Elections and Campaigns

Assume that Candidates A and B are the Democratic and Republican nominees for president, while Candidate C is a third-party candidate. On election day in the state of Colorado, Candidate A wins 40 percent of the vote, Candidate B wins 35 percent, and Candidate C wins 25 percent. How many of Colorado’s nine electoral votes would you anticipate going to Candidate A?

• 7
• 6
• 4
• 9

How electors are chosen, requirements for electors, and rules for electors are determined by

• individual states
• the House of Representatives
• the Constitution
• the Supreme Court

The goal of campaign finance laws is to

• reduce fairness
• limit the influence of individuals or groups over public officials
• increase public interest in politics
• promote freedom of speech

In recent years states have has a tendency to choose early dates for their presidential primaries in order to gain influence in the process. This is called

• gerrymandering
• frontloading
• logrolling
• caucusing

The specific goal of the presidential nomination process is to

• win the majority of convention delegates in order to win the party nomination
• win the majority of votes case in presidential caucuses.
• beat the other party’s candidate in the general election.
• win a majority of votes in the Electoral College.

Why have the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary played such an important role in the presidential nomination process?

• The two states are so much like the nation as a whole that a candidate who does well there will do well nationwide.
• They are late in the presidential nominating process
• Many delegates are at stake in each race
• They receive a great deal of attention from candidates and the media because they are the first major events of the presidential election year.

Which of the following best describes the difference between an open and closed primary?

• Candidates must seek the approval of the party leadership to run in a closed primary, but anyone may be a candidate in an open primary.
• Only voters who register as members of that political party may vote in that party’s closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries.
• Voters may split their ticket in a closed primary but not in an open primary
• Open primaries require a runoff system while closed primaries do not.

Which of the following terms describes the official selection of a candidate running for office?

• Nomination
• Referendum
• Initiative
• Caucus

The Electoral College was originally established in order to

• provide direct election of the president by the people, although its operation has had the opposite effect.
• certify the results of the people’s choice for president and vice president
• Give the elite the power to choose the president and the vice president rather than the people directly
• insure high voter turnouts in elections throughout the country

Individuals already holding office are called

• Candidates
• Challengers
• Nominees
• Incumbents