Citizen Participation and Elections

Midterm Exam Fall 2018 – POLI 102: Chapters 4 & 5 – Dr. Jain

Chapter 4: Citizen Participation and Elections

Multiple Choice

1. In a representative democracy, the most common form of citizen political participation is

a) writing letters to elected officials.

b) running for public office.

c) serving on an advisory committee.

d) voting.

2. Citizens less likely to participate in government are

a) professional workers.

b) middle-aged individuals.

c) younger individuals.

d) white-collar workers.

3. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been modified to

a) ensure that physical intimidation is not allowed.

b) limit the use of “white primaries.”

c) make illegal any government action that discourages minority voting.

d) extend the vote to illegal immigrants.

4. Voter turnout is higher for elections

a) held in off years.

b) when attention is focused on only one race.

c) held during presidential elections.

d) held at the state and local level.

5. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 enabled voters to register

a) by mail or electronic mail (e-mail).

b) when they apply for a driver’s license, welfare benefits, or unemployment compensation.

c) at the Post Office.

d) on the day of the actual election.

6. A closed primary is one in which

a) registered voters with party affiliation may vote in either primary, but the election is closed to independents.

b) voters must be registered with their party affiliation in order to vote in their party’s primary.

c) voters may choose either party ballot in secret.

d) registered voters may vote in either party primary, but the primary is closed to those not registered.

7. In general elections with three or more candidates where no one gets a majority, the winner is

a) decided in subsequent elections that continue until one candidate gets a majority.

b) decided in a runoff election.

c) chosen by a legislative caucus.

d) the candidate with a plurality of the votes.

8. State constitutional provisions for popular referenda allow

a. citizens to petition to vote on actions taken by the legislature.

b. legislatures to decide to ask for a vote to endorse a particular policy.

c. citizens to force officials from office.

d. citizens to vote on bond issues.

9. Today, statewide initiatives for constitutional amendments, statutes, or both are used

a. in all fifty states.

b. in twenty-four states.

c. in only three states: Florida, Washington, and Colorado.

d. in all states where advance notice of meetings is required and minutes must be taken.

10. California’s Proposition 13 sought to

a. give citizens tax relief by lowering property tax rates.

b. strengthen affirmative action programs in the state.

c. make marijuana legal for medical uses.

d. dismantle affirmative action programs in the state.

11. The recall mechanism for state officials is available in

a. all but two states: Georgia and South Carolina.

b. eighteen states, but judicial officers are excluded in seven of these states.

c. twenty-six states, and at the local level in forty-nine states.

d. all states, but it has never been used except in California and North Dakota.

12. Open meeting laws that serve to “open” the meetings of government bodies to the public

a. began in 1965 with Florida’s “honesty law.”

b. apply only to local levels of government.

c. are found in all fifty states.

d. do not affect the executive branch of government.

13. Citizen advisory committees serve

a. exclusively as a vehicle to ensure citizen participation in government.

b. simply as a tool to be manipulated by politicians.

c. a number of purposes at the state level, but they are rarely used at the local level.

d. a number of political purposes and give citizens an opportunity to participate in government.

Chapter 4 – True or False?

14. Aside from voting, citizens have few ways to participate in the political process.

15. Unskilled workers and blue-collar workers participate in politics at about the same rate as white-collar workers and professionals.

16. The “suffragists” were women who were actively fighting for the right to vote.

17. Women gained universal suffrage in the United States with passage of the Twentieth Amendment in 1920.

18. Presidential elections attract the highest proportion of eligible voters.

19. The Fifteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1870) extended the right to vote to African Americans, but Congress had to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to get defiant southern states to allow blacks to vote.

20. Every state that allows for regular absentee voting by mail stipulates that citizens must have an excuse in order to do so.

21. Passage of the National Voter Registration Act in 1993 allowed for individuals to register to vote at any

U.S. Post Office.

22. Iowa is the only state that does not require voter registration.

23. The most common type of voting equipment currently used by states is the punch card devices.

24. When a presidential candidate campaigns for a party member in a local race in an effort to help that person win the election, it is called the “coattail effect.”

25. Recall is a procedure that allows citizens to vote an elected official out of office before his or her term has expired.

26. All fifty states allow for the recall of state officials, but judicial officers are exempt from recall.

27. The result of Florida’s 1967 “sunshine law” was a surge in the desire for openness in government and the establishment of open meeting laws.

28. Citizen advisory committees provide a formal arena for citizen input.

29. Volunteerism is a constructive participatory activity that can bring new ideas into government.

Chapter 5 Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Campaigns

Multiple Choice

30. According to your text, probably the most realistic term to describe the status of political parties over the past thirty years is

a. stagnant.

b. declining.

c. revitalized.

d. transforming.

31. Ticket splitting usually means

a. voting for both Democrats and Republicans in the same general election.

b. unwittingly voting for both a Democrat and a Republican in a nonpartisan election.

c. placing a few Democrats and a few Republicans on the same third-party ticket.

d. placing an independent on the ticket to achieve balance and attract nonpartisan voters.

32. Local political parties typically

a. have no problem staffing precinct offices.

b. hire professional staff.

c. are not as professionally organized as state parties.

d. maintain campaign headquarters year-round.

33. The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP),

a. is newer than the Democratic Party.

b. emerged from the Jacksonian wing of the Jeffersonian Party.

c. is much older than the Democratic Party.

d. is much larger than the Democratic Party and is associated with the “blue states.”

34. Interest group membership

a. is a legitimate way for citizens to communicate their preferences to government and/or seek benefits offered by the group.

b. ensures that narrow, selfish interests will prevail in our society, particularly as the number of interest groups increase.

c. is limited to those with business interests.

d. is limited to those who seek some political end.

35. In most states where political parties are strong, interest group influence tends to be

a. equally strong.

b. overwhelming, given the symbiotic relationship of interest groups with parties.

c. nonexistent.

d. weak.

36. The most important commodity that lobbyists can provide legislators is

a. information on the issues under consideration.

b. personal favors.

c. money to buy public policy through corrupt and illegal activities.

d. their presence in committee hearings, where they monitor debates.

37. Grassroots lobbying involves

a. lobbyists positioning themselves to greet legislators on the steps and lawn of the capitol.

b. increasing the number of lobbyists in the state capitol.

c. orchestration of public support in the form of letters, faxes, and telephone calls.

d. increasing the amount of time the lobbyist spends on the golf course developing a personal relationship with a legislator.

38. Political action committees (PACs) grew out of

a. a desire to weaken the role of political parties.

b. laws that made direct political contributions by corporations and labor unions illegal.

c. a concern over the rising influence of interest groups.

d. an effort to discourage public involvement and participation in politics.

39. Groups that spend money to influence the outcome of elections but do not contribute directly to candidates are called

a. political action committees.

b. 527 groups.

c. political consulting groups.

d. soft money interest groups.

Chapter 5 – True or False?

40. The condition of today’s American political parties has been described with words such as decline, decay, and demise, but a more precise description may be that they are in the process of transformation.

41. Republicans typically have been considered the party of big business, and the Democrats the party of workers.

42. State political parties are very centralized organizations.

43. In spite of the fact that two political parties dominate politics in the states; third parties have achieved limited success in some states.

44. State political parties are stronger today than at any time in the nation’s history.

45. Most states currently exhibit substantial two-party competition.

46. When we speak of divided government in the states, we typically mean that one party controls the governor’s office and another party controls the legislature.

47. Individuals join interest groups for no other purpose other than to influence government.

48. Because so much of local government involves the delivery of services, local interest groups devote a great deal of their attention to administrative agencies and departments.

49. Bombarding legislators with mail, e-mail, faxes and telephone calls are tactics used by grassroots lobbying organizations.

50. The 527 groups are not connected to candidates, but spend money to influence the outcome of elections.

Student evaluation of Dr. Jain’s performance as an educator:

1. Strength(s)

2. Suggested improvement(s)

3. Would you recommend me as a professor to other students?

Yes (why?):

No (why not?):

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