Chapter 8

Verba and Nie's six types of participants (6)

(1) Inactives (2) Voting specialists (3) Campaigners (4) Communalists (5) Parochial participants (6) Complete activists

Equality of race amendment

15th

Women's voting rights ammendment

19th

In this country about _______ of the voting age population is registered to vote.

2/3

About ____ percent of the American population is completely inactive (they rarely discuss politics or vote and are not involved in organizations)

20

Amendment that lowered voting age to 18

26th

In the first presidential election where those between 18 and 21 could vote, the turnout rate for the new voters was about

40%

What's the voter turnout in European countries?

80%

white primaries

A southern expedient to keep blacks from participating in primary elections

voting-eligible population

An estimate that results from excluding prisoners, felons and aliens

How are senate members elected?

By direct popular elections

How are House members elected?

By district

What law accounted for almost 40% of voter applications in 2001?

Motor-voter law

democrats

Party supporters that generally favor efforts to make voting easier, suspecting that a higher turnout will benefit them

True or False: 4 states allow voters to register and vote all in the same day

True

True or False: In Australia and other countries, fines can be levied on nonvoters

True

True or False: In the U.S., voter turnout is heavily skewed toward higher status persons in professional, managerial, and other white-collar occupations

True

True or False: Men and women vote at about the same rate.

True

True or False: Most scholars believe voter turnout did decrease somewhere around the 1890s

True

True or False: The 1965 Civil Rights Act suspended the use of literacy tests

True

True or False: Voter registration is automatic in most European countries

True

True or False: When the Voting Rights Act of 1970 extended the right of 18-yr olds to vote in state elections, the Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional

True

In states that have instituted same-day voter registration, the effect on voter turnout has been

a slight increase

activist

an individual who actively promotes a political party, issue, or philosophy he or she personally cares about

The best evidence suggests that Americans

are voting less and participating in politics more

In 2002, Congress passed legislation which did all of the following except

created a uniform national voting system.

Compared with European turnout, American turnout is more skewed toward _________ persons.

higher-status

Studies show that feelings of distrust toward political leaders have _____ effect on voter turnout

no

At the time the Constitution was ratified, voting was limited to

property-owners or taxpayers

When Jesse Jackson ran for the presidency in 1984,

registration of southern blacks and whites increased

Two careful studies of voter turnout in twenty-four democratic nations found that almost all of the difference in voter turnout could be explained by

the degree of party strength, the presence or absence of automatic registration, and the presence or absence of compulsory voting laws

Studies of nonvoters suggest that, had they voted in recent presidential elections,

the outcome of most elections would have been about the same

After the 1980s, voter-registration regulations became more burdensome because

they had longer residency requirements, it became harder for African Americans to vote, educational qualifications were added in some states, and voters were required to register far in advance of elections

Initially, following passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, women

voted less often than men, but generally in the same manner

When one refocuses analyses of voter turnout in the last fourteen presidential elections to VEP measures, it is clear that

voter turnout has generally remained the same

voting-age population

Estimate (based on the census) of the number of citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching a minimum age requirement

True or False: Calls to overhaul the nation's voting system were even greater in 2004 than they were in 2000

False. Calls were almost nonexistent because the election was not as close

True or False: Voter turnout for those 18 to 21 has steadily improved since 1972.

False. It has declined

True or False: In a typical survey, 20-25% of Americans misrepresent their voting habits

False. It is 8-10%

True or False: States may not have a residency requirement for more than 60 days

False. It is for more than 30 days

True or False: Turnout in U.S. Presidential elections has never been above 70%

False. It was around 70% in the 1800s

True or False: Older persons are more likely than younger persons to misreport their voting habits.

False. Less likely

True or False: At the time the Constitution was ratified, the only qualifications for voters were that they be white and male.

False. Property owners

True or False: Research suggests get-out-the-vote drives are generally successful

False. They are generally not

True or False: Public demonstrations and sit-ins and protest marches are much less common than in recent decades

False. They are more common

Twenty-sixth Amendment

Legislation that gave eighteen-year-olds the right to vote in all U.S. elections

Voting Rights Act of 1970

Legislation that gave eighteen-year-olds the right to vote in federal elections

registered voters

Those citizens who have filled out the proper forms and are qualified to vote in an election

voting specialists

Those who restrict their political participation to voting in elections

complete activists

Those who take part in all forms of political activity

Before 1961, residents of the District of Columbia could not vote in presidential elections

True