Exam 2

What are the minimum voter registration requirements in every state?

18 years of age, a resident, and a citizen

How do polls affect presidential elections?

Polls identify the top candidates and the media focuses on those candidates.

A majority of national party convention delegates are chosen through which of the following mechanisms?

Presidential preference primaries

Closely held ideas that support our values and expectations about life and politics are known as which of the following?

Beliefs

When does the general election campaign take place?

Between mid-August and early November

Which of the following presidents had the highest average approval rating?

Bill Clinton

"My name is Jane Doe and I approve of this message". The above statement is a requirement established by which of the following?

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

"My name is Jane Doe and I approve of this message." The above statement is a requirement established by which of the following?

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

How are a party's general election candidates chosen in most states?

By a primary election

President Trumo

Push poll

Which of the following actions can a Super PAC legally take?

Raise and spend an unlimited amount of money to support or oppose a candidate

Which of the following terms is defined as the redrawing of electoral maps?

Redistricting

Which of the following terms is defined as the redrawing of their electoral maps?

Redistricting

Which of the following forms of direct democracy asks citizens to confirm or repeal a decision made by the government?

Referendum

Among which generation's voters are Republicans the strongest?

Silent

Looking at the political spectrum, which of the following ideologies is to the left of center?

Socialism

Under which of the following ideologies does the government use its authority to promote social and economic equality within the country?

Socialism

The tendency of voters to focus on national issues rather than state and local issues and base their electoral support on those issues is known by which of the following terms?

Sorting

In which region were the Democrats the strongest in the 1850s (just before the Civil War)?

South

Which institution has the highest average public approval ratings?

Supreme Court

Why is the Voting Eligible Population (VEP) a better measure of the voting population than Voting Age Population (VAP)?

The VEP excludes non-citizens, prison inmates, and other people that are not eligible to vote

What does the phrase "bully pulpit" mean?

The president commands the attention of the news media and can use that position to promote his or her policies.

In practice, who selects the party's vice-presidential candidate?

The presidential nominee

The state of Florida is represented by two U.S Senators. How many electoral votes does Florida have?

The question does not provide enough information to answer the question

After a debate between presidential candidates, a television network invites viewers to phone in to indicate which candidate they think won the debate. What is the best evaluation of the likely accuracy of this survey?

The survey would likely be inaccurate because the people who called in would probably be unrepresentative of the universe of American voters.

With which president is the term "bully pulpit" associated?

Theodore Roosevelt

Why do most incumbents win reelection?

They are better known and can raise more money than their opponents and they have franking privileges.

What role do the media play in socialization?

They are gatekeepers of information.

What role do schools play in the socialization process?

They prepare students to make decisions and be participating members of political society.

How are Maine and Nebraska different from other states in regards to the electoral college?

They use the district method

The Green, Reform, and Libertarian Parties are examples of which of the following?

Third parties

Which of the following terms can be defined as a political party that is formed as alternatives to the Republican and Democratic parties?

Third party

State A has an open primary? Which of the following can vote in the state's Democratic Primary?

Tina, Roderick, and Martha can all vote in the primary

How did the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act affect campaign ads?

Candidates were requiered to take responsibility for capign ads they funded

How did the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act affect campaign ads?

Candidates were required to take responsibility for campaign ads they financed.

In today's politics, which of the following areas is solidly Democratic?

Cities

Which of the following groups typically votes in higher numbers?

College educated people

Which level of party organization adopts a state party platform?

County

Crawford v. Marian Country Election Board dealt with which of the following issues?

Voter ID

"There is another election? Didn't we just go vote a few months ago? I've had enough for a while, so I'm not voting this time." The above statement illustrates which of the following concepts?

Voter fatigue

Which of the following played the most important role enabling African Americans to register and vote?

Voting Rights Act (VRA)

In which region or regions of the country is direct democracy more common?

West

Do religious activities play a role in socialization?

Yes, people who participate in religious activities are socialized to adopt beliefs that affect their politics.

What factors affect congressional approval ratings the most?

domestic events

How are most attitudes formed?

in childhood, based on early childhood experiences

What were the two major parties of the Second Party System?

Democrats and Whigs

Which of the following situations illustrated unified government?

Democrats control the presidency and have a majority of seats in the House and Senate.

After the 2012 election, Democrats held the White House and had a majority in the U.S Senate. The Republicans were in the majority in the U.S House. Which of the following terms best describes this arrangement?

Divided government

After the 2016 election, the Republican Party controlled the presidency and held majorities in both the House and Senate. In 2018, however, the Democrats won a majority of seats in the U.S House. Which of the following terms best describes American politics after the 2018 election?

Divided government

Political Party A controls both houses of Congress while Political Party B holds the presidency. This situation is an example of which of the following?

Divided government

Has divided government become more or less common? How about bipartisanship?

Divided government has become more common while bipartisanship has become less common.

Election day is tomorrow, November 4. When Marco's friends remind him to be sure to vote, he replies that he has already voted. Marco has probably taken advantage of which of the following?

Early Voting

Is direct democracy available throughout the United States?

No. It isn't available in all states nor in the national government.

A national news magazine publishes an article on efforts to restrict smoking in public places. Subsequently, the magazine receives 1,500 letters commenting on the article, with nearly two-thirds of the letters favoring tougher restrictions on smoking in public. Would this be an accurate reflection of public opinion on this issue?

Not likely, because the sample is not random and this probably not an accurate reflection of public opinion on the issue.

Where are conservative ideologies found on the political spectrum?

On the right end

George and Irma Rodriguez are lifelong Republicans. They have never held office or even run for office, but they identify as Republicans and typically vote for Republican candidates. George and Irma are part of which of the following?

Party in the electorate

A change in the underlying party loyalties of voters that ends one party era and begins another is known by which of the following terms?

Party realignment

Which of the following terms can be described as a focus on building direct relationships with voters rather than on promoting specific issues is known by which of the following terms?

Personal politics

An election system that awards office to the candidate with the most votes is known by which of the following terms?

Plurality election system

Candidate A with only 38 percent of the vote wins the election even though most voters cast their ballots for one of the other candidates. Which of the following terms describes this sort of election?

Plurality voting

Which of the following features of American democracy negatively affect the success of third parties?

Plurality voting, Electoral College, and election laws that make it difficult for third party candidates to qualify for the ballot

""The last four years have been good for me financially. My investments have gone up with the strong stock market. Of course, I am voting to reelect the president." The above statement illustrates which of the following concepts?

Pocketbook voting

Members of one party see government from a very different perspective than the members of the other party. Which of the following terms is defined by the above statement?

Polarization

"Some states value tradition, and their laws try to maintain longstanding beliefs. Other states believe government should help people and therefore create large bureaucracies that provide benefits to assist citizens. Some states stress citizen involvement whereas others try to exclude participation by the masses." The above statement describes which of the following terms?

Political culture

Which of the following terms is defined as the process by which we are trained to understand and join a country's political world?

Political socialization

How did the enactment of the VRA affect African American registration and voting?

African American voter registration and turnout increased dramatically.

Which of the following terms is defined as a source of political information intended to help citizens understand how to act in their political system and how to make decisions on political matters?

Agent of political socialization

Who was the first Democratic president?

Andrew Jackson

Which of the following is not part of a scientific poll design?

A leading question

What is a majority party?

A party that controls more than half the seats in a legislative chamber.

What is the Bradley effect?

A theory that voters who answered the poll were afraid to admit they would not vote for a black man because it would appear politically incorrect and racist.

Which of the following is an example of retrospective voting?

A voter supports the reelection of the president because she believes that the president has done a good job

Thinking about the upcoming midterm elections, is it preferable for the Congress and the presidency to be controlled by the same party (unified party control) or are we better off with divided government? Define the terms and explain your reasoning.

FREE RESPONSE - 9.5pts received It is preferable for the Congress and the presidency to have unified party control. Unified party control refers to when one political party is the majority in both the executive and legislative branches. With a unified government, the government can do more with its power without opposition. For example, more laws, bills, and acts can be passed due to party loyalty. A divided government causes more issues as tension is always high. The executive branch has more difficulty fulfilling campaign goals when one or more houses of the legislative branch are not in agreeance with the president. In short, unified party control is preferable as the process for passing legislation is smoother and more efficient. Time is preserved because of fewer disagreements.

Which of the following ideologies favors total control of the country by the ruling party or political leader?

Fascism

Which of the following terms is defined as the manipulation of legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate?

Gerrymandering

Which of the following factors help incumbents seeking reelection?

Gerrymandering, money in the bank, and existing campaign organizations

When does it usually become clear who a party's nominee for president will be?

IDK, Just after the party convention

Are convicted felons allowed to vote?

It depends on the state.

Which of the following believe in individual rights and limited government intervention in private life and personal economic decisions?

Libertarians

With which presidential candidate was the "Daisy Girl" ad associated?

Lyndon Johnson

What proportion of the electorate are party identifiers?

Majority

State A has a closed primary? Which of the following can vote in the state's Democratic Primary?

Marco, a registered Democrat

Which agent of political socialization plays the most important role in framing?

Media

Among which generation's voters are Democrats the strongest?

Millennial

When asked about government, children are most likely to mention which of the following?

president