Qualifying to Vote
Which Amendment extended voting rights to African American men recently freed from slavery?
The Fifteenth Amendment
True or False: Most states do not require citizens to register to vote.
False - most states do require registration.
What is the name of the type of election that is held by each party to choose one candidate to represent that party?
A primary election
True or False: When presidential campaigns begin, several people from each party typically declare that they will be running for the office of the president.
True
What is the term used to describe a situation in which the candidate who wins the popular vote usually receives ALL of the state's electoral votes?
A winner-take-all system
Which Amendment extended voting rights to all women?
The Nineteenth Amendment
True or False: You must register as a member of a political party in order to vote in U.S. elections.
False - You may register as a political party member or as an independent.
What is the name for the type of election that is held if no single candidate gets a majority of votes in a primary election where a majority is required to win?
A runoff election
True or False: Presidential candidates typically fund their own campaigns on their own.
False - Funding comes from individuals, companies, interest groups, unions, and political action committees.
What is the name for a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president?
The Electoral College
Which Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years old?
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment
True or False: You can only vote at the polling place in your precinct.
True
A recount
In what month do the House of Representatives and the Senate meet to count the electoral votes in a presidential election?
January
What is the name for a new law or amendment to a state constitution that is proposed by citizens and placed on a ballot for voters to decide whether to support or not?
An initiative
What are the two qualifications that must be met in order to be eligible to vote in United States elections?
You must be an American citizen and at least 18 years of age or older.
True or False: Some campaign ads and campaign literature can be biased?
True - campaign ads and campaign literature may contain opinions that favor or disfavor certain candidates. It is important to separate facts from opinions.
General elections take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
What type of committee is formed by a potential presidential candidate to find out how much support the candidate will attract?
An exploratory committee
True or False: The voter turnout rate in the United States is typically around 60%.
False - The voter turnout rate in the United States is typically less than 50% (meaning, less than 50% of eligible voters typically vote in elections).
What are two exceptions to the normal qualification rules that make people in some states not eligible to vote?
In other words, what are two reasons that people in some states are not eligible to vote even though they meet the two basic requirements?
In some states, people with certain mental illnesses and people who are in prison who have committed serious crimes are not eligible to vote.
True or False: Military members who are stationed overseas are not able to vote in United States elections.
False - Military members who are stationed overseas may vote by absentee ballot.
What is the name of an election that is held to determine whether to remove an elected official from office?
A recall election.
What is the minimum number of electoral votes a candidate must receive in order to win the presidential election?
270
What is the name for a new law or amendment passed by a state or local legislature that is placed on a ballot for voters to accept or reject?
A referendum