Government Ch. 7
What does the Federal Election Commission (FEC) do?
administers all federal law dealing with campaign finance EXPLANATION: The FEC oversees the raising and spending of both private and public campaign funds to make sure candidates and parties deal with campaign money legally and avoid corruption.
Hard money is money
raised and spent to elect candidates for Congress and the White House. EXPLANATION: Hard money is tied directly to a candidate's campaign, not the party's general activities.
What is the main objection many people have to open primaries?
They permit "raiding" by members of other parties. EXPLANATION: Members of opposing parties can vote in another party's primary in an attempt to nominate a weak candidate that would be easier to defeat.
Most elections happen on the date Congress set for national elections, which is
Tuesday-after-the-the-first-Monday in November of every even-numbered year. EXPLANATION: Most State and local elections happen on the same day as federal elections because voters are already at the polls and turnout is improved.
Which of the following is an example of a candidate being nominated through the petition method? A. a political independent announces her intention to run for president B. a candidate who lost his party's primary for governor of Texas gets enough signatures on a petition to be added to the ballot as an independent candidate C. members of the Federalist party in Congress meet to choose the candidate they will support in the 1824 presidential election D. Republicans from around the nation meet in a convention to formally nominate the winner of the Republican primaries
a candidate who lost his party's primary for governor of Texas gets enough signatures on a petition to be added to the ballot as an independent candidate EXPLANATION: It is fairly common at the local level for candidates to get on the ballot by gathering a required number of voters' signatures.
A grant of money, usually from the government, for use as campaign money is called
a subsidy. EXPLANATION: Subsidies are public dollars granted to candidates as matching funds for private donations.
By what two methods can voters cast their ballots on days other than the official election day?
absentee voting and early voting EXPLANATION: Voters who will not be near the polling place on election day can mail in a ballot before election day. Many States also allow voters to cast ballots for several days before election day.
A primary in which only declared party members can vote is a(n) __________ primary.
closed EXPLANATION: Closed primaries require a person to register with a party and vote only in its primary to nominate that party's candidate(s) for office.
Most federal campaign spending limits do NOT apply to
congressional elections. EXPLANATION: In 1976, the Supreme Court struck down several spending limits set on congressional elections.
A blanket primary is one in which
every voter gets a ballot listing every candidate, regardless of party, for every nomination to be made at the primary. EXPLANATION: The Supreme Court declared blanket primaries to be unconstitutional, so they do not exist today.
Corporations and labor unions are not allowed to contribute to any candidate running for a federal office, so they
form political action committees (PACs) to try to affect the outcome of elections. EXPLANATION: PACs raise money and try to influence public policy or election outcomes on behalf of the special interest groups they represent.
A runoff primary is necessary when
no one wins a majority in a primary race. EXPLANATION: Runoff primaries are common in States where an absolute majority is needed to carry a primary.
Which of the following is an example of a political action committee (PAC)? A. the Democratic party B. the President's Cabinet C. the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), which lobbies on behalf of senior citizens D. the organizers of an incumbent gubernatorial candidate's campaign for re-election
the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), which lobbies on behalf of senior citizens EXPLANATION: Any group that raises funds and lobbies for the interests of a particular group is a PAC.
The __________ banned soft-money contributions to political parties, but had a loophole that allowed independent political groups to raise and spend money on behalf of candidates.
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 EXPLANATION: This law was an attempt to control the massive amounts of soft money contributions that were corrupting the political process.
The agency that administers all federal law dealing with campaign finance is the
Federal Election Commission (FEC). EXPLANATION: The FEC oversees the raising and spending of both private and public campaign funds to make sure candidates and parties deal with campaign money legally and avoid corruption.
__________ is money raised and spent to elect candidates for Congress and the White House, while __________ is given to party organizations for "party-building activities."
Hard money; soft money EXPLANATION: Parties frequently filter soft money from party-building activities to presidential and congressional campaigns, which are supposed to be funded by hard money contributions.
Why were punch-card ballots eliminated between 2002 and 2006?
Improperly punched cards caused problems during the 2000 presidential election. EXPLANATION: "Hanging chads" made it difficult or impossible to determine for whom many voters intended to vote, putting the validity of the election results in question.
__________ is NOT a method of casting one's ballot that is currently widely available in the United States.
Online voting EXPLANATION: Though votes have been cast online in a few elections, it is not yet a common practice.
What is the difference between a closed primary and an open primary?
Only registered party members may vote in a closed primary, whereas any qualified voter can vote in an open primary. EXPLANATION: There are benefits and drawbacks to both types of primaries. Some States use open primaries, and some use closed primaries.
What is the main argument in support of open primaries?
They do not exclude independent voters. EXPLANATION: One of the main complaints critics have about closed primaries is that independent voters cannot participate in the nomination process.
What is the main objection many people have to closed primaries?
They exclude independent voters. EXPLANATION: Since voters must register with a party to vote in its closed primary, independent voters are left out of the process.
What is the main argument in support of closed primaries?
They prevent one party from "raiding" the other's primary. EXPLANATION: In open primaries, there is the concern that members of one party will "raid" the other party's primary in the hope of nominating weaker candidates in the opposing party.
Which of the following is an example of the coattail effect? A. a State switches to electronic voting machines because of errors and inefficiencies in the paper ballot system B. a very popular presidential candidate pulls in many voters for his party, resulting in the election of several other members of his party running for State and local offices C. 20 million Americans cast their ballots before election day D. a precinct election board supervises the polling place and the voting process in each precinct
a very popular presidential candidate pulls in many voters for his party, resulting in the election of several other members of his party running for State and local offices EXPLANATION: A popular candidate high on the ballot can increase voter turnout and help candidates of the same party lower on the ballot.
The goal of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 was to
ban soft-money contributions to political parties. EXPLANATION: Independent groups immediately began to exploit a loophole in the BCRA, which allows them to raise and spend as much money as they want on behalf of candidates.
Why is the use of money regulated in today's elections?
because getting and spending campaign funds can corrupt the entire political process EXPLANATION: Candidates can try to buy their way into public off ice and special interests can try to buy favors from those who are in office.
Why do bedsheet ballots often result in "ballot fatigue"?
because they are so long that voters get tired before they reach the end of the ballot EXPLANATION: There are so many offices and candidates on bedsheet ballots that most voters would find it difficult to vote intelligently in every race.
What type of ballot most often results in "ballot fatigue" because it is so long with so many offices and candidates that voters get tired before they reach the end of the ballot?
bedsheet ballot EXPLANATION: These very long ballots are most common at the local level because of the number of local offices that must be filled.
Absentee voting and early voting allow voters to
cast their ballots before election day. EXPLANATION: Voters who will not be near the polling place on election day can mail in a ballot before election day. Many States also allow voters to cast ballots for several days before election day.
The __________ effect happens when a popular candidate high on the ballot increases voter turnout and helps candidates of the same party lower on the ballot.
coattail EXPLANATION: State and local candidates can benefit from straight-ticket voters turning out to support a popular candidate for a high office.
Among those banned from making contributions to the campaigns of candidates running for federal office are
corporations and federal banks. EXPLANATION: Congress banned corporations and federal banks from making federal campaign contributions in 1907.
Congress first began to regulate the use of money in federal elections in 1907, when it banned campaign contributions from
corporations and national banks. EXPLANATION: Contributions from corporations and national banks were particularly likely to result in corruption.
What is the function of a political action committee (PAC)?
direct primary EXPLANATION: After the collapse of the caucus and convention methods of nomination, the direct primary has become the most commonly used strategy for selecting candidates.
Which method of nomination is most common in the United States today? A. self-announcement B. caucus C. direct primary D. petition
direct primary EXPLANATION: After the collapse of the caucus and convention methods of nomination, the direct primary has become the most commonly used strategy for selecting candidates.
Soft money is money
given to a party organization for "party-building activities." EXPLANATION: Soft money can be used by a political party for any number of general party activities, but not to fund a specific candidate's campaign.
Punch-card ballots have been eliminated because
improperly punched cards produce "hanging chads" that are difficult for machines to read. EXPLANATION: Improperly punched cards caused serious problems during the 2000 presidential election, prompting Congress to order their elimination by 2006.
Voter turnout in primary elections is usually
less than half what it is in general elections. EXPLANATION: People do not seem to understand the importance of primaries, so they do not turn out to vote in primaries as much as they should.
Which of the following is an example of a candidate being nominated through the caucus method? A. a political independent announces her intention to run for president B. a candidate who lost his party's primary for governor of Texas gets enough signatures on a petition to be added to the ballot as an independent candidate C. members of the Federalist party in Congress meet to choose the candidate they will support in the 1824 presidential election D. Republicans from around the nation meet in a convention to formally nominate the winner of the Republican primaries
members of the Federalist party in Congress meet to choose the candidate they will support in the 1824 presidential election EXPLANATION: The caucus method of nomination went out of fashion in the1800s because it was too easily corrupted.
What is the process of narrowing the field of possible candidates for office called?
nomination EXPLANATION: Without the nominating process, elections would be jammed with too many candidates.
When candidates for a local office are not identified by party labels, they are nominated through a(n) __________ primary.
nonpartisan EXPLANATION: Candidates for many school and municipal offices run without partisan labels, so the primary is nonpartisan.
Which type of primary specifically covers local elections in which candidates do not identify their party on the ballot?
nonpartisan primary EXPLANATION: Nonpartisan elections usually apply to local offices such as school and municipal officials who do not typically run on partisan tickets.
A ballot on which candidates for an office are grouped together under the title of that office is called the __________ ballot.
office-group EXPLANATION: The office-group ballot is also sometimes called the Massachusetts ballot or the office-block ballot.
A(n) __________ ballot is one on which candidates for an office are grouped together under the title of that office.
office-group EXPLANATION: The office-group ballot is also sometimes called the Massachusetts ballot or the office-block ballot.
Which of the following methods of casting a ballot is NOT currently widely available? A. paper ballots counted by optical scanners B. touch-screen voting terminals C. mail-in ballots D. online voting
online voting EXPLANATION: Though votes have been cast online in a few elections, it is not yet a common practice.
A primary in which any qualified voters can cast ballots is a(n) __________ primary.
open EXPLANATION: In an open primary, anyone can vote to choose a party's candidates, regardless of party affiliation.
A ballot on which each party's candidates are listed in a column under the party's name is called the __________ ballot.
party-column EXPLANATION: Professional politicians like this type of ballot because it encourages straight-ticket voting.
A __________ is the place where the voters who living in a voting district actually vote.
polling place EXPLANATION: A polling place is located somewhere in or near each precinct.
A __________ is a voting district, the smallest geographic units for the conduct of elections.
precinct EXPLANATION: Precincts are usually restricted in size to no more than 500 to 1,000 or so qualified voters.
The smallest geographic unit for the conduct of elections is called a
precinct. EXPLANATION: Precincts are usually restricted in size to no more than 500 to 1,000 or so qualified voters.
Disclosure requirements call for the campaign committees of candidates for federal office to
report certain campaign finance information. EXPLANATION: This policy is meant to spotlight the place of money in federal campaigns and discourage illegal or fraudulent campaign financing.
When an absolute majority is needed to carry a primary, but no one wins a majority in a race, a __________ primary must be held to select the nominee.
runoff EXPLANATION: The two top vote-getters in the first party primary face one another in a runoff primary.