Government Chapter 11

Based on the information in the chart, which statement is most likely true?

In the future, overall spending will likely increase, and spending per voter will also likely increase.

What is one reason members of Congress might place limitations on the Federal Election Commission?

Limiting the FEC allows members of Congress to keep their options open while raising money for reelection.

Which statement is true, based on the information contained in the graphic?

State party organizations are run by a State party committee and its chairperson.

The photograph shows Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. Choose the answer that completes the sentence. This image MOST LIKELY shows

a campaign rally.

Use the quotation to answer the question. "Two years ago, the Supreme Court handed down one of the worst, and most radically activist decisions in the Court's history, Citizens United. Overturning more than a century of settled law, and with an unprecedented naiveté of the political process, the Court charted a course for legalized bribery. Sadly, both Democrats and Republicans are now following the dangerous road of unlimited money in politics. There is no question whether scandal will arise from this decision; the only question is when. On this anniversary, we call on both parties to work together to remedy the obvious damage to our political system caused by the Citizens United decision."—Sen. John McCain and former Sen. Russ Feingold, January 20, 2012 Which statement expresses the point Senators McCain and Feingold are making in this quotation?

Allowing unrestricted corporate money into federal elections means that candidates who receive that money are likely to be beholden to those corporate interests once in office.

The chart shows three hypothetical electoral college scenarios. Which answer choice completes the chart with a scenario in which Candidate A wins the presidency?

Candidate A is elected by a majority vote in the House, with each State delegation having one vote.

Read the quotation. Then answer the question. "You have to be loaded just to get beat." —Humorist Will Rogers Which statement is the best interpretation of what Rogers is saying about money and politics?

Candidates cannot realistically expect to compete unless they raise a lot of money.

Which of the following offers an example of a problem associated with primaries?

In 2012, Republican Richard Lugar, a powerful 6-term Senator from Indiana, was defeated in his primary by the State's treasurer. That candidate went on to lose the general election to a Democrat.

Read this quotation from the text about nomination by petition. "Nomination by petition is found most widely at the local level, chiefly for nonpartisan school posts and municipal offices in medium-sized and smaller communities and, increasingly, for judgeships. It is also the process usually required by State law for nominating minor party and independent candidates in many of the States." Why are petitions primarily used at the local level?

It is practical to use petitions at the local level, where fewer signatures are required.

Read this quotation from the text about federal campaign finance laws. "Congress first began to regulate the use of money in federal elections in 1907. In that year, it became unlawful for any corporation or national bank to make 'a money contribution in any election' to candidates for federal office." Which of the following statements best expresses how laws passed by Congress since 1907 have addressed this issue?

Laws became more comprehensive to ensure they would be obeyed and enforced.

Read this excerpt from the text and answer the question. "The nominating process for filling offices also has a very real impact on the right to vote. In the typical election in this country, voters can choose between only two candidates for each office on the ballot. They can vote for the Republican or they can vote for the Democratic candidate. Other choices are sometimes listed, but they are not often meaningful alternatives. Most voters choose not to 'waste' their votes on candidates who cannot win. This is another way of saying that we have a two-party system in the United States. It is also another way to say that the nominating stage is a critically important step in the electoral process. Those who make nominations place real, very practical limits on the choices that voters can make in the general election." Which of the following would be most likely to occur if there were no nominating step in American electoral politics?

Many people would run and the winner would be elected with a relatively small percentage of the vote.

In what way do political parties act as "bonding agents" between themselves and the voting public?

The parties try hard to choose candidates are both qualified for the office and of good character.

It takes 270 electoral votes to win a presidential election. Using the information from the map, which statement is true about presidential elections?

The presidency can be decided by as few as 11 states.

In one-party constituencies, how does the primary differ from the general election?

The primary is the "true" contest and the most contentious part of the race to fill a public office.

Study this map, which shows the results of the 1900 presidential election. What does the map suggest about political parties?

They had strong regional support in this election.

Use the quotation about an 1896 Cook County (Chicago) Illinois convention to answer the question. "Of [723] delegates, those who had been on trial for murder numbered 17; sentenced to the penitentiary for murder or manslaughter and served sentence, 7; served terms in the penitentiary for burglary, 36; served terms in the penitentiary for picking pockets, 2; served terms in the penitentiary for arson, 1; . . . jailbirds identified by detectives, 84; keepers of gambling houses, 7; keepers of houses of ill-fame, 2; convicted of mayhem, 3; ex-prize fighters, 11; poolroom proprietors, 2; saloon keepers, 265; . . . political employees, 148; no occupation, 71; . . . ."—R.M. Easley "The Sine qua Non of Caucus Reform" Review of Reviews (Sept. 1897) What is the most likely explanation for why these people were delegates to a political convention?

They were recruited by party bosses who were manipulating the convention system.

This photograph shows the Republican residents of a town casting a vote. What event is MOST likely taking place in this photograph?

a caucus

Study the cartoon about political parties. Then choose the answer that best completes the sentence. This cartoon suggests that minor party candidates

have no real chance of winning elections.

Read this quotation about the Citizens United Supreme Court case. "At bottom, the Court's opinion is thus a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self-government since the founding, and who have fought against the distinctive corrupting potential of corporate electioneering since the days of Theodore Roosevelt." —Justice John Paul Stevens, Dissenting Opinion This quotation was written

in support of blocking donations by special interest groups.

What kind of primary does the following scenario describe? A candidate competes in a State's presidential primary and wins 26 percent of the popular vote. Twenty-six percent of the State's delegates are officially pledged to vote for that candidate at the national party convention.

primary with proportional representation rules

Why are political parties essential to democratic government?

Political parties provide a link between representatives in public office and their constituents.

Some people object to single-party voting as lacking serious consideration of the candidates and the issues at stake. What is the best counterargument to the criticism?

Political parties stand for certain principles, so anyone running under a party banner likely holds similar views.

Read this quotation from the text about political parties. "In politics, a political party acts as a 'bonding agent' to ensure the good performance of its candidates and elected officeholders." How do parties typically ensure the good performance of their candidates?

They make sure their candidates are of good character and are qualified for public office.

Which phrase BEST describes the presidential primary in some States?

a delegate-selection process

Use the chart to answer the question. Which of the following best completes the graphic organizer?

broken off from a major party; Progressive Party (1912)

Consider a scenario in which a very wealthy individual decides to launch a campaign for President of the United States. Under current laws (as they are explained in the lesson), which of the following contributions would not be permissible?

A corporation owned by the candidate gives $5,000 directly to her campaign committee.

This chart shows the different ways to nominate a candidate for public office. How does a direct primary differ from a caucus?

A direct primary is open to all the registered voters in a party, while a caucus is not.

Study this photograph from a televised debate that featured presidential candidates Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford in 1976. Which statement BEST describes this image?

A candidate's body language and posture can have an effect on how people view his or her performance.

What does this political cartoon suggest about presidential elections in the United States?

Elections can feel just as destructive as a natural disaster.

Use the map about types of primaries to answer the next two questions. In which States detailed on the map can registered Independents vote in primaries?

Georgia, Montana, and California

Read this excerpt from the text and then answer the question. "Most States grew to prefer an early date [for their primary], so the primary schedule became heavily 'front-loaded' over recent years. In 2008, the scramble for an early date meant that 16 States held their primaries on the same day—'Super Tuesday'—and three-fourths of the contests had been held by mid-March. That was not the case in 2012, however. That year, rule changes within the Republican Party, along with other factors, resulted in a long, drawn-out primary election season. Only seven States held primaries on Super Tuesday in 2012, and by mid-March, more than two-thirds of the contests had yet to be held." Which of the following is important when a primary schedule is heavily front-loaded, as it was in 2008?

the ability to raise money

Read this quotation from the text about the primary process in the Democratic Party. ". . . the Democrats now have a complex proportional representation rule. Any candidate who seeks the party's presidential nomination who wins at least 15 percent of the votes cast in a primary gets the number of that State's Democratic convention delegates that corresponds to his or her share of that primary vote. Take, for example, a State that has 40 convention delegates. If a candidate wins 45 percent of the primary vote, he or she automatically gains the support of at least 18 of the delegates." Which scenario is MOST LIKELY to occur under this system?

In a race between three candidates, two gain 45 percent of the vote each and split all of the delegates, while the third receives no delegates at all.

Use the quotation to answer the question. "Now, like many of you, I watched last week's Republican convention. They told a few stories of individual success. We all celebrate individual success. But the question is, how do we multiply that success? The answer is President Barack Obama. Mitt Romney, quite simply, doesn't get it. . . . The Romney-Ryan budget doesn't just cut public education, cut Medicare, cut transportation and cut job training. It doesn't just pummel the middle class—it dismantles it."— Julian Castro, Mayor of San Antonio, speaking at the 2012 Democratic National Convention In what way does this excerpt show that the speech is a typical keynote address from a national political convention?

It offers a stinging criticism of the other party's presidential nominee.

In contemporary times, a political party's nominees and platform are decided long before the party's convention takes place. With that in mind, what is one benefit of holding a national convention?

It provides an opportunity to promote the party's candidates and gain the public's support.

Use the excerpt from the text to answer the question. "A minor party's candidate can also qualify for the FEC funding, but none does so automatically. For a minor party nominee to be eligible, his or her party must either (1) have won at least five percent of the popular vote in the last presidential election, or (2) win at least that much of the total vote in the current election." What is the best reason why the FEC has these funding qualifying rules for minor party presidential candidates? Correct Answer

Minor parties must demonstrate they have a solid base of support before receiving tax payer monies.

Use the chart to answer the question. Which statement best summarizes the two parties' points of view on the issue of taxation

Republicans favor lower taxes for the upper class; Democrats favor higher taxes for the upper class.

Use the map about types of primaries to answer the next two questions. Based on the information in the map, which of the following is a scenario that could play out in the Montana primary?

The candidate received a majority of the votes cast by everyone--including Independents--who showed up to vote on Election Day. Voters made their choices on one of two ballots handed to them.

Read this quotation from the text discussing the Supreme Court's ruling in Buckley v. Valeo about limits on federal campaign spending. "In Buckley, the [Supreme] Court struck down all but one of the spending limits set by the FECA Amendments of 1974. It held each of the other restrictions to be contrary to the 1st Amendment's guarantees of free expression. In effect, said the Court, in politics 'money is speech.' The one limit the Court did uphold is a cap on spending by those presidential contenders who accept FEC subsidies for their preconvention and/or their general election campaigns." As a result, the Supreme Court's ruling

forced presidential candidates to choose public funding and unlimited spending.

Study this chart, which shows the percentage and number of votes minor political parties received in presidential elections from 1920 to 2000. Then choose the answer that best completes the sentence. According to the chart, minor parties

occasionally gain enough popular votes to win electoral votes.

Study this chart, which shows the percentage and number of votes minor political parties received in presidential elections from 1920 to 2000. Then choose the answer that best completes the sentence. According to the chart, minor parties

occasionally gain enough popular votes to win electoral votes.

Which law was passed to reduce the amount of unregulated soft money spending in federal campaigns?

the FECA Amendment of 1974

Study this map, which shows the number of electoral votes per State across the country. Then choose the answer that best completes the sentence.

the South dominates the electoral map.

Study this map, which shows the number of electoral votes per State across the country. Then choose the answer that best completes the sentence. This map indicates that

the South dominates the electoral map.

Read this quotation from remarks given by then Senator Barack Obama in Springfield, Illinois. What was the purpose of this speech? ". . . in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States. I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness—a certain audacity—to this announcement. I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change." —Barack Obama, February 10, 2007

to begin the nomination process by entering the race