Question 1

First enacted by ____________in 1890, the grandfather clause soon spread throughout southern and border states and typically required literacy tests for all voters whose ancestors had not been entitled to vote prior to 1866.

Accepted Answer

Mississippi was the first state to enact the grandfather clause in 1890. This clause was a way to disenfranchise African American voters by exempting those whose ancestors had the right to vote before the Civil War (and thus, before the emancipation of slaves) from literacy tests and other voting requirements.

Question 2

In Gray v. Sanders (1963), the Supreme Court invalidated Georgia's "______" system of apportioning the state legislature.

Accepted Answer

The Gray v. Sanders case dealt specifically with Georgia's "county unit" system of apportionment, which gave more weight to votes cast in small, rural counties than to votes cast in more populous areas. The court ruled that this system violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and required states to use a "one-person, one-vote" standard in apportioning legislative districts. The other options listed (Jaybird and none of the above) are not relevant to the case.

Question 3

In Gomilion v. Lightfoot (1960) the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional an extreme form of the ___________.

Accepted Answer

Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960) is a landmark case where the Supreme Court declared an extreme form of racial gerrymandering unconstitutional. This case involved the redrawing of electoral district boundaries in Tuskegee, Alabama, in a way that excluded nearly all African-American voters, violating the 15th Amendment.

Question 4

Which of the following procedural devices designed to prevent most African-Americans from voting was the first to be declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court?

Accepted Answer

The grandfather clause was the first among the listed options to be declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in the case of Guinn v. United States (1915). This clause exempted certain voters from literacy tests or other voting requirements if they, or their ancestors, had been eligible to vote before a certain date, effectively disenfranchising many African-American voters.

Question 5

In _______________, the Supreme Court struck down the Enforcement Act of 1870, by which Congress attempted to protect the right of African-Americans to vote in state elections.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court struck down the Enforcement Act of 1870 in United States v. Reese (1876). Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960) dealt with racial gerrymandering, and Ex parte Yarbrough (1884) concerned the election of a convicted felon.

Question 6

In Reynolds v. Sims (1964) Chief Justice Warren applied the principle of "one person, one vote" to ___________________.

Accepted Answer

In Reynolds v. Sims, the Supreme Court ruled that the principle of "one person, one vote" must be applied to both houses of a state legislature, ensuring that all citizens have equal representation regardless of where they reside within the state. Therefore, the best choice is A, which states that the ruling applied to apportionment of both houses of a state legislature.

Question 7

In _________________, the Supreme Court upheld a Texas white primary based on a resolution adopted by the state Democratic Party, which effectively reinforced the legal view that political parties were merely private organizations beyond the purview of the Constitution.

Accepted Answer

In Grovey v. Townsend (1935), the Supreme Court upheld a Texas white primary based on a resolution adopted by the state Democratic Party, which effectively reinforced the legal view that political parties were merely private organizations beyond the purview of the Constitution.

Question 8

Which of the following was most effective in protecting and implementing the voting rights of African-Americans?

Accepted Answer

The most effective measure in protecting and implementing the voting rights of African-Americans was the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This legislation addressed the barriers that prevented African-Americans from exercising their right to vote by prohibiting discriminatory voting practices such as literacy tests and poll taxes. The Act also empowered the federal government to oversee voting practices in areas with a history of discrimination, ensuring that all citizens were given an equal opportunity to vote.

Question 9

For some jurisprudential thinkers, such as ______________, the primary utility of and justification for judicial review is to maintain the integrity of the democratic process.

Accepted Answer

John Hart Ely is known for his argument that judicial review is necessary to ensure that government actions do not undermine fundamental democratic values, such as equal protection of the law and majority rule. He believed that courts should strike down laws that are inconsistent with these values in order to maintain the legitimacy of the democratic system.

Question 10

In United States v. Classic (1941), the Supreme Court held that the federal government could regulate party primaries in order to prevent _____.

Accepted Answer

In United States v. Classic, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had the authority to regulate party primaries to prevent election fraud. The case involved a primary election in Texas where voters were required to pay a poll tax in order to participate, which the Court found violated the Fifteenth Amendment's prohibition on voter discrimination based on race. The ruling established the principle that the federal government could regulate primary elections as part of its authority to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

Question 11

The intentional redrawing of legislative district lines for political purposes is referred to as ___.

Accepted Answer

Gerrymandering is the intentional redrawing of legislative district lines for political purposes.

Question 12

In judging claims of official discrimination in the area of voting rights, courts usually employ ______________.

Accepted Answer

In cases of official discrimination in the area of voting rights, courts usually employ strict scrutiny. This means that the government must have a compelling interest for the discriminatory action and that the action must be narrowly tailored to achieve that interest. This is the highest level of scrutiny used by courts in reviewing cases of alleged discrimination.

Question 13

The first of many legal victories won by the NAACP came when the Supreme Court struck down the Oklahoma grandfather clause in __________________.

Accepted Answer

The Guinn v. United States case in 1915 challenged the use of the Oklahoma grandfather clause, which required voters to prove that their grandfathers had been eligible to vote before 1866, effectively disenfranchising many Black voters. The Supreme Court declared the clause unconstitutional, marking the first major legal victory for the NAACP in the fight for equal voting rights.

Question 14

Grovey v. Townsend, the 1935 decision in which the Supreme Court had upheld the so-called _______, was overruled in Smith v. Allwright (1944).

Accepted Answer

Grovey v. Townsend upheld the "white primary," a practice in which only white voters were allowed to participate in primary elections. This decision was overruled in Smith v. Allwright, which declared the white primary unconstitutional as it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Question 15

In 1980, independent presidential candidate __________________ filed suit in federal court to challenge Ohio's March filing deadline for the November general elections.

Accepted Answer

John Anderson filed suit in federal court to challenge Ohio's March filing deadline for the November general elections in 1980.

Question 16

Section 2 of the ________________ specifically allows plaintiffs to challenge electoral schemes that impermissibly dilute the voting strength of minority groups.

Accepted Answer

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act specifically addresses the issue of vote dilution and allows for legal challenges to be made against electoral schemes that unfairly reduce the voting power of minority groups. The Fourteenth Amendment and Fifteenth Amendment address issues of equal protection and voting rights, but do not specifically address vote dilution in the same way that the Voting Rights Act does. Therefore, the correct choice is A) Voting Rights Act.

Question 17

In Davis v. Bandemer (1986), the plurality opinion indicated that plaintiffs challenging partisan gerrymandering of state legislatures would have to make a "threshold showing of _____."

Accepted Answer

In Davis v. Bandemer (1986), the plurality opinion indicated that plaintiffs challenging partisan gerrymandering would have to make a "threshold showing of discriminatory vote dilution" to proceed with their claims.

Question 18

Justice _____________ famous footnote in United States v. Carolene Products (1938) recognized potential problems resulting from efforts to limit political participation.

Accepted Answer

Justice Harlan Fiske Stone's famous footnote in United States v. Carolene Products (1938) is known for suggesting that more rigorous judicial scrutiny might be appropriate for legislation that appears to restrict the political process or discriminate against minorities.

Question 19

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Federal Constitution __________.

Accepted Answer

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Federal Constitution sets the minimum voting age at eighteen in federal and state elections.

Question 20

In Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), the Supreme Court invalidated the use of _________ in state elections.

Accepted Answer

In Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), the Supreme Court ruled that the use of poll taxes in state elections was unconstitutional because it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Quiz 8: Elections, Representation, and Voting Rights