can benefit from and use public opinion when possible d. because public opinion may ultimately make its way policymakers *e. all of the above*

question

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

answer

a. both c and d b. there has been a decline in interest in working on campaigns among high school seniors over the past quarter century *c. there has been an increased interest in working on campaigns among high school seniors over the past quarter century* d. in recent years, only about 10 percent of high school seniors indicate interest in working on a campaign e. campaign jobs have been and are likely to be filled primary by young people

question

The weakening of party control over American politics

answer

is in part due to the increasing influence of the media

question

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies is called a ____ system

answer

winner-take-all

question

The debate between the gold standard and free silver occurred during which time period?

answer

1860-1928

question

Elections have a tendency to expand the scope of government because

answer

voters like to feel that they are sending a message to government to accomplish something

question

The Republican party began as the

answer

principal antislavery party

question

Realignments are typically associated with

answer

a major crisis or trauma in the nation

question

The first party system (1796-1824) was characterized by

answer

the dominance of the Democratic-Republican Party

question

The Presidential Election Campaign Fund

answer

a. garners only about 10 percent of American taxpayers' participation b. is distributed by the FEC to qualified candidates to subsidize their presidential campaigns c. all of the above d. consists of money collected from the $3 federal income tax check-off e. both a and b

question

According to James Madison in Federalist Paper No. 10, the way to prevent any one group from having too much power is to

answer

increase the scope and number of groups

question

What is the primary duty of the naitonal party chairperson

answer

a. raising money b. attending to the daily duties of the party c. paying bills d. all of the above e. hiring staff

question

Which of the following was NOT part of Nixon's "Southern Strategy"?

answer

*a. Overturning Brown v. Board of Education* b. breaking the Democrat's long hold over Southern Conservatives c. emphasizing law and order d. emphasizing states' rights e. emphasizing a strong military posture

question

Elitist views of interest groups emphasize that

answer

a system of interlocking directorates reinforces the power of the few dominant gorups

question

Since 1968, American politics has been characterized by

answer

divided government

question

The process of selecting America's leaders has almost no downtime before it revs up all over again. This is referred to as

answer

the permanent campaign

question

which of the following is NOT among the tasks candidates must do to organize their campaign?

answer

none of the above; all are among the tasks candidates must do(get a campaign manager, assemble a campaign staff, get a fundraiser, get a campaign counsel)

question

today, a majority of the delegates to the national convention are selected through

answer

presidential primaries

question

the problem faced by group when people do not join because they can benefit from the group''s activity even without joining is called the ____ problem

answer

free-rider

question

which of the following is NOT a key element of campaign strategy?

answer

mediocrity

question

who said, "if I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all"?

answer

Thomas Jefferson

question

According to Olson's law of large groups

answer

the larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good

question

the three kinds of elections in the US are

answer

primary elections, general elections, and elections on specific policy questions

question

an example of a critical election is

answer

the displacement of the majority Republicans with the Democrats during the Great Depression of the 1930s and the emergence of the Republican Party during the Civil War

question

The key spokespersons for political parties come from which of its major components?

answer

the party in government

question

which of the following is among the most important widespread political changes that have occurred over the past generation?

answer

a partisan realignment in the South, shifting a majority of congressional seats from the South to the Republicans

question

which group is most likely to engage in ticket splitting?

answer

Independents

question

the Whig party

answer

was only able to win the presidency when it nominated aging, but popular, military heros

question

the ____ theorists argue that the power of the few is fortified by an extensive system of interlocking directorates, and that wealthy corporations prevail when it comes to major decisions by government

answer

elitist

question

the initiative is put on the ballot as a result of

answer

petition signed by a certain percentage of the voters in the previous election

question

Compare and contrast a caucus and a primary

answer

*Same: they are both systems that states use to nominate a candidate for presidential election. At a caucus, local party members gather to nominate a candidate. A caucus is a lively event at which party leaders and activists debate issues, consider candidates, choose delegates, and discuss the party platform, or statement of principles. The rules governing caucus procedures vary by party and b y state. A primary is more like a general election. Voters go to the polls to cast their votes for a presidential candidate (or delegates who will represent that candidate at the party convention). Primary elections are the main way for voters to choose a nominee.

question

Compare and contrast voting behavior between 1960 and 2008, paying particular attention to the role of religion, race, gender, age, and education.

answer

Religion played a big role in the voting behavior in 1960. More white people voted in 1960 than in 2008.

question

Describe the process through which candidates are nominated for the presidency.

answer

The candidate announces plan to run for office which announces their official campaign. The candidate campaigns to win delegate support. The delegates are the people who will persuade potential voters and who will pledge to support the candidate's nomination at the national party convention. Then, caucuses and primary elections take place in the states. A nominee for president is announced at national party conventions. The main goal of a national party convention is to unify party members behind the party's platform and nominees. After the national convention, citizens cast their votes. The Americans are selecting groups of electors in the electoral college when they vote. Then, the electoral college casts its votes. After that the president is inaugurated.

question

Explain the role of the party in the electorate. What recent trends are occurring in party identification, and what effect does this have on party politics and elections?

answer

The role of the party in the electorate is the members of a political party who usually vote for candidates from that party. The trends that occur in party identification is that the people who identify with a party tend to vote for their party's candidate for various offices in high percentages. This affects the party politics and elections by the strong party identifiers voted overwhelmingly for their party's nominee in the general election.

question

Explain what factors work to make an interest group successful.

answer

An interest group may have more influence if it has a large membership, adequate funding, reflects public opinion or is supported by the media.

question

Explain why Florida turned out to be a critical state in the 2000 presidential election.(2 pts.)

answer

The electoral votes of the others states were too close to call so the result in Florida was all that mattered. Then, a critical vote recall had to be made and Bush barely won. Florida law called for an automatic machine recount of ballots and it resulted in Bush barely beating Gore. Bush became the de facto winner anyways because the day that it was decide, the state deadline for selecting electors to formally submit Florida's choice for president to Congress.

question

Explain why Gore who won more popular votes than Bush, lost the election.

answer

Al Gore won more popular votes than Bush, but Bush won more electoral votes so Gore lost the election. The determining factor was Florida. Since Florida has a rule that the candidate who wins the state by popular vote gets all of the state's electoral votes; therefore, Bush won the election de facto.

question

Explain why Ralph Nader turned out to be a critical factor in the 2000 presidential election. (2pts.)

answer

The leader Ralph Nader ran for president in 2000 and didn't win. But he won a lot more votes in the critical state Florida, which ultimately cost Al Gore the presidency to Bush.

question

How has the nature of policy voting changed in the United States?

answer

**

question

In what ways do parties serve as linkage institutions?

answer

Parties pick policymakers, parties run campaigns, parties give cues to voters, parties articulate policies, and parties coordinate policy making. People link to their government by identifying themselves as certain political parties such as democrats, republicans, or reform party members. Political parties provide many ways for individuals to become involved in the political process, from working to get votes or to actually run for office.

question

In what ways does candidate image shape voters' decisions?

answer

The ways that a candidate image shapes voters' decisions is by the issues that they represent to resolve and the party they are in.

question

List FOUR things a candidate must/should do when organizing a campaign.

answer

discuss it with their family, check finances, update resume, get a campaign party ready(??)

question

List the names of the first two political parties in American Government history.

answer

The first two political parties in American Government history were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Federalists were solid supporters of the federal administration. The Anti-Federalists objected the new powerful central government.

question

List THREE tasks of political parties a b c

answer

select candidates, simplify choices, mobilize voters

question

What are matching funds? Where do they come from? Why have recent candidates, including John McCain and Barack Obama in 2008, forgone matching funds?

answer

the money a presidential candidate is given by federal government to match the money they have raised personally.

question

What are the consequences for political parties of a winner-take-all electoral system?

answer

Since many areas are dominated by a single political viewpoint, winner-take-all voting systems will often result in no-choice elections where one party has a permanent monopoly on power, and the winner is effectively predetermined. In the United States, two in five state legislative races go uncontested as a result, and nearly 99% of congressional incumbents win reelection by large margins.

Elections and Campaigns Practice Test

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