Chapter 8 Test Bank Docx Elections And Campaigns In Texas

Chapter 8

Elections and Campaigns in Texas

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. On what day do Texans vote for who will represent them in the United States Congress?

a. the first Tuesday in November of all even-numbered years

b. the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of all even-numbered years

c. the first Tuesday in November of all odd-numbered years

d. the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of all odd-numbered years

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Introduction

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. How often does Texas hold general elections?

a. every year

b. every two years

c. every four years

d. twice a year

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Introduction

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. In 2016, Texas voters elected

a. all the members of the Texas House of Representatives and all the members of the Texas Senate.

b. all the members of the Texas House of Representatives and half the members of the Texas Senate.

c. half the members of the Texas House of Representatives and all the members of the Texas Senate.

d. half the members of the Texas House of Representatives and half the members of the Texas Senate.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Introduction

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Ballot form in Texas is decided upon by:
   1. the state election commission
   2. the Federal Election Commission
   3. each county
   4. voters

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Form

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. The style of ballot form in which candidates are listed by party and by office is known as the

a. party line format.

b. party column format.

c. straight party ticket.

d. office block format.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Form

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. The style of ballot form in which candidates are listed by office with party affiliation listed by their name is known as the

a. party line format.

b. party column format.

c. straight party ticket.

d. office block format.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Form

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Most computer (electronic) ballots are what type?
   1. Office block format
   2. Party column format
   3. Party block format
   4. Office column format

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Form

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Straight-ticket voting:
   1. Is not allowed in Texas
   2. Is encouraged by the party column format
   3. Has advantaged the Texas Democratic Party in recent years
   4. Is only possible with paper ballots

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Form

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Ballot eligibility requirements are set by

a. the parties.

b. federal law.

c. the states.

d. tradition.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. In Texas, to run as an independent for statewide office, a candidate must file a petition with a number of signatures equal to ________ percent of the votes cast for governor in the past election.

a. 1

b. 5

c. 10

d. 19

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. To qualify for minor-party status, a party must have won at least __ percent of the votes in a race for statewide office in the last general election.

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 5

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. How many third parties have there been in Texas in the last 50 years?

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 3

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. A candidate who is listed on the general election ballot as a Libertarian is considered:
   1. A caucus candidate
   2. An independent candidate
   3. A minor party candidate
   4. A write-in candidate

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. This is the law in Texas that forbids candidates defeated in the primary election from filing to run as independents in the general election:
   1. “Sore loser” law
   2. Double jeopardy
   3. “Can’t lose twice” law
   4. “Once bitten, twice shy” law

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 3

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Texas has which of the following types of primary systems?

a. special type of open primary system.

b. semi-open primary system.

c. closed primary system.

d. blanket primary system.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Texas is considered a semi-open primary state because:
   1. All candidates from both parties appear on the same ballot
   2. Voters may change declared partisanship on election day
   3. Voters can switch parties between offices on the primary ballot
   4. Voters cannot participate in another party’s activities for the remainder of the election year

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 3

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. The primary system that allows voters to register or change their party registration on election day is known as a

a. open primary system.

b. semi-closed primary system.

c. closed primary system.

d. blanket primary system.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Ballot Access to the November General Election

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Advocates say the ________ encourages party identification and loyalty.

a. open primary system

b. semi-closed primary system

c. closed primary system

d. blanket primary system

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Political Differences between Open and Closed Primary Systems

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Imagine you are a die-hard member of party A, but wanted the less popular candidate from party B to be party A’s general election opponent. What type of primary election system would allow you to vote for the less popular candidate in party B during the primaries without changing parties?

a. open primary system

b. semi-closed primary system

c. closed primary system

d. None of these answers is correct.

Critical Thinking: Application

Difficulty: 3

Text Answer Hint: Political Differences between Open and Closed Primary Systems

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Voting in another party’s primary to intentionally nominate a weaker candidate is known as:
   1. Runoff voting
   2. Party raiding
   3. False voting
   4. Crossover voting

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Political Differences between Open and Closed Primary Systems

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. In Texas, when is a runoff primary required?

a. when the winner of the first primary is disqualified

b. when there is only a .02% difference in total votes for the top two candidates

c. when no candidate receives a plurality of votes

d. when no candidate receives a majority of votes

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Political Differences between Open and Closed Primary Systems

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Can a Texas voter who voted in the primary election of one party vote in the runoff primary of the other party?

a. yes

b. no

c. yes, if it is an open primary

d. no, unless it was a blanket primary

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Runoff Primary Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. If you wanted to run for statewide office in Texas you could pay a filing fee of ________ or submit a petition with ________.

a. $9,000; 45,000 signatures

b. $4,000; 45,000 signatures

c. $500; signatures equaling 3 percent of the votes cast for the office in the past election

d. $53,000; signatures equaling 3 percent of the votes cast for the office in the past election

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: The Administration and Finance of Primary Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Who oversees the administration of elections to ensure that the rules are followed?

a. the county sheriff

b. the party chairs

c. the secretary of state

d. the party executive committees

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: The Administration and Finance of Primary Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. By Texas law, special elections may be held in all of the following months EXCEPT

a. January.

b. May.

c. August.

d. November.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Special Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. What is the most common special election in Texas?

a. city council elections

b. amendments to the constitution

c. single contest elections

d. mayoral elections in November

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Special Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Special elections in Texas:
   1. Occur in November
   2. Cannot be used to decide on amendments to the state constitution
   3. May occur to fill vacancies in the legislature, House, or Senate
   4. Are limited to only major party candidates

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Special Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Typically, voter turnout for special elections is highest when those elections are held in

a. January.

b. May.

c. August.

d. November.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Special Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Which of the following allowed the federal government to oversee the operation of elections at the state level until a Supreme Court ruling in 2013?

a. the Voting Rights Act

b. Article 10 of the U.S. Constitution

c. the ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas

d. None of these answers is correct.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: The Federal Voting Rights Act

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. The Federal Voting Rights Act:
   1. Requires bilingual ballots in certain precincts
   2. Gave women the right to vote
   3. Requires all voters to show some form of identification
   4. Lowered the voting age to 18

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: The Federal Voting Rights Act

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Texas is required to use a bilingual ballot for all elections in counties that contain more than ________ percent Spanish-speaking residents

a. 5

b. 10

c. 15

d. 20

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: The Federal Voting Rights Act

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. What voting practice was developed with the U.S. armed services in mind?

a. Internet voting

b. early voting

c. absentee voting

d. proxy voting

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Absentee and Early Voting

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. When did the Texas legislature change the rules to allow anyone to vote absentee without restrictions?

a. Texas has always allowed unrestricted absentee voting.

b. 1979

c. 1993

d. 2001

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Absentee and Early Voting

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Today, elections are dominated by issues of what type?

a. social

b. fiscal

c. defense

d. foreign relations

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: The Changing Nature of Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Why has the Catholic vote in Texas migrated from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party?

a. social issues

b. immigration issues

c. natural gravitation to the right

d. the Republican’s strong campaign to win over the Catholic vote

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: The Changing Nature of Elections

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. In the early twentieth century, candidates in Texas running for statewide office could have extremely inconsistent messages depending where they were campaigning in the state. Why?

a. Texas’s diversity

b. traditional political culture

c. lack of a statewide press

d. individual political culture

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Which of the following is NOT among the types of short political commercials?

a. the feel bad spot

b. the sainthood spot

c. NOOTS

d. the good ol’ girl spot

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. A ________ is a panel of “average citizens” who are used by political consultants to test ideas and words for later use in campaigns.

a. poll

b. test group

c. statistical sample

d. focus group

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Political Consultants

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Most of the money used in political campaigns comes from

a. individual contributions.

b. political action committees.

c. federal matching funds.

d. political party war chests.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Money in Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. In state elections from 2006 to 2014, which sector contributed the most amount of PAC money to campaigns?

a. ideology

b. business

c. labor

d. environmental

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Money in Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Elections have changed in all of the following ways EXCEPT:
   1. Labor unions have become a stronger voice
   2. Social issues have grown in importance
   3. Catholic and male voters have migrated to the Republican Party
   4. Media and internet have influenced the nature of campaigns

Critical Thinking: Comprehension

Difficulty: 2

Text Answer Hint: Money in Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

Table 8.2 – Total PAC Money in State Campaigns from 2006 to 2014

Source: Source: Texas PACs: 2014 Election Cycle Spending. February 2016. See (www.tpj.org).

1. According to Table 8.2, the amount of PAC money in state campaigns in Texas ______ from 2006 to 2014.
   1. decreased
   2. increased
   3. did not change
   4. doubled

Critical Thinking: Application

Difficulty: 3

Text Answer Hint: Money in Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

Table 8.2 – Total PAC Money in State Campaigns from 2006 to 2014

Source: Source: Texas PACs: 2014 Election Cycle Spending. February 2016. See (www.tpj.org).

1. According to Table 8.2, when was the largest increase in money from Business PACs?
   1. From 2006 to 2008
   2. From 2008 to 2010
   3. From 2010 to 2012
   4. From 2012 to 2014

Critical Thinking: Application

Difficulty: 3

Text Answer Hint: Money in Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

Table 8.2 – Total PAC Money in State Campaigns from 2006 to 2014

Source: Source: Texas PACs: 2014 Election Cycle Spending. February 2016. See (www.tpj.org).

1. According to Table 8.2, between which 2 cycles did we see a decline in campaign money?
   1. Between 2006 and 2008 for Labor PACs
   2. Between 2010 and 2012 for Ideology PACs
   3. Between 2012 and 2014 for Business PACs
   4. Between 2012 and 2014 for all PACs

Critical Thinking: Application

Difficulty: 3

Text Answer Hint: Money in Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

1. Today the regulation of campaign finances in Texas is limited to the requirement that all candidates and PACs file reports with the

a. Texas Elections Board.

b. U.S. Department of Justice.

c. Texas State Ethics Commission.

d. Texas secretary of state.

Critical Thinking: Knowledge

Difficulty: 1

Text Answer Hint: Money in Campaigns

Topic: Elections and Campaigns in Texas

Texas Standards: LO-6. Analyze the state and local election process.

ESSAY

1. When do general elections occur in Texas, and which offices are up for election? Use 2012 and 2014 as examples.
2. How do Texas laws make it very difficult for independent candidates to be successful?
3. List the four minor parties of the last 50 years. Discuss why it is so difficult for minor parties to become major parties.
4. List the five types of primary systems. Choose one and argue why it is the best.
5. What is party raiding? Does it have the potential to affect the outcome of a general election?
6. Discuss the runoff primary. Why does it exist? What are its benefits and its drawbacks?
7. What are the three types of special election in Texas?
8. List the five types of sound-bite commercials listed in the chapter. Define two of them.
9. Discuss the regulation of campaign finances both in federal elections and in state elections in Texas.
10. What is the Citizens United decision and how has it impacted the financing of political campaigns?