10.3 - Electing the President

What is the term for a candidate who represents a political party that is not the Democrats or the Republicans?

• A. a landslide candidate

• B. a radical candidate

• C. a wild-card candidate

• D. a third-party candidate

What is the Electoral College?

• A. A system set by the Constitution for selecting the president and vice president.

• B. The name for training or courses a president elect must complete before taking office.

• C. A body that validates that votes for the presidential election were properly counted in each state.

• D. The body that implements and monitors campaign finance laws for presidential campaigns.

How many votes in the Electoral College are required for a presidential candidate to secure victory?

• A. 51

• B. 218

• C. 270

• D. 301

After a presidential election in November, when does the new president take office?

• A. exactly one year after Election Day

• B. the following March

• C. immediately after the electors meet in December to cast their votes in the Electoral College

• D. the following January

When does each political party officially declare who its candidate for the general election will be?

• A. after all but one of the candidates drop out of the primary races

• B. during each party's national nominating convention

• C. when one candidate surpasses $100 million in fundraising

• D. after the third debate between party candidates

How many electors is each state allowed in the Electoral College?

• A. one for each county in the state

• B. one for each member it has in the U.S. Senate

• C. the same as the number of senators and representatives it has in Congress

• D. one for each member it has in the House of Representatives

What is unique about how the U.S. president is elected?

• A. A U.S. president cannot be elected unless at least 75 percent of registered voters cast a ballot.

• B. The U.S. president is not elected directly by voters.

• C. A U.S. president cannot be elected to office if he or she fails to win the popular vote.

• D. The U.S. president is elected by members of Congress.

How do candidates for president make their candidacy official?

• A. They must form a political action committee (PAC).

• B. They must secure at least one elector to the Electoral College.

• C. They must secure at least $1 million in campaign donations.

• D. They must register with the Federal Election Committee (FEC).

Why are presidential primaries and caucuses held?

• A. They are part of the process of securing a party's nomination for the general election.

• B. These are fund-raising events to raise money for the general election.

• C. They help candidates solidify their positions on important issues and develop campaign slogans.

• D. Candidates use them to determine if they have a chance to win election before officially declaring their candidacies.

What is a winner-take-all system in a presidential election?

• A. If a candidate secures 60 percent or more of the total popular vote, no Electoral College vote is needed.

• B. If a candidate receives the most votes in a state, he or she receives all the state's electors to the Electoral College.

• C. If a candidate secures enough states in the eastern and central time zones on Election Day, voting will be stopped in the mountain and western states when victory is declared.

• D. If a candidate secures over 50 percent of the popular vote in the country, he or she wins the Electoral College vote.