POLS 2301 Ch 9 Barbour – Flashcards
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1. A ________________ is a statewide election of delegates to a party's national convention, where the delegates will choose the party's presidential nominee
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presidential primary
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Naturalized citizens are constitutionally barred from running for the office of a. United States senator. b. United States representative. c. President of the United States. d. governor. e. chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.
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c. President of the United States.
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Candidates for president face obstacles to winning for all of the following reasons except a. they must have great personal wealth in order to win. b. they must be able to garner enough support to win the early primaries. c. they must be able to organize, staff ,and fund a campaign organization. d. they must be must be able to find local volunteers in each state to win primary votes. e. All of the above are true.
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a. they must have great personal wealth in order to win.
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Holders of political office in the United States today are usually a. representative of the general public. b. evenly divided between men and women. c. white and male. d. younger than the candidates elected in the 1800s. e. Roman Catholics.
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c. white and male.
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The qualifications required to be a state governor are (Governor of Texas)
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- 30 years old - US citizen - Resident of Texas for at least 5 years prior to election
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A striking feature of today's political campaigns is the a. large number of people who are willing to volunteer their time. b. positive theme that most candidates use exclusively through the election. c. lack of money contributed to candidates for major political office. d. importance of paid professionals rather than volunteers. e. refusal of so many candidates to take advantage of the media.
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d. importance of paid professionals rather than volunteers.
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Campaigns for high offices today tend to
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be canditate centered
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If a candidate is a highly visible incumbent seeking reelection, a. the strategy will be to get the incumbent's name before the voters as much as possible. b. a front porch campaign has been proven most effective. c. there may be little need for campaigning except to remind the voters of the officeholder's good deeds. d. the strategy will be to keep as low a profile as possible. e. the incumbent must devote almost every moment to campaigning to avoid seeming overlyconfident and arrogant
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c. there may be little need for campaigning except to remind the voters of the officeholder's good deeds.
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Tracking polls are used a. on a daily basis to determine last-minute changes in the mood of the electorate. b. by the government to determine if a candidate is receiving illegal campaign contributions. c. to encourage voter turnout. d. primarily in countries that have a multiparty political structure. e. by the media throughout the election year
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a. on a daily basis to determine last-minute changes in the mood of the electorate.
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Which campaign financing reform was best known for restricting the political activities of civil servants a. Corrupt Practices Act b. Federal Election Campaign Act c. Supreme Court decision in Buckley v. Valeo d. Hatch Act e. McCain-Feingold Act
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d. Hatch Act
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The widespread belief behind criticisms of money in the electoral system is that
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candidates unable to raise large sums of money will not do well
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Political Action Committees a. are not covered by federal election laws. b. are committees created under federal or state law for the purpose of collecting political donations. c. coordinate all expenditures directly with the candidate. d. collect funds from the candidate and transfer them to the political party. e. are limited in how much they spend.
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b. are committees created under federal or state law for the purpose of collecting political donations.
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The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act a. created the Federal Election Commission. b. placed limits on the sums that individuals and committees can contribute to candidates. c. created an effective way to enforce campaign rules. d. Options A and B are true. e. All of the above are true.
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d. Options A and B are true. (a. created the Federal Election Commission. b. placed limits on the sums that individuals and committees can contribute to candidates.)
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Independent expenditures are a. funds spent by the party independent without permission of the candidate. b. personal funds spent by the candidate on campaign activities. c. funds spent by political action committees that are not coordinated directly with a candidate's campaign. d. funds spent by the Federal Election Commission. e. funds spent by groups of independent voters.
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c. funds spent by political action committees that are not coordinated directly with a candidate's campaign.
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Advertising paid for by interest groups that support or oppose a candidate (or a candidate's position on an issue) without mentioning voting or elections is called a. a PAC advertisement. b. a soft-money contribution. c. issue advocacy advertising. d. a hard money expenditure. e. payola profiteering and pilfering.
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c. issue advocacy advertising.
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The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 a. bans soft money contributions to national parties. b. bans campaign ads by special interest groups. c. bans independent expenditures. d. bans the practice of lobbying. e. eliminated the Federal Election Commission.
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a. bans soft money contributions to national parties.
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The 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC allows a. corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to presidential campaigns. b. corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to entities that are "independent" of the candidates. c. corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to political parties. d. political parties to create special funds to donate to candidates from federal monies. e. Options A and B are true.
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b. corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to entities that are "independent" of the candidates.
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Super PACs a. allow America's millionaires and billionaires to donate unlimited funds to influence elections. b. are political advertising councils that design political campaigns. c. are limited to raising no more than ten million dollars per campaign cycle. d. raise money to run both positive and negative campaign ads. e. Options A and D are true
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e. Options A and D are true (a. allow America's millionaires and billionaires to donate unlimited funds to influence elections. d. raise money to run both positive and negative campaign ads.)
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The organizations that came to be known as "527s" a. have become eclipsed in importance since the rise of super PACs. b. were set up by political parties for anonymous donors' contributions. c. run ads that are coordinated with the candidate's campaign ads. d. are more powerful than super PACs. e. Options B and C are true.
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a. have become eclipsed in importance since the rise of super PACs.
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Which statement about primaries is true? a. Candidates for the presidency go through two elections—the primaries and the general election. b. Most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen in primary elections. c. Most primaries are winner-take-all. d. In recent years, the Democrats have used a proportional system in the presidential primaries. e. All of the above are true.
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e. All of the above are true.
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Which of the following are true of superdelegates? a. A superdelegate is a party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the national convention. b. Their votes are ceremonial and do not count in the delegate total. c. They are members of the media who cover the national convention. d. They are elected at the state level. e. They participate as delegates to the state convention.
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a. A superdelegate is a party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the national convention.
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22. The pre-primary election effort to win support from elected officials, fund raisers, interest groups, and opinion leaders is called the
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invisible primary
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When only declared party members can vote in a primary election, it is called a. a closed primary. b. an open primary. c. a run-off primary. d. a blanket primary. e. a caucus.
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a. a closed primary.
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When voters can vote in either party primary without disclosing their party affiliation, it is called a. a closed primary. b. an open primary. c. a run-off primary. d. a blanket primary. e .a caucus.
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b. an open primary.
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When the top two candidates in a primary compete in a second primary for the majority of votes, it is called a. a closed primary. b. an open primary. c. a run-off primary. d. a blanket primary. e. a caucus.
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c. a run-off primary.
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With regard to presidential candidates, a. Iowa and New Hampshire have the first caucus and primary, respectively, in voting for presidential candidates. b. many states are moving their primaries to earlier dates in order to have more input into the selection of presidential candidates. c. moving state primaries into the first months of the year is known as front-loading. d. in 2008, twenty-four states had primaries on the same day. e. All of the above are true.
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e. All of the above are true.
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At the national convention, a. upon arrival most delegates are undecided as to whom they would like to see as the party's candidate. b. the delegates from those states that had early primaries and caucuses are seated closest to the front of the convention center. c. the presidential candidate is chosen by the party delegates. d. elites within the political parties are entrusted with making the determination of an appropriate candidate based upon electability. e. it usually take three ballots for the party to choose the presidential candidate.
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c. the presidential candidate is chosen by the party delegates.
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In presidential elections, a. voters elect the president directly. b. the number of electors equals each state's number of senators (two) plus its number of representatives. c. electors have always voted for the candidate who won their state's vote. d. Options A, B, and C are true. e. None of the above is true.
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b. the number of electors equals each state's number of senators (two) plus its number of representatives.
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The number of members each state will have in the electoral college a. cannot exceed fifty members. b. cannot be changed without a Constitutional amendment. c. changes every four years. d. is determined by adding the number of representatives and the number of senators a state has in Congress. e. is the same so as to ensure that each state plays an equal role in selecting the president of the United States.
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d. is determined by adding the number of representatives and the number of senators a state has in Congress.
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The manner in which members of the electoral college are selected within each state is currently governed by a. state laws. b. the Federal Electoral Selection Act. c. Article II of the United States Constitution. d. congressional oversight. e. federal district court judges.
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a. state laws.
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In the presidential elections a. electors meet in the state's capital in December to cast their votes for the president. b .a joint session of Congress meets in early January (after the presidential election) and the electoral votes are counted. c. one can win the majority of the popular vote and not become president. d. one can win the electoral college vote without winning the majority of the popular vote. e. All of the above are true.
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e. All of the above are true.
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Which of the following statements about the electoral college is true? a. Although it is theoretically possible for a candidate to win the electoral vote while losing the popular vote, this has never happened in our history. b. The Framers ensured that it would be impossible for a candidate to win the electoral vote without also winning the popular vote. c. The Constitution requires that the members of the electoral college vote in a manner consistent with their states' popular vote. d. The only way that our nation could cease to use the electoral college is through the process of constitutional amendment. e. The members of the electoral college are required by the Constitution to be at least thirty-five years old and of good moral character.
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d. The only way that our nation could cease to use the electoral college is through the process of constitutional amendment.
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33. A ballot in which all candidates for a particular elected post are grouped together is
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office-block or massachusetts ballot
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A party-column ballot is a form of general election ballot a. that is used by only a few states today. b. that focuses attention on the office instead of the party. c. in which the candidates are arranged in one column under their respective party. d. that was held to be unconstitutional in 1948. e. in which all candidates for each elective office are grouped under the title of the office.
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c. in which the candidates are arranged in one column under their respective party.
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35. The use of the party-column ballot has been shown to ________________________.
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increase the coattail effect.
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Voter fraud a. is regularly suspected but seldom proved. b. was more common in the 1800s when votes were openly purchased than today. c. is the argument frequently cited by supporters of voter I.D. laws. d. may be overstated by some. e. All the above are true.
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e. All the above are true.
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37. Voter ID laws are often enacted with the stated goal of _______________, but actually have the effect of _______________.
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preventing voting fraud; suppressing voter turnout among minority group members and the poor
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38. Almost all of the support for creating voter ID laws has come from
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Republicans
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39. The real world effect of voter ID laws in the 2012 election was that
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minority voter turnout was greater than expected
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In midterm elections a. voters choose all members of the U.S. House of Representatives. b. national elections are held in which candidates for president are not on the ballot. c. voters choose one-third of the members of the U.S. Senate. d. Options A and B are true. e. All of the above are true.
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e. All of the above are true.
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Some observers believe the following about low voter turnout: a. Too few individuals are wielding too much political power. b. Low turnout is a sign of satisfaction with the status quo. c. Low turnout is a sign of political apathy in the voting public. d. Potential voters do not want to take the time to learn about the issues. e. All of the above are true.
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e. All of the above are true.
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42. A non-citizen immigrant might be counted as part of the ______________, but not as part of the ______________.
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voting-age population; vote-eligible population
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Which of the following groups tends to be over represented in the electorate? a. Wealthier people b. People under the age of sixty-five c. Very young voters aged eighteen to twenty-four d. The poor and homeless e. Hispanics
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a. Wealthier people
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Reported voter turnout _________ as education __________. a. increases, decreases b. randomly swings, increases c. stabilizes, increases d. decreases, decreases e. stabilizes, decreases
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d. decreases, decreases
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Reported voter turnout _________ as age __________. a. increases, increases b. increases, decreases c. stabilizes, increases d. stabilizes, decreases e. decreases, increases
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a. increases, increases
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That women could vote in Wyoming in 1870, but not nationwide until 1920, is reflective of
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the belief that property ownership was no longer viewed as a legal requirement for voter eligibility.
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The requirements to register to vote include all of the following except
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Requirements: citizenship, age, residency
