AP US Government : Elections

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US Government

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Example Questions

Example Question #12 : Federal Election Proceedings

A ____________ is a secret-ballot voting procedure—not unlike a regular election—whereby participants use ballots to determine their choice for presidential nominees.

Possible Answers:

Caucus

Primary

Delegation

Convention

None of the answers are correct

Correct answer:

Primary

Explanation:

This is the flipside of question 7. Primary is the correct answer. Remember: primaries are procedurally virtually indistinguishable from any other election; participants cast secret ballots for the candidates of their choice. Primaries, as distinguished from caucuses, are a little less grass-roots, and are generally much quicker. Their efficiency likely is one of the reason that primaries are now more popular than caucuses for determining presidential nominees.

Example Question #13 : Federal Election Proceedings

A(n) __________ allows any person, regardless of party affiliation, to cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice.

Possible Answers:

Caucus

Open primary

Closed primary

Convention

Delegation

Correct answer:

Open primary

Explanation:

The correct choice is “open primary.” Open primaries are extremely interesting in that absolutely anyone, regardless of party affiliation, can vote in them. Because anyone (of any party) can vote for anyone (of any party), this means that people can vote across party lines. This allows for political machinations that are extraordinarily cunning.

Take, for example, a nomination fight involving Republicans and Democrats. Both parties are fronting candidates that would pose a significant challenge to the other (meaning it wouldn’t be a landslide either way). That said, both parties have a back-burner candidate who is a political liability, and would lose to the opposing candidate if nominated in the primary. A particularly smart campaign would organize a cross-vote, whereby voters of one party (say Republicans) vote for the weaker DEMOCRAT in order to get that candidate nominated in the hopes that their own candidate would win in the general election.

Don’t believe me? Look up the “Anyone but Cynthia” campaign—it involves a GA congresswoman.

Example Question #14 : Federal Election Proceedings

A(n) __________ allows only registered party members to cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice.

Possible Answers:

Caucus

Delegation

Closed Primary

Convention

Open Primary

Correct answer:

Closed Primary

Explanation:

This is the reverse of the previous question. Not every primary is “open;” many of them are “closed.” Closed primaries, much as the name suggests, are closed off from anyone who is not a registered party member. The advantages of closed primaries are legion: there can be no cross-voting, voting tends to be more cohesive and less scattered, etc. The disadvantages of closed primaries are also significant, however, grass-roots voting at this particular level tends to bring out the most extreme and the least representative of the party.

Example Question #15 : Federal Election Proceedings

Which of the following types of elections can be described as “an election before the general election in which voters choose the top two candidates regardless of their political parties”?

Possible Answers:

Open primary

Referendum

Closed primary

General election

Blanket primary

Correct answer:

Blanket primary

Explanation:

In both open primaries, and closed primaries, the top candidates are selected from two different political parties. General elections are not “before the general election,” and referendums have to do with issues and not office holders. "Blanket primary" is the correct answer because such primaries occur before the general election, deal with electing candidates, and the candidates do not have to be from different political parties.

Example Question #16 : Federal Election Proceedings

A President can “opt-in” and use taxpayer money to fund his campaign.

Possible Answers:

That’s true, but he must also accept spending limits if he does.

That’s not true; a President has to use his own money.

That’s not true; a President must raise his own money.

That’s true.

Correct answer:

That’s true, but he must also accept spending limits if he does.

Explanation:

This is a relatively interesting subtopic of presidential politics. Presidents are allowed to fund up to a certain amount of their campaign by using public funds (they are set aside/budgeted). If, however, they decide to use public funds, they must agree to an overall cap on the amount of money that they will expend, and they cannot accept any private donations. In other words, if the President opts-in, his campaign will be capped at a certain amount, and he may not solicit donations.

Example Question #17 : Federal Election Proceedings

Who elects the President of the United States?

Possible Answers:

The U.S. Congress

American Citizens

Presidential Electors

All residents of the United States

Correct answer:

Presidential Electors

Explanation:

As prescribed by the U.S. Constitution each state appoints Presidential Electors who cast ballots for the candidate who they are pledged to. Each state has the same number of Presidential Electors as it has Congressional representation (the number U.S. representatives plus two for the two U.S. senators). Parties choose their Electors who are pledged to vote for a certain candidate and if that candidate wins the state then those Electors become the official Electors for the state. Most states have laws that force the Electors to vote for their pledged candidate in order to ensure that they don’t go rogue.

Example Question #21 : Federal Election Proceedings

Every four years the American people vote for a President and Vice President but the actual election of the Executive is by the vote of the Electoral College. What is the Electoral College?

Possible Answers:

A committee composed of the governors of each state that counts the votes in their state then submits the votes to the President of the Senate

A group of college deans selected to oversee the election to avoid voter fraud

A committee of the House of Representatives that validates the election

An oversight board appointed by Congress to verify the election

A process of selecting the President and Vice President based on the electoral votes of the people of each state

Correct answer:

A process of selecting the President and Vice President based on the electoral votes of the people of each state

Explanation:

It is a commonly held belief that the American people elect the President and Vice President directly. In reality, it is the Electoral College that has the final vote and elects the Executive. In the early days of our government, it was believed that most of the voters were not educated sufficiently to vote for a good candidate for President and would vote for the individual whose promises were pleasing to them. Thus, the Electoral College was created. The people would vote, as we do today, then their votes would be taken by messenger to the Electoral College where individuals selected for their knowledge and impartiality would count the votes. Then, as today, each state had a selected number of representatives in the Electoral College. In the early days, these representatives would vote for the candidate that they felt was best suited to be President and Vice President regardless of the people’s vote. Today, representatives in the College are selected by the political parties and when we cast our votes, we are voting for them. They in turn will cast their votes according to the laws of their state and the vote of the people.  

Example Question #1 : State Election Proceedings

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, many states imposed Jim Crow laws, including electoral restrictions in an effort to prevent non-white citizens from voting. Which of the following was NOT a voter suppression tactic enacted by municipal and state governments?

Possible Answers:

Grandfather Clauses

Threats of Violence

Evidence of Residency Records

Literacy Tests

Poll Taxes

Correct answer:

Threats of Violence

Explanation:

While each of the answers is a real voter suppression tactic, threats of violence were performed on local community scales, as opposed to legal tactics enacted by municipal and state governments. 

Example Question #2 : State Election Proceedings

The boundaries of congressional districts are decided by __________.

Possible Answers:

the state legislature

The Department of the Interior

The Supreme Court of The United States

the governor's office

the lower courts of the Judicial Branch

Correct answer:

the state legislature

Explanation:

The various boundaries of the United States' congressional districts within each state are generally determined by the State Legislatures of those states. 

Example Question #3 : State Election Proceedings

In an open-seat election __________.

Possible Answers:

there is an equal split among the eligible voters for both parties

the media controls who will get elected

the President is able to choose his favored candidate for election

there is no incumbent candidate

there is an opportunity for an independent candidate to gain a seat

Correct answer:

there is no incumbent candidate

Explanation:

An open-seat election occurs when an incumbent either dies or retires during office, leaving a seat completely vacant. This is particularly important, because in a standard election incumbent candidates win a large majority of the time, so an open-seat provides an opportunity to multiple people, who might otherwise have no chance of being elected.

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