Political Parties, Types of Elections, Voting Process

Which term best describes the philosophy, principles, and positions on issues for a political party?

• primary

• caucus

• political action committee

• platform

Third parties usually impact government by:

• electing large numbers of politicians.

• providing support and logistics for the two major parties.

• raising additional funding for a major party candidate.

• identifying issues of concern that may be ignored by the two major parties.

How is the number of electoral votes in the Electoral College allotted to each state?

• It is based on the geographic size of the state according to geological surveys.

• It is based on the total number of registered voters in a state.

• It is based on the number of the state's U.S. Senators and members of the House of Representatives.

• It is a fixed number that is explained in Article I of the United States Constitution.

An election in which only declared members of a political party are allowed to vote for the party's nominees is called a(n)

• direct primary.

• closed primary.

• open primary.

• general election.

Why is a runoff election held?

• citizens want to remove an elected official.

• parties want to narrow a field of candidates.

• no presidential candidate wins enough electoral votes.

• no candidate in a state election wins a majority.

How does a general election differ from a primary election?

• A general election removes an elected official from office by a vote of the people, but primary elections do not remove government officials.

• Primary elections use majority voting to determine a winner, whereas general elections use plurality voting to determine the outcome of an election.

• A general election involves a state or nation in choosing officeholders and voting on ballot measures, whereas a primary election is how registered voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a later election.

• Primary elections use initiatives to put issues on the ballet; however, general elections do not use initiatives.

The Democrats meet for their national convention and decide to support a woman's right to an abortion, oppose a constitutional amendment banning flag burning, and support certain criminal justice reform legislation. The list of policies and programs which the party supports is known as what?

• the party platform

• the party agenda

• the party machine

• the party primary

Which statement most specifically represents a political party playing the watchdog role?

• The Republicans and Democrats agree on an appropriations bill for national defense and counterterrorism.

• A third party combines with a major party to nominate one candidate for the general election in hopes of forming a coalition in the government.

• The Republican Party accuses the Democrats of not supporting small businesses in a pandemic relief bill.

• Senate Democrats refuse to approve one of the president's nominees to the Supreme Court.

Governor Mirminghill has been accused of inappropriate--although not illegal--behavior while in office. In addition, his policies have sent the state into a financial crisis. As a result, the voters call for a special election to decide whether or not to remove him from office and, if so, to choose a replacement. Governor Mirminghill must face what?

• a recall election

• an electoral college

• a referendum

• a run-off election

The winning candidate for an open school board position won with 45% of the vote. This victory is an example of what kind of voting?

• plurality voting

• majority voting

• majority rule

• third party voting