Chapter 9

Question 1

Suffrage

Answer 1

the right to vote

Question 2

Register

Answer 2

officially sign up to vote

Question 3

Polling place

Answer 3

the place you go to vote on Election Day

Question 4

Ballot

Answer 4

a list of the candidates’ names that shows their political party and the office they are seeking

Question 5

Voter turnout rate

Answer 5

the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote

Question 6

Apathy

Answer 6

a lack of interest

Question 7

Principle

Answer 7

basic belief

Question 8

In the early years of the United States did most citizens have the right to vote?

Answer 8

no

Question 9

What was the only group of people who had the right to vote?

Answer 9

white, male, landowners

Question 10

Name two groups that were unable to vote until a law was passed or an amendment added to the Constitution.

Answer 10

African Americans and Women

Question 11

Which amendment gave women the right to vote?

Answer 11

19th

Question 12

What did the Twenty-sixth Amendment passed in 1971 do?

Answer 12

changed the voting age from 21 to 18

Question 13

In most states are people who have committed serious crimes and served prison sentences eligible to vote?

Answer 13

no

Question 14

What group gained the vote in 1870 with the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment?

Answer 14

African Americans

Question 15

How did the law passed by Congress in 1992 extend suffrage?

Answer 15

extended the use of bilingual ballots and voting assistance

Question 16

What group gained the right to vote in 1920 with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment?

Answer 16

Women

Question 17

People of what age range gained the right to vote in 1971 with the passage of the Twenty-six Amendment?

Answer 17

18 and older

Question 18

Which amendment extended suffrage to residents of Washington, D.C.?

Answer 18

23rd

Question 19

How were individual voting rights protected in 1960?

Answer 19

The Civil Rights Act of 1960 made it to where there would be penalties to anyone who obstructed an individual’s voting rights

Question 20

What was the goal of the additions made in 1975 to the Voting Rights Act?

Answer 20

to ban literacy tests so that it wouldn’t cause some people not to vote

Question 21

What does it mean to register to vote?

Answer 21

to officially sign up to vote

Question 22

What information is required to register?

Answer 22

your name, address, age, and often your political party preference

Question 23

Why do you have to give your birth date?

Answer 23

to prove your citizenship and age

Question 24

What is the Motor Voter law?

Answer 24

a law that requires states to let people register when they renew their driver’s license

Question 25

Where can you find information about public issues and current events?

Answer 25

websites, television, radio, newspapers, books, and magazines

Question 26

What are the different types of ballots?

Answer 26

a piece of paper with check boxes, a punch card, or a computer touch screen

Question 27

How is apathy related to voter turnout rate?

Answer 27

If people are not interested in politics or who becomes president, then they will probably not vote

Question 28

What are the two basic qualifications to vote in the United States?

Answer 28

You must be an American citizen and you must be 18 years old

Question 29

Issue

Answer 29

matter of debate or dispute

Question 30

Initiative

Answer 30

a procedure by which citizens can propose new laws or state constitutional amendments

Question 31

Referendum

Answer 31

a procedure by which citizens vote one state or local laws

Question 32

Recall

Answer 32

a special election in which citizens can vote to remove a public official from office

Question 33

Electoral College

Answer 33

a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

Question 34

Popular Vote

Answer 34

the votes cast by individual voters in a presidential election, as opposed to the electoral vote

Question 35

Winner take-all system

Answer 35

a system in which the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state usually receives all of the state’s votes

Question 36

Canvass

Answer 36

to seek votes from voters

Question 37

Political action committee

Answer 37

political organization established by a corporation, labor union, or other special-interest group designed to support candidates by contributing money

Question 38

Why are there different types of elections in the American political system?

Answer 38

because there are so many elected officials

Question 39

What is the purpose of primary elections?

Answer 39

to choose one candidate from each party to run in the general election

Question 40

Who becomes the party’s candidate for an office?

Answer 40

the person who receives the most votes

Question 41

How are primary and general elections different?

Answer 41

general elections are held on a specific day

Question 42

How do people get a proposed law on the ballot for citizens to vote on?

Answer 42

by going through an initiative

Question 43

If the proposed law gets on the ballot what happens next?

Answer 43

a referendum takes place

Question 44

In a referendum can voters reject a law passed by the state legislature?

Answer 44

yes

Question 45

What is a recall election?

Answer 45

an election in which people vote on whether to remove an official from office

Question 46

How does the process of having a recall election begin?

Answer 46

by people signing a petition

Question 47

What determines whether a candidate wins a particular state’s electoral vote?

Answer 47

If they win the popular vote

Question 48

How many electoral votes does a presidential candidate have to win in order to be president?

Answer 48

at least 270

Question 49

Who counts electoral votes?

Answer 49

the House and Senate

Question 50

What happens on January 20 following a Presidential election year?

Answer 50

The president is sworn into office

Question 51

Why do you think some people criticize the winner-take-all aspect?

Answer 51

because it is harder for third party candidates to be represented in the electoral vote

Question 52

How can a change be made to the Electoral College system?

Answer 52

by amending the constitution

Question 53

What is the first thing a candidate running for office must do?

Answer 53

they must meet all of the qualifications for office

Question 54

What is the purpose of the exploratory committee?

Answer 54

to find out how much support the person is likely to get

Question 55

Why do candidates try to get a lot of media attention when they publicly announce they are running for office?

Answer 55

so that more people will know that they are running and so that more people will want them to get into the office position