question

One of the various ways in which parties contribute to democratic governance is by __________.

answer

running candidates

question

What Supreme Court decision ruled that primaries were part of the electoral system and that it was therefore unconstitutional to exclude anyone from voting in a primary?

answer

Smith v. Allwright

question

Which constitutional amendment gave women the right to vote?

answer

Nineteenth

question

How are minor political parties usually significant?

answer

They push major parties to incorporate new ideas or elucidate current ones.

question

The three elements of party organization has three general components. Which one refers to the formal structure that sets rules for party operations and provides services for various party units and candidates?

answer

party as organization

question

Any action that is broadly linked to the conduct or outcome of an election can be considered __________.

answer

electoral behavior

question

Which of the following candidates was backed by party leaders for the presidential nomination in 1968?

answer

Hubert Humphrey

question

The process in which party members attend a neighborhood meeting, share ideas and concerns about particular candidates, and cast a ballot for pledged delegates to attend a statewide meeting is called a(n) __________.

answer

nominating caucus

question

Al Gore, in the presidential election of 2004, won the __________ but did not win the presidency.

answer

popular vote

question

The first legislation that made a real impact on campaign finance reform was the __________.

answer

Federal Election Campaign Act

question

"Independent expenditure-only committees" are more familiarly known as __________.

answer

super PACs

question

The U.S. electoral system is capable of producing a major minor party. What features largely account for it failing to do so?

answer

single-member districts and a plurality (first-past-the-post) voting system

question

Which model stipulates that the goal of political parties is to win offices and to control the distribution of government jobs?

answer

rational party model

question

National party conventions primarily serve what ends?

answer

They create a positive party image and mobilize supporters for the nominee who has basically already been decided.

question

The number of Americans identifying as __________ has been on the rise over the first decade of this century according to Figure 13.8, Trends in Party Identification 1989-2010.

answer

Independents

question

Figure 13.1 reveals that highest percentage of individuals participate in the electoral process by ___________.

answer

watching the campaigns on television

question

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 used the red flag of ___________ percent to determine if voter suppression might be taking place in a congressional district.

answer

50

question

In the Student Profile: Making Waves at the GOP Convention, what did Jackie Curtiss foresee in the 2012 Republican platform, especially in regard to its positions on abortion and birth control?

answer

The majority of younger women voters would find little common ground and probably vote for the Democratic candidate.

question

Americans who identify as __________ can be assessed from the data presented in Figure 13.8, which tracks trends in party identification from 1989 to 2010.

answer

independent

question

What act doubled the number of African Americans who participated in elections from 1960 to 1970?

answer

Voting Rights Act

question

How do minor parties facilitate democracy in the United States?

answer

by bringing more citizens into the political process with issue awareness

question

What institutional feature helps prevent the rise of minor parties?

answer

the Electoral College

question

Citizen involvement in public matters, such as joining clubs, voting, or attending governmental meetings is usually referred to as __________.

answer

individual participation

question

Which of the following is one reason that people did not fully participate in elections in the early twentieth century?

answer

Women who had been granted the vote were slow to exercise that right.

question

The lifestyle-change theory suggests that one reason for decreased participation in elections is that people are __________.

answer

now too busy to make time for voting

question

States that use a ―top-two‖ nomination process include __________.

answer

Louisiana and Washington

question

One outcome of the Corrupt Bargain of 1824 was the __________.

answer

national nominating convention

question

The presidential election takes place __________.

answer

on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

question

The Twelfth Amendment states that in the Electoral College, electors must indicate __________.

answer

who they are voting for as president and who they are voting for as vice president

question

The Supreme Court ruled that campaign expenditures are akin to free speech and are therefore protected by the First Amendment in the case of __________.

answer

Buckley v. Valeo

question

In the case of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that __________.

answer

unions and corporations could spend money from their general treasuries on federal

question

The __________ is the formal governing body of both major parties.

answer

national party convention

question

Figure 13.2 charts the course of voter participation in presidential elections from 1824 to the present. Which decade saw the highest percentile of eligible voters?

answer

the 1890s

question

In recent decades, voter participation can best be described as __________ compared to previous elections.

answer

lackluster

question

One of the big worries for political parties is the weather on voting day, that is, will it depress the vote in their favor. Figure 13.3 compares the reasons that Americans have for not voting. Where does weather rank?

answer

dead last

question

Surveys reveal that Americans are ___________ confident about government and politics?

answer

less

question

Figure 13.7 shows two charts that compare party unity in congressional voting. Does it fairly represent the increasing political polarization in the last ten years?

answer

Yes, party-line voting among Democrats and Republicans has increased over the last decade.

question

How do voter attitudes serve as a barrier to minor parties in government?

answer

Americans often believe a minor-party vote is a wasted vote.

question

The three-element view of American political parties includes which of the following elements?

answer

party members, party officials, and formal apparatus

question

If you were a poll worker in one of the Rocky Mountain states for the presidential election of 2008, you would likely have seen __________.

answer

an increase in voter turnout

question

If you were managing a campaign and about to veto a series of negative ads attacking your candidate's opponent, which of the following study results might make you change your mind?

answer

Negative campaigning may actually activate the most partisan voters.

question

Which of the following could be a negative outcome from an open primary system?

answer

Democrats might vote for a Republican candidate who is not considered as strong as a front-running candidate.

question

If you planned to run an election campaign, your chances of success would be markedly increased if you were able to __________.

answer

start raising money immediately and get your name into the media

question

The Electoral College system reflects the founders' concerns over the __________.

answer

wisdom of the people

question

When can a party change its platform?

answer

during the national party convention

question

Why does the United States have a two-party model?

answer

It developed in the struggle between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

question

What did the midterm elections of 2010 suggest about the rise of the ―youth vote‖?

answer

The youth vote temporarily declined.

question

What is the inherent problem of soft money donations and democracy?

answer

It allows a wealth individual to donate large sums and thereby gain influence exceeding that of most people.

question

What does a rational party contribute to our democratic process?

answer

It aids candidates, organizes a complex government, and educates citizens to vote the party line.

question

You can assume that opponents of voter IDs for elections are predominantly Democrats because __________.

answer

citizens who do not already have legal ID cards are likely to vote Democratic

question

According to Figure 13.1, Forms of Electoral Participation, in what presidential election year was there a sharp reduction in the percentage of people reading about the campaign in the newspaper?

answer

1972

question

Based on the map shown in Figure 13.11, Primary Systems in the United States, if you were voting in Ohio, how could you expect to cast your ballot?

answer

You would be able to vote in the Democratic primary only if you were already registered as a Democrat.

question

One disadvantage of a national primary could be that __________.

answer

Small towns and rural areas might never get to meet candidates face to face because candidates would be engaged in massive national media campaigns.

question

According to Figure 13.12, How to Get to the White House, under what circumstances would a new Vice President assume the duties of President?

answer

if the House vote does not result in a majority for one candidate and the Senate gives more than 51 votes to one of the vice presidential candidates

question

A Senator makes a point in his reelection campaign of reminding voters that he was instrumental in keeping a military base open in his state. According to David Mayhew, this is an example of __________.

answer

credit claiming

question

How did the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) regulate television ad blitzes financed by interest groups in order to influence voters?

answer

It forbid group-sponsored advertisements for a set before an election.

question

You are fed up with your long-serving Republican congressman. So you and likeminded activist start a petition the state's Democrat-controlled legislature. Why is this effort a waste of your time and resources?

answer

Congressmen cannot be term-limited.

question

You are also fed up with the Electoral College and want it abolished. How can this be accomplished?

answer

The Electors would have to be impeached one at a time.

question

__________ resulted outside of party politics, when the presidential election was sent to the House of Representatives and the Speaker, Henry Clay, manipulated the vote to advance his own career.

answer

The Corrupt Bargain of 1824

question

When the Justice Department objected to a Texas voter ID law in 2012, it did so by comparing the fee for the state-mandated ID card to be a(n) __________.

answer

poll tax

question

Parties are organizations that sponsor candidates for political office in the hope of controlling the apparatus of government according to the rational party model.

answer

TRUE

question

States that have primaries all use the same primary system.

answer

FALSE

question

In the 2000 presidential election, George Bush won both the Electoral College vote and the popular vote.

answer

FALSE

question

The Progressive era's reforms were important in giving voters leverage over the government.

answer

TRUE

question

PACs were developed to give unions and corporations a way to contribute money to federal candidates.

answer

TRUE

question

Minor parties have played a more important role in the United States than in virtually any other democratic nation, and have become even more important.

answer

FALSE

question

Minor parties run unqualified candidates, which is largely a reason for their making little to no impact on elections.

answer

FALSE

question

The three elements of political party organization examines the party presence in the three correlating branches of government: judicial, legislative, and executive.

answer

FALSE

question

One theory about why U.S. citizens do not participate in campaigns and elections is that they have become less confident about government and politics.

answer

TRUE

question

The framers of the constitution laid down a detailed procedure for electing a president.

answer

FALSE

question

The candidate-centered era of the 1960s featured candidates who distanced themselves from their own parties following a decline in party strength for over half a century.

answer

TRUE

question

The Twenty-Fourth Amendment eliminated the head tax on voters in Southern states.

answer

FALSE

question

As a leader in the Democratic Party for a state, you would probably be very opposed to the state's adopting a ―top two‖ nomination process.

answer

TRUE

question

A Democrat in New York and a Democrat in a swing state such as Ohio would experience much the same kind of campaign ads and candidate visits in a presidential election year.

answer

FALSE

question

The ―franchise‖ that goes with American citizenship is the right to vote

answer

TRUE

Living Democracy Ch.13 – Flashcards

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