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Chapter 5: Voters, Campaign, and Elections
True/False Questions
1. In a good democracy, voters cast their ballots on the basis of open discussion of important issues
and their policy preferences.
2. From the standpoint of the individual voter, there may be no logic in voting, since public
elections are almost never won by the margin of a single vote.
3. Voting is frequently determined by emotion, custom, and habit.
4. In democratic theory, it is the existence of a constitution which makes a government legitimate.
5. One of the advantages of large-scale voting is that it makes rigging an election more difficult.
6. Wide-spread voter registration in Texas was the result of federal intervention which outlawed
practices which limited the voting of minorities.
7. Under current Texas law, one must register to vote between October 1 and January 31.
8. Requirements to register to vote in Texas include age of 18 or above, residence in the state for 30
days, and U.S. citizenship.
9. Voter turnout in Texas generally is greater than that of the national average.
10. Anglo voters tend to vote in greater percentages than minority citizens, especially Hispanic and
Afro American voters.
11. If minority voters voted at the same percentage as Anglo voters, Democrats would win more
elections.
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12. The act of volunteering to work in election campaigns is not only useful to the candidates; it is of
great importance to the volunteers and the democratic process.
13. Unlike the United States, many other democracies fund the campaigns to avoid the influence that
wealth can have on the elections.
14. Most of the money given to candidates comes from wealthy donors who represent some special
interest.
15. Under Texas law, corporations may directly contribute to election campaigns.
16. Texas law strictly limits how much money can be contributed to candidates for state office.
17. The Texas Ethics Commission has proven to be an effective enforcer of the Texas Campaign
Finance laws.
18. Negative campaigning tends to increase voter turnout.
19. Although technically Texas has a closed primary system, in reality voters may participate in any
party primary so long as they have not participated in the deliberations of another political party.
20. The governor and other state-wide elected officials are selected at the same time as the President.
21. A registered voter must have a reason and swear that they meet the conditions of the law in order
to vote early.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In an ideal democracy, election campaigns are contests which are:
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A. conducted by rival candidates to gain the people’s support
B. candidates debate public policy
C. candidates cast their ballots based on basis of an evaluation of the issues debated
D. all of the above are true
2. In a bad democracy, election campaigns are contests in which
A. candidates engage in personal attacks and deceptive advertising
B. the media pays close attention to polling results as a major thrust of their coverage
C. candidates pay more attention to the needs of the special interest groups that finance their
campaigns than issues
D. all of the above are true
3. Based on an analysis of the 2002 campaign for the office of governor, the authors describe a
political system that is
A. an ideal democratic system
B. a system that is very close to being an ideal democratic system
C. a system that is very close to being a “bad democracy”
D. a totally corrupt political system
4. The principle reason that individuals vote in elections is that
A. they believe that their vote will be the deciding vote
B. they understand that their voting will reduce the cynicism and distrust of the system
C. they understand that a large turnout will reduce the chances of the election being stolen
D. they believe that voting is their civic duty
5. The White primary, poll tax, and lengthy residency requirements were devices designed to
A. insure that only qualified voters were allowed to vote
B. limit the opportunities for voting for Afro Americans, Mexican Americans, and poor Whites
C. eliminate voter fraud
D. encourage a large turnout in elections
6. The Texas legislature created an “honest” voter registration system in 1991 as a result of
A. victories by liberals in the elections of 1990
B. a growing sense that increasing the opportunities to vote was the right thing for the state to do
C. adoption of the Voting Rights Act by the U.S. Congress
D. adoption of the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
7. Under Texas law, in order to register to vote, one must meet all of the following requirements
except:
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A. be a U.S. citizen
B. be at least 18 years of age by Election Day
C. be able to speak and write English
D. be a legal resident of Texas
8. The failure to vote by Afro Americans and Hispanic voters tends to affect _________ candidates
by reducing the vote that they otherwise would have received.
A. Republicans
B. conservative Democrats
C. liberal Democrats
D. Libertarians
9. The _______ is the period of time in which candidates seek to persuade potential voters to
support them
A. election
B. campaign
C. run-off election
D. primary
10. The act of volunteering to work in a campaign is valuable to the participant because
A. volunteers learn how much work a political campaign can be
B. volunteers learn tolerance for other points of view
C. volunteers learn that winning or losing does not always mean total success or failure
D. all of the above are true
11. The most important reason that candidates need money in modern campaign is
A. the cost of professional campaign consultants
B. the cost of hiring campaign staffers
C. the cost of the filing fees to run for office
D. the cost of buying media advertising, especially television
12. Political campaigns for public offices in the Texas are funded by
A. the public through a check-off provision on the state income tax
B. donations made by voters when they register to vote
C. contributions to candidates and parties made largely by wealthy donors who represent special
interests
D. dues paid to political parties for the privilege of voting in the primaries
13. The 1903 Terrell Election Law was important because it
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A. forbade donations to elections
B. forbade corporate donations to candidates for public office in Texas
C. encouraged donations to campaigns by the public
D. encouraged donations to campaigns by corporations
14. The Texas Campaign Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1973 requires that every candidate for
public office in Texas and every political campaign committee must
A. appoint a treasurer before accepting donations
B. report the names of contributors who give more than $100 for out-of-state committee who
give more than $500 to a candidate
C. file detailed financial report reporting all contributions and expenditures over $50
D. all of the above
15. As a result of the 1991 Texas Ethics Law, contributions to political races in Texas are limited in
what way?
A. there are specific limits to the amount of money that can be contributed to local races at the
county level or below
B. there are specific limits on the amount of money that can be contributed to district races
C. there are specific limits on the amount of money that can be contributed to state-wide races
D. the law did not impose any limits on the amount of money that could be contributed
16. Which of the following is not an effect of negative campaigning on democracy?
A. elections are decided on the basis of inaccurate or irrelevant charges
B. serious discussions on public policy issues are not held due to the mud-slinging
C. it discourages many potential candidates from seeking public office
D. it increases voter turnout
17. A political ad which attacks a candidates opponent or suggests the other candidate supports
programs which are not in the public interest is known as a
A. negative ad
B. warm fuzzies ad
C. personality ad
D. positive issues ad
18. Primary elections in Texas must be used by:
A. any party which received 20 percent or more of the vote for its candidate for governor in the
last election
B. any party that has won a major political office at the state-wide level
C. any party that runs a candidate for President
D. any party that runs a candidate for Governor
19. A closed primary is one in which
A. any registered voter may vote
B. only persons who are registered as party members may vote
C. only candidates who are endorsed by the party executive committee may participate
D. only persons who have been registered to vote for a year or more may vote
20. Most candidates gain a place on a general election ballot by
A. being nominated by a major political party
B. securing a place on the ballot by petition as an independent candidate
C. paying a filing fee
D. being nominated by a party convention
21. All vacancies in legislative positions, either in Congress or the state legislature, are filled by
A. appointment by the governor of Texas until the next election
B. a special election called by the governor
C. appointment by the political party that last won that position
D. the office remains vacant until the next election
22. In order to vote early in an election, a person must
A. swear that they will be out of town or have religious reasons for not voting on Election Day
B. pay an extra fee at the county clerks office
C. present themselves at the early voting station and vote with no reason being necessary
D. file an affidavit that they are under a physicians care and cannot vote on Election Day
23. According to the authors, concerning elections and campaigns in Texas
A. the low voter turnout raises questions about the legitimacy of the process in Texas
B. the disparity of turnout between racial and ethnic groups skews public policy in the direction
of the most wealthy
C. the impact of unlimited campaign money raises the question of whether the wealthy elites
control the policy process in Texas
D. each of the above are raised as questions by the authors
Essay Questions
1. What is the role of an election campaign in an ideal democracy? How closely do campaigns in
Texas adhere to this ideal?
2. How important is voting? Discuss the pros and cons of an individual taking the time to vote.
3. What is the current process for registering to vote in Texas? How have actions by the federal
government removed barriers to voting in Texas?
4. Howe does voter turnout in Texas compare with that of the nation as a whole? Which groups tend
to vote more heavily? How does the differential turnout affect the Texas political system?
5. How are most political campaigns in Texas financed? What is the result of this? What Texas laws
impact upon political campaigns in Texas?
6. What are the three types of elections conducted in Texas? What is the difference between primary
elections and general elections? Who is responsible for the conduct of each?