American Gov. Ch. 7

What problems will candidates experience with frontloading?

Candidates will have less time to campaign in each state.

Why have fewer moderates won primaries than they used to?

Candidates with extreme viewpoints gain media attention, and primary voters are more ideologically motivated than voters in other elections.

In what ways is voting your party identification an informed choice? In what ways is it lazy?

Most people belong to the party with which they share and ideology, so voting with their party is logical. Not all candidates of the same party share all the same policy positions, however, so the party voter may miss some issues.

Which of the following makes it easy for a citizen to register to vote?

National voter registration act

Why does age affect whether a citizen will vote?

Older voters have more money, education, and job security and are likely to see more clearly how the government affects their well-being, particularly after retirement, while younger citizens prefer volunteering over voting. Parties and government tend to also focus on issues affecting older citizens rather than on younger citizens.

How do political parties influence the states primary system?

Parties can give frontloading states fewer delegates

Why do Belgium, Turkey, and Australia have higher voter turnout rates than the United States?

compulsory voting laws

A state might hold a primary instead of a caucus because a primary is ________.

faster and has higher turnout

Which factor is most likely to lead to the incumbency advantage for a candidate?

gerrymandering of the candidate's district

A referendum is not purely direct democracy because the ________.

government proposes something and the voters approve it

Where and when do Electoral College electors vote?

in their state capitol, in December

What characterizes those most likely to vote in the next election?

over forty-five years old

Susan is currently working two part-time jobs and is frustrated about the poor economy. On Election Day, she votes for every challenger on the ballot, because she feels the president and Congress are not doing enough to help her. What type of vote did she cast?

pocketbook

In which type of election are you most likely to see coattail effects?

presidential

Which of the following is not a step in the initiative process?

signature or veto by state governor

Why do parties prefer primaries to open primaries?

Closed primaries do not allow voters affiliated with other parties to vote, thus keeping the decision inside the party.

Which of the following is a reason to make a voter registration more difficult?

Decrease election fraud

If you were going to predict whether your classmates would vote in the next election, what questions would you ask them?

I would ask them their age, educational level, interest in politics, income level, and whether they voted in the last election.

Which of the following citizens is most likely to run for office?

Jeffrey Lyons, a 40-year-old lawyer and father of one

What effect did the National voter registration act have on voter registration?

Registration increased by 7 percent

What challenges do college students face with regard to voter registration?

The main challenge is figuring out where students wish to register, at home or at college. Out-of-state students have an even greater challenge because they have moved across state lines.

What unusual step did Oregon take to increase voter registration?

The state automatically registers all citizens over eighteen to vote.

What recommendations would you make to increase voter turnout in the United States?

To increase voter turnout in the United States, I would suggest: move to all-mail voting, hold elections on weekends, automatically register voters, and pass federal law that further reduces impediments to voter registration.

Do physical characteristics matter when voters assess candidates? If so, how?

Voters tend to vote for candidates who look attractive and competent. They may consider race, gender, height, weight, and other physical attributes.

If you wanted to prove the United States is suffering from low voter turnout, a calculation based on which population would yield the lowest voter turnout rate?

Voting-age population