Deck 9: Nominations, Elections, and Campaigns

Question 1

What is the main way that citizens control government?

A) Voting in free elections to choose leaders
B) Donating money to electoral campaigns
C) Cooperating with the media to engage in agenda-setting
D) Donating money to political parties
E) Joining interest groups

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following best describes what happens when citizens vote for a president on election day?

A) They are voting for a slate of electors pledged to support a particular candidate.
B) Their votes are weighted by their level of education.
C) Their votes are weighted by their levels of income.
D) They become members of the electoral college.
E) They are also voting for all other candidates from the same party.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Who originally elected the members of the electoral college?

A) House of Representatives
B) People of each state
C) Senate
D) State legislatures
E) State governors

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In the modern political system, how often do candidates rely on political parties to conduct a campaign?

A) Heavily
B) Never
C) Typically
D) Often
E) Seldom

Question 5

In most states, the slate of electors is chosen by which of the following?

A) A majority of votes
B) Two-thirds of the votes
C) A duality of votes
D) A plurality of votes
E) A proportionality of votes

Question 6

Which of the following states holds the nation's first and most famous caucus that requires people to attend a meeting of about two hours in which they indicate their preferences and then try to convince those who are undecided to join their candidate's group?

A) Arkansas
B) Iowa
C) New Hampshire
D) New Mexico
E) Washington

Question 7

What happens when no incumbent in the White House is seeking reelection?

A) The presidential nominating process becomes contested in both parties.
B) The current vice president is automatically selected by his party as the nominee for president.
C) The party committees choose their party's nominee.
D) The presidential nominating process becomes uncontested in both parties.
E) The early primaries do not matter.

Question 8

Which method of delegate selection begins with local meetings and culminates in a state convention?

A) Open primary
B) Frontloading method
C) Caucus method
D) Closed primary
E) Deliberation

Question 9

The formal selection of the president of the United States is in the hands of which of the following?

A) Supreme Court
B) Electors in the electoral college
C) House of Representatives
D) People
E) Senate

Question 10

One result of which of the following was the direct primary, in which candidates must campaign not only for election but also for the nomination of their party?

A) The Civil War
B) The post-World War II desire for greater personal power
C) The Progressive movement in the 1920s
D) Adoption of the Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation
E) Andrew Jackson's popularization of political activity

Question 11

Who currently elects the members of the electoral college?

A) House of Representatives
B) People of each state
C) Senate
D) State legislatures
E) State governors

Question 12

Which of the following is a preliminary election conducted within a political party to select candidates who will run for office?

A) Special
B) General
C) Municipal
D) Primary
E) Caucus

Question 13

Which of the following statements about election campaigns is true?

A) They have evolved into being candidate centered.
B) They have evolved to being party centered.
C) They chiefly rely on neighborhood canvassing.
D) They consult party headquarters to determine party strategy.
E) They learn about voters' interests by asking the party.

Question 14

The New Hampshire presidential primary gathers the lion's share of political and media attention because of which of the following?

A) The New Hampshire primary is the last one to occur each election year.
B) New Hampshire's population is a good cross-section of the entire nation.
C) New Hampshire has more restrictive campaign laws than other states.
D) New Hampshire is a large, populous state.
E) The New Hampshire primary is the first one to occur each election year.

Question 15

In 2016, 31 states adopted which of the following?

A) Winner-take-all rules for Republican primaries
B) Proportional rules for Republican primaries
C) Winner-take-all rules for Democratic primaries
D) Proportional rules for Democratic primaries
E) The electoral college amendment to the Constitution

Question 16

Members of the electoral college selected by each state equal the number of what?

A) House members
B) Senators
C) House members plus senators
D) Voting districts
E) Voting districts plus 3

Question 17

In modern elections, candidates do which of the following to learn about voters' interests?

A) Consult local party officials
B) Commission public opinion polls
C) Canvass door-to-door noting reactions they receive
D) Rely on national party organizations
E) Depend on media coverage

Question 18

Which of the following best describes what happens 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.

Question 19

Today, how many electoral votes does each state get?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 10
D) 1 for every 10,000 residents
E) A number equal to the state's number of House and Senate members

Question 20

Until the 1950s, how were political campaigns primarily conducted?

A) Through the mass media
B) Through political party organizations
C) Through quiet appeals to elite electors
D) By individual candidates with very little staff or assistance
E) By interest groups

Question 21

To win the modern presidency, a candidate must obtain which of the following?

A) A majority of the popular vote
B) A plurality of the popular vote
C) 100 electoral votes
D) 270 electoral votes
E) 538 electoral votes

Question 22

Which of the following best describes the outcome of the 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act?

A) It created the Federal Election Commission.
B) It placed limits on the sums that individuals and committees can contribute to candidates.
C) It created an effective way to enforce campaign rules.
D) It created the Federal Election Commission and placed limits on the sums that individuals and committees can contribute to candidates.
E) It made political action committees unconstitutional.

Question 23

Which of the following is true of 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) The House of Representatives usually picks the winner.
E) The Senate selects the winner from among the top three vote getters.

Question 24

Which of the following best describes what is allowed as a result of the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC?

A) Corporations, unions, and individuals can donate unlimited funds to presidential campaigns.
B) Corporations, unions, and individuals can donate unlimited funds to entities that are "independent" of the candidates.
C) Corporations, unions, and individuals can donate unlimited funds to political parties.
D) Political parties can create special funds from federal monies to donate to candidates.
E) Corporations, unions, and individuals can donate unlimited funds to presidential campaigns, as well as to entities that are "independent" of the candidates.

Question 25

A voter who determines which candidate he or she will vote for very early in the campaign most likely based that decision on which of the following?

A) The media's perception of the front-runner
B) The candidate's stand on a particular issue of importance
C) Party identification
D) The candidate's foreign policy experience
E) The candidate's projected image

Question 26

If no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral college votes, the election is decided by which of the following?

A) The president
B) The House of Representatives
C) The Senate
D) Votes in the 50 state legislatures
E) The U.S. Supreme Court

Question 27

Which of the following federal regulatory agencies enforces federal campaign laws?

A) The Federal Election Commission
B) The Department of Elections
C) The Congressional Campaign Committee
D) The Voting Rights Commission
E) The Federal Campaign Commission

Question 28

The Constitution spells out in some detail the workings of which institution that chooses the president?

A) Electoral college
B) Federal Election Commission
C) House of Representatives
D) Senate
E) State legislatures

Question 29

The manner in which members of the electoral college are selected within each state is currently governed by which of the following?

A) State laws
B) The Federal Electoral Selection Act
C) Article II of the U.S. Constitution
D) Congressional oversight
E) Federal district court judges

Question 30

Beginning with the 2010 election, corporations were free to run ads directly advocating a candidate's election for the first time since 1907 when Congress first banned using general corporate funds in federal election campaigns. This occurred based on which 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision?

A) Federal Election Commission v. McCain
B) Feingold v. McConnell
C) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
D) BCRA v. Fox News
E) FEC v. Americans United Trust

Question 31

In 1971, Congress tried to put candidates on an equal financial footing and make them less beholden to special interests through which of the following?

A) McCutcheon, et.al v. FEC
B) Campaign Finance Reform Act
C) Election and Campaign Finance Act
D) Citizens United case
E) Federal Election Campaign Act

Question 32

We elect the president via 50 state elections combined into the electoral college; thus, presidential elections are best described as which of the following?

A) National
B) Majoritarian
C) Federal
D) Unfair
E) Elitist

Question 33

Abolishing the electoral college would require which of the following?

A) A constitutional amendment
B) An act of Congress
C) Approval by a simple majority of the states
D) A parliamentary system of government
E) The approval of the Supreme Court

Question 34

The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 was amended in 1974 to do which of the following?

A) To create the Federal Election Commission
B) To provide public financing for congressional races
C) To limit campaign expenditures in presidential elections to a maximum of $2 million
D) To create the Federal Communications Commission
E) To expand presidential campaign spending to an unlimited amount

Question 35

Which two states do not use a winner-take-all system in the electoral college?

A) Maine and Ohio
B) Nebraska and Maine
C) Nebraska and Delaware
D) Michigan and Maine
E) Nevada and Nebraska

Question 36

The Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC supports which of the following?

A) Corporations, unions, and interest groups funding campaign advertising without limits as long as it is not coordinated with a campaign
B) Restrictions on campaign language used in negative advertising about other candidates
C) Unrestricted advertising by, for, or about political candidates
D) The elimination of super PACs
E) The unrestricted role of big business in political campaigns and candidate advertising

Question 37

Along with Washington, D.C., from 1992 to 2012, how many states were battleground states?

A) 3
B) 5
C) 13
D) 18
E) 25

Question 38

Which of the following is responsible for monitoring campaign finance?

A) Congress
B) Electoral college
C) Federal Election Commission
D) Federal Broadcast Commission
E) Individual political parties

Question 39

Which of the following best describes the impact the 2010 Citizens United decision has had on the political campaign process?

A) Allowing corporate entities to directly coordinate candidate or campaign events
B) Opening the door to negative campaigning on a national level
C) Allowing corporate entities to contribute unlimited amounts to support or oppose candidates
D) Closing the door to Super PAC involvement in political campaigns
E) Restricting the contributions of corporate or international donors

Question 40

Which of the following statements best describes Super PACs?

A) They allow very wealthy Americans to donate unlimited funds to influence elections.
B) They are political advertising councils that design political campaigns.
C) They are limited to raising no more than $10 million per campaign cycle.
D) They allow money to be spent on advertising and other political activities.
E) They allow America's very wealthy to donate unlimited funds to influence elections and spend money on advertising and other political activities.

Question 41

Describe what happens if no one wins a majority of the electoral votes.

Question 42

Analyze the development of the modern political campaign from its roots in the 1800s.

Question 43

Studies of the party identification and ideological orientation of voters show which of the following?

A) Voters often align with parties that contradict their ideological leanings.
B) Voters tend to identify with the party that most reflects their ideological orientation.
C) There appears to be no consistent relationship between party identification and ideology.
D) Parties have no consistent ideological positions.
E) Most voters do not have a solid party identification.

Question 44

Describe some situations in which the electoral college has produced controversial results and explain the criticisms leveled against it.

Question 45

American political parties operate more in keeping with which of the following models of democracy?

A) Majoritarian
B) Party-centered
C) Ideological
D) Pluralist
E) Idealistic

Question 46

Analyze the differences between open and closed primaries and the strategies to win them.

Question 47

Explain why a candidate would decide to forgo matching funds in his or her quest for the presidential nomination. Is this a successful strategy?

Question 48

Since 1952, Democrats have generally been a majority of the electorate, but Republicans have won more presidential elections for which of the following reasons?

A) Polls estimating the Democrat voter population are faulty.
B) Republican Party identification has changed over the years.
C) Democrats are more likely to "defect" on the basis of candidates' attributes and the issues.
D) Democrats have failed to field candidates in some elections.
E) Voters are disenchanted with the Democrats' perennial fundraising advantage over Republicans.

Question 49

Evaluate the extent to which campaigns are candidate centered rather than party centered.

Question 50

Candidates' attributes are especially important to voters who lack or do which of the following?

A) Lack good information about a candidate's past performance
B) Typically vote for incumbent candidates
C) Base their vote on party loyalty
D) Lack the time to research a candidate
E) Lack party identification

Question 51

Explain the electoral college process. Does it work as the founders envisioned?

Question 52

Analyze the differences between a presidential preference primary and a presidential caucus.

Question 53

Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the electoral college.

Question 54

According to democratic theory, the most important factor in determining voter choice in an election should be which of the following?

A) Believability and reliability of the candidate
B) Party identification
C) Polling results
D) Amount of media coverage
E) Past performance and proposed policies

Question 55

Which of the following best explains how the nomination process reflects pluralist theory?

A) The centralized nature of the nomination process encourages special interest groups to compete for influence.
B) The decentralized nature of the nominating process provides multiple opportunities for various groups to organize and attempt to influence the outcome.
C) The fact that the president is nominated at a national convention tends to open up the process to numerous groups.
D) The nomination process in the United States is dominated by the elite.
E) The nomination process in the United States is controlled by various factions in Congress.

Question 56

Contrary to what the voting records of members of Congress indicate, many political scientists assert that the majority of voters are which of the following ideologically?

A) Moderate
B) Liberal
C) Conservative
D) Libertarian
E) Inflexible

Question 57

Discuss the modern campaign for running for president. Why is it referred to as the longest campaign? What is essential to a candidate's success?

Question 58

Describe how the electoral college could be reformed. Should it be reformed? Why or why not?

Question 59

Which of the following best describes the significance of a party's platform?

A) Platforms are very important to congressional elections.
B) Party platforms developed by the national committee are used as the basis of public policy at all levels of government.
C) The delegates who nominate the president are the ones who approve the platform so there is little disagreement between the candidate and the platform.
D) Party platforms are visionary statements that have little value.
E) Platforms are used by interest groups to develop their policy programs.

Question 60

Describe how the framers felt about letting the people choose the president directly?

Question 61

Evaluate the degree to which party identification, issues, and the attributes of the candidates impact voter choice.

Question 62

Summarize legislation that has led to campaign finance reform, and discuss the current campaign finance environment.

Question 63

In theory, the closer the alignment between party voters and their parties' ideologies, the better the operation of responsible party government, but this has not been the case in the recent operation of Washington politics. Why?

Question 64

Due to the enormous cost of media, should the federal government require broadcast networks to provide free air time to presidential candidates?

Question 65

Discuss the impact of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC, making note of the rise of super PACs and their effect on campaigns.

Question 66

Evaluate the degree to which televised presidential debates impact the outcome of the presidential election.

Question 67

Do voters place too much importance on candidate characteristics as opposed to issues?

Question 68

How have recent campaign finance laws changed the nature of presidential campaigns?

Question 69

How did the Citizens United decision affect campaign funding? Do you believe this was a change for the better? Explain your response.

Question 70

Describe the role of political action committees in the election process including their role in campaign finance.

Question 71

Explore the strategies devised by interest groups and parties to get around campaign finance reform legislation.

Question 72

Describe the general process of running for a congressional seat. When does it begin? What obstacles are faced by challengers?