Voting and Elections

Critics of the electoral college system argue that the system can result in the selection of:

• a 3rd party candidate as President

• individuals with the least amount of political experience

• candidates who only come from the most populous states like Texas, California, and New York

• a president that didn't even win the popular vote

_______________ refers to attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics within society.

• Public opinion

• mass media

• peer groups

• public affairs

What did the 1800 presidential election that resulted in Thomas Jefferson's presidency, and the 1876 election that resulted in Rutherford B. Hayes' election, have in common

• both presidents were later assasinated

• both elections had powerful third-party candidates

• both elections resulted in no candidate getting the required number of votes to become president, so the the election was thrown into the House of Representatives for the members of Congress to decide the victor

• both showed how well the electoral college works

Based on the information in the graph, how will the changing demographics of the population likely affect voting patterns in the United States?

• Hispanic voters may have a greater influence in elections in the future

• Voter participation by non-Hispanic whites could decrease in the future

• Asians as a voting bloc is decreasing

• American Indians are one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the country

"Although complaints are heard that the American two-party system is too narrow in its representation of the electorate, a number of important points in its favor may be listed. It is less confusing to the voter. The two major parties make overlapping appeals to the same middle-of-the-road and largest section of the electorate; therefore, the two-party system neither leads to polarization or eventual head-on conflict of political segments . . . . The average citizen usually finds himself in agreement on enough items with the victor, and not sufficiently threatened to become subversive or violent. Also, he knows that at the time of the next election that he will be given an opportunity to vote for a change of results."

--Dr. Raymond Polin, The Role of the American Political System, 1984

According to the author of the excerpt, which of the following is facilitated by the American two-party system?

• extreme change to policies

• a peaceful transition of power with a chance to vote for someone new in the future if the person elected did not do a good job

• a complicated political process that has led to less voter participation

• lack of representation for the people

Speaker 1: I never vote because all my friends think it's not important.

Speaker 2: My family has been involved in politics for generations and so am I.

Speaker 3: When I came to this country, one party really helped me. I'll always vote for them.

Speaker 4: I like one party's TV ads more than the other. So, if I vote, I'll vote for the them.

Which of the following generalization is illustrated by the four speakers?

• Most Americans generally associate with one political party

• Various factors influence political opinions and attitudes in the United States

• Many Americans lack an understanding about the political process

• Educated Americans tend to be more involved in the political process

Which U.S. Supreme Court case declared "one man, one vote" allowing for legal challenges to redistricting for violating the Equal Protection Clause?

• Baker v. Carr

• Roe v. Wade

• Brown v. Board of Education

• Gideon v. Wainwright

Which Constitutional Amendment granted power to the people to elect U.S. Senators?

• 13th Amendment

• 4th Amendment

• 17th Amendment

• 21st Amendment

A caucus is a:

• meeting of religious leaders to discuss freedom of assembly

• meeting of the joint chiefs of staff to discuss military strategy

• meeting of the Senate subcommittee on foreign affairs

• meeting of local party members to choose party officials and candidates for public office

Which set of events is the correct sequence for electing the U.S. President?

A. Party nomination and convention; campaigning; primaries and caucuses; general election; electoral college.

B. Campaigning; primaries and caucuses; party nomination in convention; general election; electoral college.

C. Party nomination in convention; general election; campaigning; primaries and caucuses; electoral college.

D. Electoral college; party nomination in convention; campaigning; primaries and caucuses; general election.

• set A

• set B

• set C

• set D