If you want to run for a seat in the House of Representatives, you should have at least
$500,000
The winner of the presidential election is the candidate who receives
the most votes in the electoral college
The right of candidates to spend their own money on running for office
is protected by the First Amendment right of free speech
According to the authors, who benefits from the American system of private funding of campaigns?
Wealthy interest groups
In 2003, Californians voted out Governor Gray Davis. This election was unusual because
he lost in a rare recall effort.
According to the authors, which of the following is not one of the three types of factors that influence voters' decisions at the polls?
The electoral system used to select candidates
Except in rare occasions, boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts in the United States are redrawn by the states every _______ years.
ten
What has been a common way for interest groups, corporations, and political parties to aid a candidate while avoiding campaign finance laws?
Work with 527 committees and 501c(4)s to run campaign ads and promote issues
When the Supreme Court announced the principle of "one person, one vote," what did it mean?
Within a state, electoral districts must have roughly equal populations.
How big a role does money play in American politics compared to other countries?
Much more
According to the authors, which economic tool is the best predictor of presidential outcomes?
Consumer Confidence Index (CCI)
527s and 501C(4)s are groups that play a significant role in American politics because
they spent more than $1 billion in the 2008 campaign
In the U.S. federal system, the responsibility for organizing elections
rests largely with state and local governments
____________ determine which candidates will receive the major parties' official nominations for all offices but the presidency.
Caucuses
Conventions
Primaries
None of above
Polling is used in a political campaign to
assess the electorates' needs, hopes, fears, and past behavior.
craft campaign strategies.
develop themes for the campaign.
All of the above
Which are organizations established by corporations, labor unions, or interest groups to channel the contributions of their members into political campaigns?
Political action committees
Members of the House of Representatives are selected by
single-member districts
Between the 1830s and World War II, national convention delegates were generally selected by
state party leaders
According to the textbook authors, which group has a decided advantage in American politics?
The wealthy
What point do the authors make about MBNA and the National Association of Manufacturers?
Both received political favors after contributing large amounts of money to President Bush and other GOP candidates.
Which statement is correct regarding elections?
Elections do not require more than one candidate on the ballot.
Elections can mobilize popular support for authoritarian regimes.
Elections can act as a "safety valve" for social discontent.
All of these are correct.
If no presidential candidate wins a majority of votes in the electoral college, what happens?
The names of the top three candidates would be submitted to the House, where each state would be able to cast one vote
Since the passage of the 2002 Campaign Finance law, individuals may donate a maximum of ____________ to any single candidate; a political action committee may donate ____________ to each candidate.
$2,300; $5,000
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, election campaigns tended to be more _________ than today's campaigns.
labor intensive
State legislators routinely seek to influence electoral outcomes by manipulating the organization of electoral districts. This strategy is called
gerrymandering
A current officeholder is called
an incumbent
In the 2000 presidential race, George Bush won Missouri 50 percent to 47 percent. How many of Missouri's eleven electoral votes did Bush get in 2000?
11
If the winner of an election is whoever receives the most votes, regardless of the percentage of votes received, the candidate has been running under a ________ system.
plurality
____________ voting occurs when voting is based on the imagined future performance of a candidate.
Prospective
Before the 2002 Campaign Finance Reform law, soft money had been used primarily for
voter registration and issue campaigns
The ____________ is the document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues.
party platform
Which of the following widely used systems has the effect of diminishing the power of American party leaders?
Primary system
Which of the following typifies "American" campaign techniques?
Reliance on technology such as polls and spot ads
What was the impact of the 2002 Campaign Finance Reform law?
It reduced the role of parties in financing campaigns
What is a majority vote?
One vote more than half of all votes cast
The result of voters casting their ballot for president or governor and "automatically" voting for the remainder of the party's ticket is called
the coattail effect
In most states, how do independent and third-party candidates qualify for the general election ballot?
By obtaining thousands of petition signatures
Joe walks into his voting station, and the election judge asks him which party's ballot he would like to vote on today. Joe is in
an open primary state.
Which of the following is the best example of direct democracy in practice in the United States today?
Referendum
____________ voting occurs when voting is based on the past performance of a candidate.
Retrospective
The number of a state's electoral votes is determined by the
number of members it has in both houses of Congress