WorksheetsElections
Total questions: 34
Worksheet time: 17mins
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
lowered limits on soft money
lowered limits on hard money
raised limits on soft money
raised limits on hard money
Which of the following is a responsibility of the state and local governments in national elections?
Endorse candidates once they have filed for office
Monitor campaign donations and expenditures
Define campaign donation limits from political action committees
Administer elections and designate voting districts.
Which of the following is a responsibility of the federal government in national elections?
Certifies statewide vote totals once votes are fully counted.
Can pass voting legislation to enforce constitutional amendments and federal law.
Determines the type(s) of ballots to be used in federal elections
Sets a national standard for voter-identification laws
The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
banned advertising for or against candidates
decreased the amount spent in national elections
assured that citizens can donate whatever amount they want
banned soft money donations and required candidates' explicit approval of all TV ads
Which of the following statements regarding public or televised debates in a campaign is true?
Incumbents and front-runners desire more public debates.
For televised debates, all candidates are entitled to participate.
Candidates can be damaged by verbal slips and misteps.
Election law states candidates must debate publicly.
Which statement is accurate concerning incumbent candidates?
The major parties rarely nominate incumbents as presidential candidates.
Political action committees prefer to donate to challengers over incumbents.
Incumbent candidates only succeed during hard economic times.
House incumbents tend to win re-election at higher rates than Senate incumbents.
Which statement regarding front-loading is true?
Front-loading allws some states to cast electoral votes before others.
House elections are held earlier than Senate elections.
Some states schedule presidential primaries early to gain influence and revenues
Front-loading occurs when election officials place a candidate at the top of the ballot.
The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 included all of the following campaign reforms EXCEPT
creation of a Federal Election Commission
prohibition of foreign contributions
elimination of all PACs and “soft money” donations
limits on donations to candidates and PACs
In a single-member district (only one person is elected to represent that district), plurality vote system,
parties are assigned seats based on the proportion of votes they receive in a district.
a runoff election is usually necessary to determine the winner.
the candidate with the most votes represents the district.
some votes count more than others in determining which candidate wins the election
Which of the following statements is true of Congressional incumbents who run for reelection?
Incumbent senators are more likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives.
Ever since the 1994 election, the majority of Congressional incumbents have failed in their reelection attempts.
Incumbents have a great advantage over challengers because they are better known and can raise campaign funds more easily.
Most incumbents who run for reelection are unopposed in the general election.
Criticisms of the election process include all the following EXCEPT
disproportionate attention goes to the early caucuses.
disproportionate attention goes to the early primaries.
money plays too big a role.
the system allows little room for media involvement.
Since 1960, which of the following is the most significant factor in determining which candidate receives the party’s nomination for president?
the economic condition facing the country.
the belief that programs favored by the candidate would benefit the country.
the ability of the candidate to win a majority of the delegates to the convention.
the support given to the candidate by party leaders.
The experience with Super PACs in presidential elections suggest campaign finance laws
are an effective way to minimize interest group participations.
are an effective way to reduce campaign spending.
facilitate coordination of efforts between candidates and groups.
may serve to channel money to independent groups over whom the parties have little influence
Which of the following is a valid criticism of the caucus system?
Average citizens are not welcome to participate
Caucuses are not held in convenient locations.
Caucuses are not representative of the population as a whole because fewer people turn out than a primary.
Caucuses often last several days and become endurance contests.
In addition to officially nominating a party’s candidate for the presidency, national conventions perform which of the following tasks?
Announce the party’s platform
Select new party leaders.
Elect delegates to the next convention
Present fund-raising strategies
One effect of candidates’ fear of a slip during campaigning is that, increasingly, candidates are
relying on television debates to clarify their views.
selling an image rather than their ideas.
avoiding stock speeches in favor of impromptu briefings.
avoiding television exposure altogether.
Campaigns do make a difference because they
emphasize details and issues over themes and perceptions.
give voters a chance to see how candidates handle pressure.
reduce the influence of single-issue groups.
counteract the effects of party loyalty and national economic conditions.
Presidential races differ from congressional races in that the former generally
produce a smaller voter turnout.
relate more closely to what the candidate can do for constituents.
are more competitive.
allow the incumbent more opportunity to deny responsibility for the “mess” in Washington.
One of the effects of winner-take-all primaries is that
candidates can get a majority of the delegates quickly.
the cost of the campaign is higher.
the media focuses on who is ahead.
candidates stay in the race longer.
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
To a substantial degree, congressional elections have become independent of presidential ones.
Members of Congress may run for and be elected to as many terms in office as they please.
Congressional races tend to draw a heavier voter turnout than presidential races.
In this country, running for Congress involves mostly an individual decision and effort, while in most European nations the decision and effort are primarily organizational.
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
In an open primary, only voters who have registered as a member of a party may vote for the candidates of that party.
The type of primary that allows a voter the greatest freedom to vote for candidates of different parties is the blanket primary.
Debates are usually advantageous to the challenger only.
Awarding delegates proportionally in the primaries prolongs the battle for the nomination.
PAC money is controversial for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
PACs disproportionately represent business and labor interests, thus giving business and labor undue influence over members of Congress.
PACS are more likely to support incumbents than challengers, thus discouraging competitive elections.
PACs give more money to Republicans, thus giving the party an unfair advantage.
Some critics believe that the practices of PACs are little different from legalized bribery.
Which of the following statements is true about MOST presidential elections?
They are decided by retrospective voting.
They produce major party realignments.
They provided the winner with a clear mandate to follow through on promises made in the campaign.
They are fought over a dominant issue.
Because of state presidential primary elections, the role of the Democratic and Republican national conventions has been transformed into a(n)
gathering where party dissidents make important decisions.
gathering of interest group representatives.
media showcase where newscasters influence the outcomes.
place where delegates confirm decisions already made by voters.
Which of the following factors contributes most to the cost of a presidential campaign?
Web ads
Television advertising
Hiring campaign consultants
Soliciting donations via the Internet
An open primary is a primary election in which
voters registered as “independents” may not vote
candidates do not specify the office for which they are running.
voters may register at their polling place on election Day.
voters may vote in the election of a party other than the one to which they are registered.
A major problem with recent presidential primaries is that
the calendar is backloaded.
as the primary season wears on and candidates drop out, fewer voters go to the polls.
primaries attract the more ardent political party supporters, so candidates play to the extremes of the parties.
the media attention makes it difficult to assess where the candidates stand on issues.
Primaries are governed by
I. party rules II. state law III. federal law
I only
II only
II and III only
I and II only
Which of the following is NOT true of how federal law today restricts fund-raising for presidential campaigns?
Individual contributions are now adjusted to inflation
Soft money is banned
Candidates are limited to spending only $20,000 of their own personal funds.
Candidates are increasingly turning to the internet for fundraising.
Campaign tactics in the general election traditionally have required that candidates
keep their appeals similar to those during the primaries
change their tone to become more middle-of-the-road
be sure that their campaign appeals primarily to party loyalists.
ignore their opponent and focus only on their own message
The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act established all of the following EXCEPT
limits on contributions by individuals, political parties, and PACs.
a ban on soft money
the Federal Election Commission to regulate campaign financing.
rules for the disclosure of all campaign financing and spending information
Which of the following statements best describes congressional incumbency? Incumbents….
are usually able to win reelection even when a party realignment occurs during presidential elections.
have not had fundraising limits imposed on them by the Federal Election Commission.
have been able to raise less money than their opponents.
look to have numerous debates with their opponents.
What is the primary function of the Federal Election Commission (FEC)?
To enforce federal campaign finance laws
To count electoral votes
To oversee the Electoral College
To conduct the national census
Which of the following has been an effect of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision?
Political parties gained more control over elections
Sources of outside, independent money greatly increased
Small donors increased in influence
The amount of money spent on political campaigns decreased
