unit V gov
In which decade was the poll tax abolished in Texas?
1960s
In Texas, how long prior to an election must you register in order to be eligible to vote?
30 days
Which group had the highest turnout rate in Texas in the 2012 presidential election?
African American
Which of the following statements about party competition in Texas is true?
Between 2002 and 2012, Texans elected Republicans to all statewide offices.
The National Voter Registration Act is also known as the
Motor Voter Act.
Which state does NOT limit the voting rights of persons convicted of a felony?
Vermont
semi-open primary
a nominating election in which registered voters can choose which primary to vote in on Election Day
For statewide office, an independent candidate must have how many signatures in order to qualify to run?
a number equal to 1 percent of the votes cast for governor in the last general election
For county offices, which of the following reflects how many signatures an independent candidate must have in order to qualify to run?
a number equal to 5 percent of the votes cast for that office in the most recent past election
For multicounty offices, such as state representative, which of the following reflects how many signatures an independent candidate must have in order to qualify to run?
a number equal to 5 percent of the votes cast for that office in the most recent past election
parochial participants
a person who becomes active in politics only when an issue affects him or her directly
complete activists
a person who is highly involved in all levels and kinds of political activity
campaigners
a person who likes the activity and the controversial and competitive nature of political campaigns
inactives
a person who takes no part in politics
communalists
a person who votes but who avoids the combat and controversy of partisan campaigns
voting specialists
a person whose only political participation is voting
Which of the following types of Texans would be most likely to vote?
a person with a Ph.D.
semi-closed primary
a primary that allows voters to register or change their party registration on Election Day; registration as a member of a party is required on Election Day
crossover voting
a voting pattern in which voters from one party vote in the primaries of another party
Persons convicted of a felony in Texas may register to vote again at which of the following times?
after they have served out their sentence and have completed their time on probation and parole
Which of the following did the Supreme Court outlaw in Smith v. Allwright in 1944?
all white primaries
Eleven states have shown greater than average voter turnout because they do which of the following?
allow same-day registration
Given your understanding of voter turnout, which of the following do you suspect will see the lowest turnout?
an incumbent Democrat state legislator running unopposed in the primary
major party
any organization receiving 20 percent or more of the total votes cast for governor in the last election in Texas
When putting together focus groups, political consultants try to assemble a group of which of the following?
average citizens
Which of the following is not a requirement for voting in Texas as of September 2015?
be registered at least 90 days prior to the election
How does Texas compare to the rest of the country in terms of percentage of eligible voters who actually vote?
below average
Voter turnout rates in Texas are
below the national average and lower than most other states' rates.
With respect to socioeconomic factors, 2008 was notable for being the first year that which of the following occurred?
blacks both registered and voted at about the same rate as whites
Which of the following sectors contributed the most money to PACs in the 2010 election cycle?
business
A person unable to pay the filing fee in Texas can still end up on a primary ballot by which of the following means?
by filing a petition with a minimum number of signatures
The entrance of two strong independents into the 2006 governor's race in Texas helped to do which of the following?
cause the reelection of the incumbent governor with less than 40 percent of the vote
An individual who is an active voter but avoids the combat and controversy of partisan campaigns is which type of political activist?
communalist
runoff primary
election required if no person receives a majority in the primary election; primarily used in southern and border states
Which of the following is not one of the three types of special election?
elections to pass a referendum on tax increases or to levy a special limited-time tax
According to a 2009 University of Texas poll, which of the following is the most popular form of political participation other than voting?
encouraging others to vote for a particular candidate
Consult the section on other forms of political participation in the text and then rank the following forms of Texas political participation in order, from most to least popular.
encouraging others to vote for a particular candidate publicly supporting a candidate, such as placing a sign in one's yard forwarding an email concerning a particular party, candidate, or issue contacting an elected official to express an opinion donating money to a candidate joining an online social network to support a candidate attending a political event of some type volunteering for a political campaign
Candidates who are defeated in the primary election can file as independents in the general election for that year, though few choose to do so.
false
Most computer ballots are in party column format.
false
The expansion of political participation in the southern U.S. states has come about largely because of
federal government intervention.
Which of the following is the most common purpose of holding political rallies in modern-day Texas?
gaining media attention and conveying the candidate's message to a larger audience
Which of the following elections would typically have a higher voter turnout?
general election
Which of the following does not typically increase voter turnout?
general satisfaction with the political establishment
Using Verba and Nie's system of classification of political participation, the type of political personality most abundant in the population as a whole is which of the following?
inactives
In recent years, the youth vote has done which of the following?
increased, but still remains lower than the turnout rate for the population as a whole
Participation in recent presidential elections appears higher when using the VEP measure than when using the VAP measure because of which of the following?
ineligible voters are eliminated
Which of the following is currently the biggest threat to the guiding hand of majoritarianism in democracy?
low voter turnout
Texas's initial poll tax primarily targeted which of the following?
low-income white farmers
Which group was the original primary target of the poll tax?
low-income white farmers
Of the following, which are NOT considered part of the voting population using VAP?
minors
The intention of party raiding is to do which of the following?
nominate a weaker candidate or split the vote among the strongest contenders in the opposing party
John is upset that the power company is planning to build several wind turbines on the property next to his home. He writes letters to his elected representative and the local newspaper, voicing his displeasure with the project, though he generally does not take part in any regular political activity. According to Verba and Nie, what type of political participation is John demonstrating?
parochial participant
People who only become involved in politics when they think the issue has a direct effect on them are considered
parochial participants.
Which of the three measures for voter turnout consistently shows the lower figures?
percentage of VAP who voted
What is the voter participation measure used most often by political scientists?
percentage of voting-age population
When the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed all white primaries in southern states, it overturned earlier rulings that had established which of the following?
political parties as private organizations
According to Texas Public Radio, political scientists cite which of the following as a reason for lower Latino voter turnout in the state?
poorly drawn congressional districts
In order to vote in Texas, a person must
register 30 days in advance of an election.
Which of the following does Robert Putnam consider vital for a healthy democracy but laments the loss of in America?
social capital
Which group was the primary supporter of the white primary in Texas?
the Democratic Party
Which of the following had a major impact on the legality of Texas's voter ID law?
the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June 2013
Which of the following entities decides the ballot form and method of casting ballots in Texas?
the county
Which of the following is a common feature of all types of political participation?
the goal of affecting the decisions made by the government
In a party column format, which of the following determines which party's candidates are listed first?
the party that holds the governor's office
Even if an independent candidate declares a party, he or she may still be considered a independent under the state election code.
true
If a person does not file to be an official write-in candidate, any votes for that candidate will not be counted in the election.
true
Texas voters can access either individual county websites or the Texas Secretary of State website to view the ballot for each county system prior to each election.
true
Which of the following sectors saw the greatest growth in the percentage of money contributed to PACs from 2008 to 2010?
unknown
In Texas, you cannot vote if
you are in prison for committing a felony.
Among the following voters, who is LEAST likely to vote?
Eric Smith, a 21-year-old high school dropout working at McDonald's
Which of the following describes the so-called paradox of voting?
Even though the probability that an individual's vote will be decisive in a large election is negligible, people vote anyway.
Which group had the lowest turnout rate in Texas in the 2016 presidential election?
Hispanic
With regard to voting, Texas passed which of the following major pieces of social legislation in 1919?
It approved the Nineteenth Amendment, which prohibited denial of voting rights based on sex.
The "sore loser" law accomplishes which of the following?
It prevents candidates who lost a primary election from running as independents in the general election.
Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding "same-day" voter registration?
It promotes higher voter turnout.
How does Texas compare in voter turnout among the 50 states when using the 2014 congressional and statewide races as a measure?
It ranked 48th.
According to The Dallas Observer, which of the following reasons might contribute to the state of Texas having low voter turnout in primary elections?
Texas is not a "competitive" state.
For which of the following reasons is use of the office block format an ineffective way to discourage straight-ticket voting in Texas?
Texas law still allows computer-readable ballots to enable voters to vote straight ticket.
Review the section on the federal Voting Rights Act and then answer the following question. Which of the following correctly describes an aspect of the federal Voting Rights Act? Check all the answer choices that apply.
The Voting Rights Act was originally passed in 1975.The Voting Rights Act was originally passed in 1975. The Voting Rights Act was passed when Lyndon Johnson was president.The Voting Rights Act was passed when Lyndon Johnson was president. The Voting Rights Act, as originally constructed, required pre clearance by the U.S. Justice Department of all changes in election procedures. Polling places are required to employ bilingual poll workers on Election Day, and bilingual employees must be available to answer voting and election-related questions in government offices. The Voting Rights Act requires that bilingual ballots be printed for federal elections, but the decision about bilingual ballots for state and local elections are left to state and local authorities.
Which of the following is true of the Hispanic population and voting in Texas?
The majority of Hispanics are not eligible to vote.
How do Democrats explain the lower turnout in the Texas Democratic primaries than Republican primaries in the elections for president between 1996 and 2002?
There were very low levels of opposition in the Democratic primaries compared to the Republican ones.
The passage of the National Voter Registration Act had which of the following effects on voters in Texas?
They could register to vote when applying for or renewing their driver's license.
Review the section on absentee and early voting in the text and then answer the following question. Which of the following correctly describes aspects of early voting in Texas (since 1979)? Check all the answer choices that apply.
Voters must sign an affidavit that they will be out of the county on Election Day to be eligible for early voting.Voters must sign an affidavit that they will be out of the county on Election Day to be eligible for early voting. Early voting begins 17 days before an election and closes 4 days before an election.Early voting begins 17 days before an election and closes 4 days before an election. Polls for early voting are open on Tuesdays (the same day of the week as the general election), from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Polls for early voting are open on Tuesdays (the same day of the week as the general election), from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Anyone who is a registered voter can vote absentee without restrictions.