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What type of election is held when a legislative or congressional seat becomes vacant before the end of the current occupant's term?

a special election

What is data mining?

the collection and analysis of massive amounts of information

According to the New York Times, what is one of the most valuable tools of campaigns and political action committees?

-30-second TV commercials

How much did the average amount spent on a winning campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives increase from 1986 to 2012?

-366 percent

What is a public interest group?

-A group that promotes policies that produce widely distributed benefits.

Which of the following is true of an open primary?

-An open primary does not require voters to declare the party with which they are affiliated.

What is the most important task for candidates to accomplish during a campaign?

-Candidates must motivate voters to show up and vote.

Where did the term "Yellow Dog Democrat" come from?

-Democratic voters acquired this moniker when they vowed that they would vote for a yellow dog before voting for a Republican.

Who benefitted the most from Jim Crow laws in Texas?

-Democrats

Which of the following has been a factor in the increasing party competition that has inflated the costs of campaigning in Texas?

-Demographic shifts in Texas have raised the possibility of a Democratic resurgence.

What is one trend that occurs when one party is dominant in state or national politics?

-Divisions within the dominant party tend to become more important than divisions between the parties.

Which of the following statements is true regarding voting during the civil rights era?

-For the first time, many Southern Democrats voted for non-Democratic Party candidates in the 1968 presidential election.

While the Democratic Party was dominant within Texas, the Republican Party dominated national politics. Which president brought the Democratic Party to national dominance?

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

What did Republicans do in 2003 to address the disparity between Republicans' success in statewide races and their minority presence in the U.S. House of Representatives?

-Governor Rick Perry called a special session of the legislature to draft redistricting legislation that appeared to give Republicans the chance to gain many more House seats.

Why should political parties ideally be "participatory vehicles"? Choose the BEST answer.

-Having politically involved members is important for determining both the shape and leadership of a party.

What is the distinction between people with common interests and an interest group?

-Interest groups are politically active around particular topics, while people with common interests are not.

Why might public officials listen to interest groups?

-Interest groups develop expertise on the policies they seek to influence and provide that expertise to public officials, thus reducing information costs.

How does the "the lobby" in Texas compare to that of many other states?

-It has relatively strong political power.

How did microtargeting help the 2000 Bush campaign?

-It helped the campaign identify the best candidates to receive mail and phone calls making the case for Bush.

What is the effect of holding gubernatorial and other executive branch office elections in Texas in off-years?

-It insulates the election of statewide offices from national politics.

Which of the following statements BEST describes the nature of party system transformation?

-It takes place slowly over multiple elections.

Why might a group prefer a public demonstration to letter writing or petitions?

-Letters and petitions are comparatively discrete, while demonstrations may call broader public attention to an issue.

The reasoning behind the Citizens United v. FEC decision has to do with the way the United States understands the constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens and interests to free speech. Why does making political donations fall in this category?

-Making donations is understood to be petitioning government.

Major and minor parties are treated differently under Texas law. What is the difference between a major party and a minor party?

-Minor parties are those parties that received less than 20 percent of the vote in the previous general election.

Why did the majority of Americans judge John F. Kennedy the winner of the first televised presidential debate in 1960?

-Most Americans watched the debate on television, and Kennedy looked fresher and more vibrant than Nixon.

Which of the following patterns is characteristic of the succession of party systems in Texas?

-One party tends to dominate elections for long periods of time.

How do political parties link state governments to national governments?

-Parties often serve as a career network that allows candidates and political professionals to progress from state-level to national-level politics.

Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between public and private interest groups?

-Public and private interest groups are not necessarily adversarial, as their goals may directly overlap in some cases.

Which of the following may be a constraint on interest groups looking to affect public policy through legal action?

-Pursuing a case through the courts can be very expensive.

Why was voter participation higher in the Democratic primaries than in the general elections during the 1950s?

-Republicans didn't stand a chance in the general elections.

Why are state and local campaigns still relying on older methods of campaigning such as door hangers, direct mail, and mass emails?

-State and local races are small in scale and lack the resources to pay the high costs of analytics-driven targeting.

If you wished to become involved in party politics by running for a party nomination, which of the following elective offices would be the BEST place to start?

-State representative from a smaller district

Who has largely been against the policy proposal to require large businesses to offer insurance or pay a fine?

-Texas Republican

What are "Super-Republicans"?

-Texas Republicans who have carried Republican values, such as opposition to high tax rates, to the extreme

How does Texas's voter participation rate compare to the national average?

-Texas has a lower voter participation rate than the national average.

Which of the following statements is true regarding Texas's early years in the Union?

-Texas was deeply divided regarding slavery.

Why has the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) faced severe criticism over its enforcement of campaign laws?

-The TEC does not sufficiently investigate complaints of violations.

How does one become an election judge for a general election?

-The county commissioner's court appoints a presiding judge and an alternate judge.

What was the effect of the Citizens United decision?

-The decision let individuals, unions, and corporations donate unlimited amounts anonymously to political action committees.

Which of the following is a benefit of using short web videos in campaigns?

-The format is less expensive than television advertisements.

In which of the following ways does the design of Texas government affect the role of interest groups in the political process?

-The part-time nature of the legislature allows interest groups with more resources to have more influence over lawmaking and policy implementation.

What are the political implications of recent demographic trends in Texas?

-The source of Democratic voters is booming, while the primary source of Republican voters has remained unchanged.

What happens if no candidate wins a majority of votes in a Texas primary election?

-There is a runoff election between the two candidates with the most votes to decide who will run in the general election.

In what way(s) have data and research taken over specific functions of campaigns?

-They are used to help a candidate get to know individuals or groups.

Which of the following is a common reason that voters may be disqualified from voting?

-They did not re-register to vote after moving.

What role do parties play in deciding which candidates will be nominated to represent the party?

-They have very little direct control over nominations, though individual politicians and party leaders may endorse particular candidates.

How did the Democrats maintain their hold on power throughout Texas?

-They used patronage systems in which urban bosses directed the voting choices of mostly immigrant blocs.

Which of the following lobbying activities is illegal?

-Trading a vote on public policy for money or other benefits.

What does polarization in politics mean?

-Two opposing or conflicting principles, tendencies, or points of view exist on a topic, with the majority of opinions being at extremes.

How might voters exposed to poll results be influenced by the "bandwagon effect"?

-Undecided voters are likely to cast their ballots for the candidate they think is the probable winner.

What is the effect of nonpartisan elections (such as city council elections) where party affiliation is not indicated on the ballot?

-Voters have a difficult time choosing between candidates.

Have young candidates ever been successful at running for public office in the state of Texas?

-Yes, several young candidates with little experience have fared well in Texas elections.

Sit-ins and occupations were used widely during the 1950s and 1960s. Are there any legal ways in which these may occur in contemporary society?

-Yes, these activates are legal as long as participants do not damage property or injure others.

Which of the following is a requirement to be able to vote in the state of Texas?

-You must be a citizen who is at least 18 years of age by Election Day.

Which of the following individuals would be allowed to vote in Texas?

-a 25-year-old U.S. citizen who has been a Texas resident for ten years

Which of the following individuals would be MOST likely to vote, according to statistical trends on demographic data and voter turnout?

-a 70-year-old woman with a bachelor's degree

Which of the following describes classical liberalism?

-a philosophy that places a high value on the liberty of individuals to exercise their freedoms, so long as their freedoms do not restrict the liberties of others

A shift in the makeup and power of political parties, often marked by a critical election, is called what?

-a political realignment

The history of political parties can be thought of as which of the following?

-a series of long, fairly stable periods that are interrupted by brief episodes of dramatic change

At a basic level, what is the primary goal of most political advertising? Choose the BEST answer.

-achieving name recognition for a candidate

What do observers agree that Texas Republicans need to do in order to draw more support from minority voters?

-adapt their strategy to embrace immigration and racial diversity

How can interest groups be most effective at achieving their policy goals when attending public meetings?

-by bringing a large number of members and articulating a clear and persuasive message

How might a political party leverage public debate in its favor?

-by framing an issue in a way that is favorable to the party's position

Which of the following is a way that interest groups commonly seek to put their members into office?

-by making strategic campaign contributions

How might interest groups be involved in campaigns?

-by sponsoring or funding public events for a candidate

Which of the following do interest groups use to show how two candidates compare in their support for issues that matter to the group?

-candidate scorecards

What must an independent candidate do to be listed on the general election ballot?

-collect signatures on a nominating petition

Which of the following activities are interest groups prohibited by law from engaging in?

-coordinating their campaign efforts on behalf of a candidate with that candidate's campaign

In order to be listed on the Republican or Democratic primary ballot in Texas, what must a candidate do?

-either collect signatures on a nominating petition or pay a filing fee

What three types of lobbyists constitute "the lobby"?

-in-house, contract, and public advocacy firm lobbyists

Which of the following is an example of "earned media coverage"?

-interest groups gaining media attention by using events or by providing assistance with a story

How much total money was contributed to all Texas political candidates in 2010?

-more than $200,000,000 - In 2010, a total of $234,518,490 was contributed to the combined races for all candidates for governor, house, senate, high court, and appellate court seats in Texas.

What do critics claim interest groups are essentially doing by seeking to influence policy through appointments to relatively small components of state and local government?

-organizing sub-governments

Which of the following groups works within a party at the government level to set priorities and develop a legislative strategy?

-party caucuses

Which of the following connects district- and state-level party organizations to their members?

-party precincts

Which of the following did the 1991 law creating the Texas Ethics Commission fail to do?

-place a cap on campaign contributions

Which type of organization supports candidates running for office under its own name?

-political parties

All registered lobbyists must divulge the interests they are registered to represent. What does this allow the state to do?

-prevent conflicts of interest arising for clients who employ contract lobbyists

Which of the following policy ideas do Democrats in Texas support the MOST?

-restoring funding to education and human services

Since voters might be exposed to the bandwagon effect, what do some argue that news stations ought to do?

-stick to reporting what is actually happening on Election Day rather than making projections

What were the two major pieces of civil rights legislation signed into law under President Lyndon Johnson?

-the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act

What political event led to the Democratic Party regaining control in Texas?

-the Compromise of 1877

What party posed the most significant challenge to the post-Reconstruction Democratic Party?

-the Farmer's Alliance

Which two authorities regulate campaign financing for elections in Texas?

-the Federal Election Commission and the Texas Ethics Commission

A Republican candidate running for office in Texas would be MOST likely to seek an endorsement from which of the following groups?

-the NRA

Which of the following third parties has made little to no headway in Texas in recent years?

-the Populist Party

Which of the following parties enjoys the advantage of organizational strength in Texas?

-the Republican Party

Apart from internal divisions in the Democratic Party, what contributed to the growth of the Republican Party in Texas?

-the growth of Texas suburbs and the migration of people in from other states

A communications director who works for the Republican National Committee would represent which semi-distinct group within the Republican Party?

-the party organization

What is "grassroots mobilization"?

-the use of strategic efforts to organize political actions by ordinary citizens

What is the purpose of a primary?

-to allow party members to choose the party's nominees for an upcoming general election

How do campaigns typically use successful poll results?

-to establish their candidate's credibility

"Pappy" O'Daniel, the governor of Texas from 1941 to 1949, helped make what practice common?

-using radio addresses to help voters feel as though they knew him

How much power do party organizations generally have over candidates?

-very little, as they do not exercise centralized control over nominations or campaign funding

What was the pre-party era in Texas?

1836-1845