Deck 10: Campaigns and Elections

Question 1

Which of the following candidates in 2016 broke all the rules?

A) Donald Trump
B) Ted Cruz
C) Hillary Clinton
D) Marco Rubio

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The first presidential primary is held in

A) New York.
B) Iowa.
C) Nebraska.
D) New Hampshire.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

How many people filed to run for president in 2020?

A) 1,920
B) 1,156
C) 18
D) 542

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Americans vote more often and for more offices _______ than the people of almost any other nation.

A) at the local level of government
B) at every level of government
C) at the national level of government
D) at the state level of government

Question 5

What percentage of the U.S. population is white, as of 2019?

A) 39 percent
B) 57.5 percent
C) 60.4 percent
D) 90.2 percent

Question 6

What percentages of Iowa's and New Hampshire's populations are white?

A) 65.0 percent, 89.3 percent
B) 90 percent, 93 percent
C) 38.5 percent, 49.0 percent
D) 18.1 percent, 79.8 percent

Question 7

What was the first year when women in all states could vote?

A) 1920
B) 1821
C) 1929
D) 1963

Question 8

What was the first state to allow women to vote?

A) Virginia
B) Wyoming
C) North Carolina
D) New Jersey

Question 9

How many Americans did not vote in the 2020 presidential race?

A) 100 million
B) 50 million
C) 25 million
D) 300,000

Question 10

How many "serious" Democratic candidates filed to run for president?

A) 28
B) 12
C) 7
D) 2

Question 11

The number of Americans who voted in the 2020 presidential race was

A) 100 million.
B) 128.7 million.
C) 67 million.
D) 89 million.

Question 12

What would be a reason for a special election?

A) Office holder dies
B) President does not like an office holder
C) Voters ask for one
D) Governor asks for one

Question 13

What percentage of the House is elected every two years?

A) 33 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 100 percent

Question 14

How often is the president elected?

A) Every four years
B) Every six years
C) Every eight years
D) Every two years

Question 15

Why do Iowa and New Hampshire get the first crack at deciding each party's presidential nominee?

A) State officials are empowered to decide their own election calendars, with the consent of the two parties.
B) Congress established this order in 1792.
C) The citizens of these two states voted this order into law.
D) None of the above

Question 16

The state governs the _______, _______, and _______ of elections.

A) "time"; "place"; "manner"
B) "time"; "day"; "year"
C) "candidates"; "parties"; "practice"
D) "beginning"; "end"; "frequency"

Question 17

The date of the primary is set by the

A) state.
B) political party.
C) president.
D) Congress.

Question 18

When was the date of elections set?

A) 1845
B) 1951
C) 1917
D) 1983

Question 19

In parliamentary democracies, what is the usual time period during which an election must be held?

A) At least every three years
B) At least every four years
C) At least every five years
D) At least every six years

Question 20

In what month are Senate elections held?

A) March
B) November
C) January
D) September

Question 21

On what day of the week do Americans vote for House members?

A) Saturday
B) Friday
C) Wednesday
D) Tuesday

Question 22

In what years are House elections held?

A) Even-numbered years
B) Years divisible by three
C) Years divisible by five
D) Odd-numbered years

Question 23

When is Election Day for House members?

A) First Tuesday after first Monday in November of every even-numbered year
B) First Wednesday after first Monday in November of every even-numbered year
C) First Tuesday after first Thursday in November of every even-numbered year
D) First Tuesday after first Monday in November of every odd-numbered year

Question 24

How much of the Senate is elected every two years?

A) 100%
B) Half
C) One-fourth
D) One-third

Question 25

A U.S. senator's term is _______ years; that's one of the _______ elected terms in the world.

A) two, shortest
B) four, shortest
C) six, longest
D) four, longest

Question 26

U.S. national elections are held on a fixed cycle (except when an officeholder resigns or dies). Which of the following dire situations would affect this schedule?

A) War
B) Economic collapse
C) Terrorist attacks
D) None of the above

Question 27

A prime minister once remarked, "In your system, you guys campaign for 24 hours a day, every day for two years. You know, politics is one thing, but we have to run a government." Which country was this politician from?

A) Belgium
B) France
C) Canada
D) Great Britain

Question 28

The United States was the _______ nation to choose its chief executive by popular election.

A) first
B) second
C) twentieth
D) fourth

Question 29

The United States was the _______ nation in which judges were elected by voters.

A) first
B) fifth
C) twenty-third
D) fourth

Question 30

Today, how many states elect judges?

A) Twenty
B) Thirty-nine
C) Fifty
D) Ten

Question 31

Candidates for national office (presidency and Congress) spent more than _______ on their campaigns in 2016.

A) $1.5 billion
B) $7 billion
C) $18 billion
D) $100 million

Question 32

How much did Linda McMahon spend on her failed Senate races?

A) $13 million
B) $434 million
C) $1 billion
D) $100 million

Question 33

In 2020, corporations gave _______ to Democrats and _______ to Republicans.

A) $1 billion; $1 billion
B) $1.8 million; $2.5 billion
C) $2.05 billion; $1.95 billion
D) $2.1 million; $1.9 million

Question 34

The U.S. system sets strict limits on individual donations: no one may contribute more than _______ to any individual candidate.

A) $2,800
B) $3.5 million
C) $45,000
D) $5,000

Question 35

How much can a PAC contribute to a candidate for the general election?

A) $2,700
B) $3,000
C) $5,000
D) Unlimited

Question 36

Onetime candidate Morris "Mo" Udall said, afterward, "You have to be a little crazy to run for president." In what year did he vie for the presidency?

A) 1875
B) 1976
C) 1997
D) 1796

Question 37

Candidates nominated by their parties to run for president generally have held which office?

A) Attorney general
B) Secretary of state
C) Governor
D) Member of the House of Representatives

Question 38

The last president to come directly out of the House of Representatives was James Garfield, back in what year?

A) 1806
B) 1857
C) 1880
D) 1959

Question 39

On which date on the primary calendar do the most states hold primaries and caucuses?

A) Super Tuesday
B) Super Election Day
C) Super Primaries and Caucuses Day
D) None of the above

Question 40

How many delegates must a Republican candidate win to obtain the nomination?

A) 1,237
B) 2,382
C) 270
D) 228

Question 41

How many delegates must a Democrat candidate win to obtain the nomination?

A) 1,237
B) 2,382
C) 270
D) 228

Question 42

_______ refers to the spike in the polls that follows an event such as a party convention.

A) Polls bounce
B) Electoral bounce
C) Voters bounce
D) Publicity bounce

Question 43

Which event normally has the effect of creating an increase in the poll numbers for a presidential candidate?

A) Political party convention
B) Rock concert
C) Graduation ceremony
D) None of the above

Question 44

In a _______ system, the winning candidate receives all the delegates for that state.

A) winner-take-all
B) proportional representation
C) demographic
D) democratic

Question 45

In a _______ system, delegates are apportioned based on the proportion of the vote a candidate wins.

A) winner-take-all
B) demographic
C) proportional representation
D) democratic

Question 46

Traditionally, which party has used the winner-take-all system?

A) Republican
B) Democratic
C) Green
D) None of the above

Question 47

Traditionally, which party has used the proportional representation system?

A) Republican
B) Libertarian
C) Democratic
D) None of the above

Question 48

In 2016, _______ primaries shifted to proportional representation before mid-March.

A) Republican
B) Democratic
C) Green Party
D) Social Party

Question 49

In 2016, the GOP allowed states to determine how to allocate their delegates after mid-March. What was the reasoning?

A) The states requested it.
B) The candidates requested it.
C) The party did not want the candidate chosen too early.
D) The party did not want the candidate chosen too late.

Question 50

During the primary season, candidates must

A) raise as much money as possible.
B) visit as many states as possible.
C) make a strong first impression.
D) avoid television commercials.

Question 51

The headquarters of which presidential candidate in 1992 featured a whiteboard reminding campaign staffers, "It's the Economy, Stupid"?

A) George H. W. Bush
B) George W. Bush
C) Bill Clinton
D) Ronald Reagan

Question 52

When members of a political party get together before a general election to choose delegates to the convention, they are attending a

A) primary.
B) general election meeting.
C) caucus.
D) convention planning meeting.

Question 53

A primary in which only party members can cast a vote is known as

A) a caucus.
B) an open primary.
C) a closed primary.
D) a private vote.

Question 54

A primary in which any eligible voter can cast a vote is known as

A) a caucus.
B) a closed primary.
C) a public vote.
D) an open primary.

Question 55

Party officials hope to have a candidate by

A) Labor Day.
B) Super Tuesday.
C) Fourth of July.
D) Memorial Day.

Question 56

Voters who turn out for primary elections tend to be

A) ideologically driven.
B) older.
C) younger.
D) female.

Question 57

How much was spent on the 2020 election?

A) $7 billion
B) $10 billion
C) $7 million
D) $10 million

Question 58

Why is name recognition important?

A) Build crowds, more media airtime
B) Voters know who they are voting for
C) Voters generally vote for a name they recognize
D) Attract more fundraising dollars

Question 59

Candidates running in the primary are talking to more_______ voters, and candidates in the general election are talking to more _______ voters.

A) centrist, ideologically driven
B) ideologically driven, centrist
C) liberal, conservative
D) conservative, liberal

Question 60

Which term refers to the tendency for members of Congress to win reelection in overwhelming numbers?

A) Nepotism advantage
B) Incumbency advantage
C) Insider advantage
D) None of the above

Question 61

Congressional members are skilled at running _______.

A) money campaigns.
B) positive campaigns.
C) against the president.
D) against Congress.

Question 62

What are midterm elections?

A) Elections held in the middle of the year
B) Elections held in the middle of each term
C) Elections held in a nonpresidential election year
D) None of the above

Question 63

In 2018, the Supreme Court majority held that, when redistricting occurs, that courts should presume states are _______.

A) acting in good faith.
B) acting dishonestly.
C) favoring Republicans.
D) favoring rich voters.

Question 64

In 2020, the Supreme Court heard a case regarding minority representation in districts involving which state?

A) California
B) Texas
C) North Carolina
D) Georgia

Question 65

How often is redistricting done?

A) Every 5 years
B) Every 8 years
C) Every 4 years
D) Every 10 years

Question 66

In which type of election system do individual candidates make their own decision to run, raise their own money, and design their own strategy?

A) Independent-centered
B) Candidate-centered
C) Individual-centered
D) None of the above

Question 67

_______ focus on the person running for office, not the party to which the person belongs.

A) Candidate-centered elections
B) Party-centered elections
C) Platform-centered elections
D) Issue-centered elections

Question 68

What decade saw the spread of primaries?

A) 1970s
B) 1950s
C) 1930s
D) 1820s

Question 69

In most advanced democracies, how are elections financed?

A) Publicly funded
B) Party funded
C) Candidate funded
D) Special election tax

Question 70

In the last forty midterm elections, the president's party picked up seats in Congress how many time(s)?

A) One
B) Three
C) Five
D) Seven

Question 71

In the last forty midterm elections, how many times did the president's party lose House seats?

A) Eight
B) Ten
C) Twelve
D) Fourteen

Question 72

Who usually wins during midterm congressional elections following a war's outbreak?

A) Democrats
B) Republicans
C) The opposition party
D) No difference

Question 73

Which factor contributes to winning a congressional election?

A) Money
B) Organization
C) Strategy and message
D) All of the above

Question 74

Typically, how much money is needed to mount a legitimate challenge in a House district?

A) Up to $100,000
B) Up to $300,000
C) Up to $500,000
D) Up to $2 million

Question 75

How much money would a candidate need to run for Senate?

A) $6-8 million
B) $8-10 million
C) $10-12 million
D) $12-14 million

Question 76

Where does all the money spent in a campaign go?

A) Media and direct mailing
B) Database and demographic data
C) Phone banks
D) All of the above

Question 77

A _______ is a long list of potential donors that candidates must phone.

A) donor list
B) green list
C) potential hit list
D) call list

Question 78

The term _______ refers to a congressional seat without an incumbent running for reelection.

A) vacancy seat
B) open seat
C) incumbent opening seat
D) electoral seat

Question 79

Which term refers to an automated phone call used to contact thousands of voters simultaneously? The call may feature a recorded message by the candidate or a popular party leader or an attack on the opponent.

A) Robocall
B) Automated call
C) Voter call
D) None of the above

Question 80

Which type of campaign staffers arrive at major event sites-for example, the site of an announcement speech-a day or more ahead of time to organize the site and build crowds?

A) Campaign staffer team
B) Motivational team
C) Advance team
D) None of the above