Texas Government Exam 2 review

Professional associations in Texas:

Typically require members to have a state-issued license

This is the law in Texas that forbids candidates defeated in the primary election from filing to run as independents in the general election:

"Sore loser" law

If you wanted to run for statewide office in Texas you could pay a filing fee of ________ or submit a petition with ________.

$4,000; 45,000 signatures

In Texas, to run as an independent for statewide office, a candidate must file a petition with a number of signatures equal to ________ percent of the votes cast for governor in the past election.

1

In what decade was the poll tax abolished in Texas?

1960s

How many elections must a judge win prior to being seated on the bench under the Texas partisan election system?

2

How long after the precinct convention is the county convention held?

2 weeks

In Texas, how long prior to an election must you register in order to be eligible to vote?

30 days

To qualify for minor-party status, a party must have won at least __ percent of the votes in a race for statewide office in the last general election.

5

To maintain ballot status in Texas, a third party must garner at least __ percent of the vote in a statewide election

5.0

In Texas the Democratic state executive committee consists of __ members, equally divided between men and women

62

A candidate who is listed on the general election ballot as a Libertarian is considered:

A minor party candidate

In a strong-mayor city, the mayor:

appoints major department heads

Why was Texas's 2011 voter ID law rejected by the U.S. Justice Department?

because the data Texas provided demonstrated minorities would be adversely affected

How does Texas compare to the rest of the country in terms of percentage of eligible voters who actually vote?

below average

Texas uses ________ to review the facts and decide whether enough evidence exists to try cases.

both grand juries and administrative hearings

The Texas Government Code allows jurisdictions to draw upon which source(s) for jury selection?

both registered voters and licensed drivers

Labor-intensive politics historically included all of the following EXCEPT

broadcast advertising

Today in Texas, what are the two main factions in the Republican Party?

business value conservatives and social value conservatives

The process of electioneering begins with

candidate recruitment

Under the council-manager form of government, how is the city manager selected?

city council appointment

Advocates say the ________ encourages party identification and loyalty.

closed primary system

An individual who is an active voter but avoids the combat and controversy of partisan campaigns is which type of political activist?

communalist

The Pendleton Act of 1883 established a class of federal government positions that would be filled as a result of

competitive examinations

What are the two kinds of county courts?

constitutional county courts and county courts at law

In which type of city government does the city council select a person to be a chief administrator?

council-manager

Who is responsible for overseeing the collecting and disbursing county funds?

county auditor

Who is responsible for maintaining property records and issuing marriage licenses?

county clerk

Who is responsible for collecting revenue for the state and county?

county tax assessor

Who is responsible for receiving, maintaining, and disbursing county funds?

county treasurer

What is the most important difference between trial and appellate courts?

deciding points of fact versus points of law

Ballot form in Texas is decided upon by:

each county

Trying to influence the outcome of elections is known as

electioneering

How often does Texas hold general elections?

every two years

________ is the political principle that assigns different functions to different levels of government.

federalism

The ________ Amendment guarantees citizens in each state due process and equal protection of the law regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.

fourteen

Which of the following elections would typically have a higher voter turnout?

general election

Justices of the peace (JP courts) in Texas can do all of the following EXCEP:

hear traffic ticket appeals.

Which category of PAC spent the most money in the 2012 Texas election cycle?

ideological/single issue

In Verba and Nie's typology of political participation, which category contains the highest percentage of the population?

inactives

A(n) ________ is any formally organized association of individuals that seeks to influence public policy in a specific policy area.

interest group

In most states, which courts hear major criminal and civil cases?

All of these answers are correct.

Which of the following helps increase voter turnout in an election?

All of these answers are correct.

An interest group that appears to have many grassroots members, but in fact does not have individual citizens as members is call what?

An "astroturf" organization

Given your understanding of voter turnout, which district do you suspect will have the lowest turnout?

An incumbent Democrat state legislator running unopposed in the primary

Municipal elections in Texas:

Are nonpartisan

The authority to establish and maintain a free public school system is contained in which article of the Texas Constitution?

Article 7

The situation in which a state agency falls under the heavy influence of its constituency interest groups is called:

Capture

The U.S. Constitution stipulates that the right to vote cannot be denied for the all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

Criminal record

If there are six seats up for election and a voter is allowed to cast up to six votes, this is an example of:

Cumulative voting

In Texas, appellate courts:

Decide whether procedure was followed

A murder case would most likely first be tried in a/an:

District court

Third parties have a difficult time winning for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

General election candidates need a majority to win

Most cities in Texas are chartered under

General law

Communication with the general public that attempts to influence legislation is known as:

Grassroots lobbying

Which third party emphasizes the importance of social justice and ecological sustainability?

Green Party

What is the largest county in Texas in terms of population?

Harris

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding "same-day" voter registration?

It promotes higher voter turnout

The introduction of new technologies has led to a shift from:

Labor-intensive politics to capital-intensive politics

Which third party emphasizes the importance of small government and personal responsibility?

Libertarian Party

Attempts to discuss topics of interest with a member of the legislature in an ambush-style meeting in the public hallways outside a legislative chamber is the original form of what's still known as

Lobbying

A justice of the peace court is a/an:

Magistrate court

The Texas presidential preference primary is held in what month?

March

Special elections in Texas

May occur to fill vacancies in the legislature, House, or Senate

The National Voter Registration Act is also known as the

Motor Voter Act

All Texas judges are selected by partisan elections EXCEPT:

Municipal judges

By Texas law, special elections may be held in all of the following months EXCEPT

November

Judges must base their decisions only on the federal and state constitutions, statutes, and earlier court decisions. This concept is called:

Objectivity

People who only become involved in politics when they think the issue has a direct effect on them are considered to be:

Parochial participants

Across all fifty states, the most common method for selecting trial court judges is:

Partisan elections

________ is the basic belief system that guides the party.

Party ideology

Voting in another party's primary to intentionally nominate a weaker candidate is known as:

Party raiding

What is the "Australian" ballot?

Privately cast votes

What has replaced political parties when it comes to running political campaigns?

Professional campaign consultants

All of the following are lobbying tactics EXCEPT:

Publishing a newsletter to keep interest group members informed

The "Australian" ballot and primaries are examples of reforms introduced in order to:

Reduce the influence of large party machines

If a court makes a ruling based on a previous ruling from another court, this is an example of the principle of:

Stare decisis

If most of the power rests with the mayor, that city is said to have a:

Strong mayor government

Today the regulation of campaign finances in Texas is limited to the requirement that all candidates and PACs file reports with the:

Texas State Ethics Commission

The largest professional group in Texas is the

Texas State Teachers Association

In merit systems, appointed judges rarely lose retention elections because:

The appointed judge does not run against an opponent

In a council-manager government, who is responsible for preparing the budget?

The city manager

One way that historical political parties consolidated power was through appointing faithful party members to government jobs, also known as:

The spoils system

Which of the following represents a rationalist's explanation for not voting in a local election?

Their vote isn't going to be that critical in deciding the outcome

All of the following contribute to legislative professionalism EXCEPT

limited sessions

What is the most important tool for interest groups seeking to influence election outcomes?

money

According to Chapter 305 of the current Government Code, an individual "who crosses either a compensation or expenditure threshold" while engaged in lobbying efforts

must register as a lobbyist with the Texas Ethics Commission

Can a Texas voter who voted in the primary election of one party vote in the runoff primary of the other party?

no

The style of ballot form in which candidates are listed by office with party affiliation listed by their name is known as the

office block format.

The Supreme Court's 1944 Smith v. Allwright decision

outlawed white primaries.

The style of ballot form in which candidates are listed by party and by office is known as the:

party column format.

An organization of ideologically similar people that nominates and elects its members to office is known as a(n)

political party

What is the lowest level of the permanent party organization in Texas?

precinct chair

The primary source of revenue for counties is

property tax.

What term is used by political scientists to refer to a shift in party allegiances or electoral support?

realignment

In Texas, education is primarily the responsibility of

school districts

What is the most important function of the precinct convention?

selection of delegates to the county convention

The primary system that allows voters to register or change their party registration on election day is known as a

semi-closed primary system.

Peak business associations are interest groups that represent

statewide business interests

In which type of city government does the mayor control the budget?

strong mayor

The process in which policy is created through the combined efforts of interest groups, a state agency, and a legislative committee is called

the "Iron Triangle"

The situation of individuals receiving the benefits of collective action without contributing is known as

the "free-rider problem."

What is the highest court for criminal cases in Texas?

the Court of Criminal Appeals

In Texas, criminal appeals involving the death penalty are heard by

the Court of Criminal Appeals.

The merit system used to identify and select judges is also known as

the Missouri system.

Why does the U.S. have a dual court system?

the federal system of government

On what day do Texans vote for who will represent them in the United States Congress?

the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of all even-numbered years

Who oversees the administration of elections to ensure that the rules are followed?

the secretary of state

The state party chair is selected by

the state convention

Ballot eligibility requirements are set by

the states

In smaller counties, state law allows the sheriff to act as

the tax assessor/collector.

If the post office in Texas is unable to deliver a voter registration card, it will be returned to the voter registrar, and

the voter will need to re-register in order to vote in future elections.

The state of Texas's history of restricting access to voting is very much in keeping with its

traditionalistic political culture

Organized labor in Texas is

very weak

The annual registration system for Texas voters

was replaced by a permanent registration system

In Texas, when is a runoff primary required?

when no candidate receives a majority of votes

In Texas, you cannot vote if:

You are in prison for committing a felony

What is the composition of the county commissioner's court?

a county judge and four county commissioners

Which of the following can help offset the power of interest groups?

all of these answers are correct

The Texas Constitution allows cities and school boards to cancel elections if

all the races are uncontested