TX GOVT 2306 EXAM 3

Beginning in the 1940s, a majority of conservative Democrats in Texas began to support the

National Republican candidates

Which of the following is common in the last days of an election campaign?

Interest groups make last minute contributions to campaigns

When the media help keep public officials honest by asking hard questions and looking into suspicious actions, they are engaging in

Investigative journalism

as a result of the Shelby County v. Holder case, the state of Texas

Is no longer required to obtain preclearance from the U.S. Department of Justice for its electoral district maps.

Which statement best describes the Green Party?

It advocates environmental protection and government reform policies.

American courts are very hesitant to allow prior restraint, which means

It is difficult for the government to censor, or to suppress material before it is published

Which statement best describes the Libertarian Party?

It supports limited government in economic matters and social issues

Which of the following statements regarding the Campaign Reform Act of 2002 is NOT true?

It's provisions have been fully supported by the U.S. Supreme Court

The term "yellow journalism" referred to

Journalism based on sensationalism and exaggeration

Which of the following is NOT true of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter?

Less than 10 percent of U.S. adults get news from Facebook

The American political party system consists of

National, state, county, and precinct levels

The idea that internet service providers should treat all internet data equally without charging differentially or blocking content they don't like is referred to as

Net neutrality

Which of following most trends to avoid heavy partisanship in Texas?

Newspapers

When a news medium focuses on a narrow audience defined by special interest, they are engaging in

Niche journalism

Which of the following best describes the status of radio as a news source in the United States?

Ninety-nine precent of American homes have at least one radio, but radio has limited value as a source of political news.

Which political label would best describe a politician that is in favor government regulation of the economy, but limited government involvement on social issues related to morality?

Liberal

The fiercest political fighting in Texas between 1900 and 1950 was between

Liberal and conservative Democrats

According to studies, negative campaigns

Lower electoral participation by turning voters off to politics

Typically, in order to get people to the polls, which of the following is generally employed?

Mail-outs, telephone calls, door-to-door solicitation, and transportation to the polls

Which of the following is more likely to require that stories be vetted for accuracy and to attempt to follow standards of objectivity?

Major print media

The strongest effects of attack ads on electoral politics seems to be that people who

Marginally support an attacked candidate become less certain and abstain from voting for that candidate

A stratarchy is

a political system wherein power is diffused among and within levels of party organization.

Interest groups try to influence public policy by

lobbying government officials regardless of party affiliation.

About how many registered lobbyists are there in Texas?

1,900

Early or absentee voting in Texas begins how many days prior to the actual date of a scheduled election?

17 days

What year did Texas elect the first woman ever to represent the state in the U.S Senate?

1993

Republicans won all statewide races in the _______ general election

2002

The ______ presidential campaigns saw the internet and social media come of age as a part of campaigning.

2008 and 2012

How many electoral votes did Texas have in the presidential election of 2016?

38

Prior to 1990, how many women had been elected to statewide office in Texas?

4

A conservative would most likely support which of the following policies?

A ban on same-sex marriages

Compared to political candidates at the national level, candidates in Texas have ___________ controlling or at least influencing news coverage.

A easier time

Which of the following are NOT now required by the Voting Eights Act of 1965 and its subsequent amendments?

A formula for determining which jurisdiction need preclearance from the U.S. Department of Justice

Which of the following is NOT a reason for growth and diversity of interest groups in the United States?

A legal system that requires citizen membership in interest groups

Which of the following individuals would NOT be eligible to vote in Texas?

A person who has been declared mentally incompetent by a court of law

The Texas Tea Party is

A powerful faction within the Texas Republican Party

If a candidate wins a plurality but not a majority of votes cast in a special election in Texas

A runoff contest between the two top contenders must be conducted

People are more likely to hear and remember ideas and information if they come from

A trusted opinion leader

When reporting is done in a combative style that features opposition, it is referred to as

Adversarial journalism

Commercial television began in Texas

After World War II

In order to obtain a primary nomination in Texas, a candidate must receive what part of the popular vote?

An absolute majority

An entire entity, such as a city, from which two or more representatives are elected is

An at-large majority district

a political party is

An organization that consists of individuals interested in controlling government by winning elections

The Texas Association of Businesses is an Example of

An umbrella organization

The first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city was

Annise Parker, sworn in as mayor of Houston in 2010.

The details of political contributions and expenditures of candidates must be filed with the Texas Ethics Commission

Between two and seven times each year

A major requirement of the 1975 extension of the Voting Rights Act is that ballots in all Texas counties must be

Bilingual

A web page on which writers regularly record opinions, information, and links to other sites is known as a

Blog

The reporters assigned to cover state-level news, commonly working in the state capital, are known as the

Capital press corps

A Texas citizen's status as a registered voter is suspended if she

Changes her permanent address to another county and fails to notify the voting registrar within three years

In which case did the Supreme Court overturn a ban on unlimited independent expenditures made by corporations, unions, and nonprofit organizations in federal elections?

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Preparing the official ballot for general elections is done by the county

Clerk or elections administrator

Once the nation's main source of news, newspapers have declined because of

Competition from television and the internet

Which term would best describe a politician that is generally opposed to government-subsidized programs?

Conservative

Texas newspapers have generally supported ​

Conservative political candidates

What happened when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) abolished the Fairness Doctrine in 1987?

Conservative talk-radio hosts quickly outpaced liberals.

Which of the following is an example of an electioneering technique?

Coordinating a "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) campaign

An organization of individuals with similar views that tries to influence government to respond favorably to its views is called a(n)

Interest group

The practice of many Texans of voting in Democratic primary and then voting Republican at the general election is called

Crossover voting

The Texas Election Code requires that primary voters

Declare their party affiliation at the time of voting in the party's primary

Which of the following would a governmental employee interest group be LEAST likely to pursue?

Decreased leveled of government spending

The main reason for the development of direct primaries was

Decreasing the dominations of Party bosses and allowing participation by party members.

After Reconstruction until the 1970s, which political party dominated in Texas?

Democratic

Political alliances during the Republic of Texas tended to coalesce around

Institutions

The purpose of a general election is to

Determine which candidate ps will fill government offices

In Rick Perry's highly successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign, he relied upon all following tactics EXCEPT

Direct mail, phone banks, and volunteers knocking on the doors of strangers.

Of the various socioeconomic factors that influence voter turnout, which is considered the strongest?

Education

Which of the following tasks is NOT performed every two years at the state party convention?

Election of state legislators

In modern elections, candidates increasingly rely on which of the following to communicate informational voters?

Email and social media

Which amendment to the US,S Constitution protects freedom of the press?

First Amendment

Which amendments to U.S. Constitution were intended to prevent denial of the right to vote based on race?

Fourteenth and Fifteenth

When the news media provides meaning or defines the central theme of an issue, they are engaging in

Framing

Manipulating legislative district lines to favor a political party or group is referred to as

Gerrymandering

Which of the following was NOT a device used in Texas to prevent many lower-income persons and blacks from voting after the civil war?

Grandfather clause

In the 19th century, newspapers in Texas and the nation were

Highly partisan and not always truthful

A social interest group would be least likely to get involved in which of the following issues?

Highway funding

The increased presence of women in policymaking positions has related in such changes as

Increased punishments for family violence and sexual abuse of children

Interest groups use all of the following techniques to influence policy decisions EXCEPT

Nominating candidates for public office

For reporting to exhibit professionalism, it should be

Objective, neutral, and accurate

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the representation of women and ethnic minorities in Texas media?

Of the 507 covered in Texas Monthly magazine between 1973 and 2016, Latinos appeared only 3 times and African Americans did not appear at all

In the 1970s, the media in Texas supported Common Cause and other public interest groups in pushing through legislation to require

Open meetings and open records

The trend in media ownership in Texas​ has been that

Ownership of Texas media outlets by Texas companies has declined

The primary purpose of the National Voter Registration Act (motor-voter law) was to

Permit voter registration by mail; at motor vehicle licensing agencies; or at military recruitment! Welfare, and disability offices

Which of the following is the most commonly, employed strategy of influencing legislation?

Personal communicating with officials concerning their groups's positions.

In Texas's general elections involving candidates for state, district, and county offices, the candidate who receives a _____________ in a contest is the winner.

Plurity

Organizations created to collect and distribute contributions to political campaigns are referred to as

Political action committees

An election in which party member choose a candidate to run for office general election is

Primary election

When the news media says how important an issue is or which part of a situation is most important, they are engaging in

Priming

Most political interest groups represent

Professional and managerial occupations

Following the Sharpstown a bank scandal, the Texas legislature

Prohibited candidates for speaker from giving anything of value to supportive legislators.

Which of the following would NOT be a cause supported by the Texas Freedom Network?

Promoting social conservatives influencing public school curriculum

Political office holders often rely on interest groups to

Provide information and expertise

The media play a role in keeping and protecting democracy by

Providing objective, neutral, and accurate information which gives an accurate picture of events.

Which of the following would NOT be among the interest groups that Texas legislators identify as most powerful?

Public interest groups advocating campaign finance reform

Which type of voting system is NOT used in general election in Texas?

Punchcard ballot

When congress passed the Reconstruction Acts, supporters of the Confederacy were

Purged as officeholders

In the case of the NAACP v. Alabama (1958), the U.S. Supreme Court

Recognized the right of association as part of the first amendment

When the three major television networks began to face competition from cable news in the 1980s, they responded by

Reducing coverage of hard news and increasing coverage of scandals, horse race journalism, and controversial sound bites

The Christian Coalition would be most likely to promote which of the following?

Restrictions on abortions

Who has been the most listened to talk show host in the aunties States since 1991?

Rush Limbaugh

In the Texas general election of 2002, which trio was dubbed "the dream team" because of their appeal to Latino, African American, and Anglo voters?

Sanchez, Kirk, Sharp

Which of the following would be performed at a party's precinct convention?

Selection of delegates to the county convention

Which of the following happens at the party state convention during presidential election years only?

Selection of potential presidential electors

According to the text, which of the following is NOT one of the roles that media fills in U.S. and Texas politics?

Serves as a forum solely for unabiased discussion of political topics

In order to cast a ballot, registered voters must

Show a valid photo ID

In 2008, one reason why Obama won in four of the state's five most popular counties was because of

Solid support from Latino and African American voters

When a person votes for only candidates from one party, they are engaging in

Straight-ticket voting

Independent, expenditure-only committees that may raise unlimited sums of money to support or oppose political candidates are known as

Super PACs

In the 2016 Republican National Convention, the majority of Texas delegates supported ___________ for president

Ted Cruz

Primaries and conventions that nominate candidates, adopt platforms, and select delegates to higher level conventions are knows as

Temporary party organizations

Which of the following interest groups would be an example of a professional group in Texas?

Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants

The history of the Texas political party system has tended toward ______________, and this remains the case today

Texas being a one-party State

At the turn of the 20th century, the Populist party in Texas declined, largely due to

The Democratic Party adopting its issues

Ethics laws prohibit a candidate or official from receiving a contribution inside

The Texas state capital building

Which of the following is NOT a reason that newspapers began to move away from strong partisanship toward more even-handed, objective reporting in the last half of the 19th century?

The government passed laws requiring greater objectivity and less partisanship

In the U.S. Supreme Court case of Guinn v. United States (1915), the court ruled that

The grandfather clause violated the fifteenth amendment

Which of the following conclusions is NOT supported by today's research on media influence?

The media have a strong influence on what citizens think about

Low voter turnout in Texas is attributed to all of the following EXCEPT

The repeal of laws that expanded sufferage

Which of the following is true of women in Texas politics?

There are a variety of women's interest groups in Texas promoting equal rights, greater political participation, and other issues important to women.

Which of the following is NOT true of new magazines?

There are more news magazines than there are newspapers, and they are read by more people.

Which of the following is NOT true of Texas campaign finance regulations or state office?

There are no limitations on contributions for candidates

Which statement does not accurately describe modern media?

There are no sites on the Internet dedicated to checking facts

Which of the following is NOT a common concern about concentration of media ownership?

There is an increase in hard news and a decrease in soft news

Which of the following is NOT true of the 521 non-daily newspaper being published in Texas in 2015?

They are influential in state politics, because they are read by elites.

Citizens tend to join interest groups for all the following reasons EXCEPT

They are not accepted as members of official political parties

Despite their relative decline, why are the print media still important sources of information?

They cover stories in more detail, inform the elite, and remain the largest gatherers of news.

Which of the following is true of public radio stations like KERA in Dallas and KUHF in Houston?

They provide substantial coverage of local, state, and national news.

Which U.S. amendment prevents states from requiring payment of a poll tax as condition for voting?

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

the ability of almost all citizens 18 years of age and older to vote is referred to as

Universal suffrage

Which of the following is NOT true of civic engagement and the internet, according to a 2012 study by the Pew Research Internet Project?

Use of the internet and social media lead to less civic engagement and political activity

An interest group technique that is unethical would be

Utilizing bribery

the principal political activity of most Texans consists of

Voting in elections

Which of the following accurately describes trends in suffrage in the United States?

Voting rights have steadily expanded and there has been a movement toward uniformity of voting policies among states.

The system of politics in Texas can be described as one with

Weak parties and strong interest groups

In the case of Smith v. Allwright, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the

White-old primary elections in Texas

In the case of Smith v. Allwright, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the

White-only primary elections in Texas

An interest group with substantial financial resources, sizable membership, unity, and a competent leadership

Will be able to exert virtually limitless pressure on governmental decisions makers.

Who was the first Texas Republican elected in a statewide vote in the least half of the 20th century?

William Clements

In which of the following ways have third parties been least successful?

Winning elections to national offices

Which of the following is NOT a reason that fewer women than men seek elected office?

Women are not allowed to run for elected office unless they have completed a graduate degree

Which of the following is NOT a function that interest groups perform in Texas?

Writing party platforms

A lobbyist is an individual who

attempts to influence the decision making of lawmakers.

Talk radio has long been dominated by

conservatives.

The cost of primary elections in Texas is paid for by

filing fees charged to candidates, subsidized by state funds.

Among the key factors that affect voter turnout are

income, age, gender, and ethnicity.

Liberals would most likely support which of the following policies?

laws protecting a woman's right to equal pay for equal work

Each state receives a number of electoral votes equal to the

number of seats each state has in Congress.

Most voters in Texas learn about candidates for office through

television commercials