Warmup 2/13

Which of the following scenarios explains how demographic factors affect voter participation in elections?

• • Individuals who belong to marginalized groups are likely to participate in elections because their issues are often highlighted by political party leaders.

• • Wealthier individuals are more likely to become involved in campaigns because they believe that their actions may influence the candidates.

• • Political action committees (PACs) raise money from their donors, which they use to run television advertisements during campaigns.

• • Gerrymandered districts are likely to produce competitive districts, which leads to lower turnout rates in elections.

Explanations for low voter turnout include all of the following EXCEPT

• • weekday elections

• • laws protecting voting rights for minorities

• • registration requirements

• • weak party affiliation

• • frequency of elections at the state and local level

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to

• • prevent states from taxing agencies of the federal government

• • make most rights contained in the Bill of Rights applicable to the states

• • restrict the application of judicial review

• • expand presidential power

• • limit the use of the legislative veto

An advantage that bureaucrats in federal government have over the President in the policymaking process is that bureaucrats

• • usually have a continuity of service in the executive branch that the President lacks

• • find it easier to marshall public support than does the President

• • have an independence from the President that is guaranteed by the Constitution

• • control the budgetary process

• • have better access to the media than does the President

In the early part of the twenty-first century, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans believed it should be illegal to burn the American flag. As a result, many members of Congress introduced amendments to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful. Which of the following statements best explains why these efforts have been unsuccessful?

• • The framers specifically wrote the amendment process to prevent using it to limit freedom of expression.

• • The Supreme Court has stated such an amendment is unconstitutional, thus blocking its ratification.

• • The framers made the amendment process difficult in order to protect individual rights.

• • Congress and the states have agreed to add this amendment; however, recent presidents have refused to sign it.

Under the Articles of Confederation, which of the following were true?

I. Congress could not tax the states directly.
II. The executive branch of government exercised more power than Congress.
III. Congress was a unicameral body.
IV. States were represented in Congress proportionally according to population.

• • I and III

• • I and IV

• • II and III

• • II and IV

• • I and II

Which of the following best describes the reasoning in Baker v. Carr (1961)?

• • Unequal representation of citizens in legislative districts is unconstitutional and may be reviewed by the courts.

• • Political issues such as reapportionment, redistricting, and gerrymandering are to be resolved by the legislative branch.

• • Racial gerrymandering is a violation of the Fourth Amendment’s exclusionary clause.

• • Gerrymandering that favors a single party is not subject to legal action because there is no standard to determine how a state legislative district map should be drawn.