Campaigns

When party members meet to nominate a candidate for office, they participate in which of the following?

• General election

• Caucus

• Blanket primary

• Open primary

A primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticket is called

• open primary

• blanket primary

• closed primary

• runoff primary

Which of the following arguments best supports a claim that the Electoral College does not fully support democratic principles?

• The winner-take-all system encourages candidates to campaign in every state, which limits the attention each state will receive from the candidates.

• Electors are chosen by the voters in each state, which gives parties undue influence over candidates' success.

• At times, a candidate who receives the most popular votes may not win the presidential election.

• The Electoral College lacks transparency because electors frequently switch their vote during the national convention.

A state has 11 electoral votes. In a presidential election, the Democratic candidate receives 48 percent of that state's popular vote, the Republican candidate receives 40 percent of the vote, and an independent candidate receives 12 percent of the vote.

If the state is similar to most other states, how will the electoral votes most likely be allocated?

• The Democratic candidate will receive 5 electoral votes, the Republican will receive 4, and the independent will receive 2.

• The votes will not be allocated until there has been a runoff election between the Democratic and Republican candidates.

• The House of Representatives will determine the allocation of the electoral votes.

• The Democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes.

Which of the following best characterizes the influence of the news media on public opinion in the United States?

• They affect which issues the public thinks are important.

• They determine how citizens will vote.

• They are most able to influence the urban sectors of society.

Which of the following criticisms of political campaigns is the author of the political cartoon most likely to agree with?

• Rising campaign costs and intensive fund-raising efforts make running for office too expensive for the average citizen.

• The duration of election cycles is too long.

• Candidates rely too heavily on professional consultants.