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Electoral College and Elections Basics
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1
Question
What is the Electoral College?
Page 5
Answer
System that officially elects the president; each state gets a number of votes based on Congress members.
2
Question
How does each state determine its number of electoral votes?
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Answer
# of House reps + 2 senators = electoral votes per state.
3
Question
Who are delegates or electors?
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Answer
People chosen to cast electoral votes for president.
4
Question
What defines swing states in elections?
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Answer
States that can go either way; heavily campaigned in.
5
Question
What is the winner-take-all system?
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Answer
The candidate with the most votes in a state gets all its electoral votes.
6
Question
How many electoral votes are required to win the presidency?
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Answer
270 electoral votes needed.
7
Question
What is the popular vote?
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Answer
The total votes by citizens; may differ from electoral outcome.
8
Question
In a closed primary, who is eligible to vote?
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Answer
Only registered party members can vote.
9
Question
What feature defines a semi-closed primary?
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Answer
Independents can choose a party to vote in.
10
Question
Who can participate in an open primary?
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Answer
Any voter can participate in any party primary.
11
Question
What occurs in a general election?
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Answer
Final election where voters choose between party nominees for office.
12
Question
What is gerrymandering?
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Answer
Manipulating district boundaries to favor one party.
13
Question
What is cracking in the context of gerrymandering?
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Answer
Splitting opposition voters into many districts to dilute votes.
14
Question
What is packing in gerrymandering?
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Answer
Concentrating opposition voters into one district to reduce influence elsewhere.
15
Question
Why can the popular vote differ from the electoral college outcome?
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Answer
The electoral college system awards votes by state, not proportionally by total citizens.
16
Question
If a state has 15 House representatives, how many electoral votes does it receive?
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Answer
17 (15 House reps + 2 senators).
17
Question
If a state has 5 House representatives, how many electoral votes does it have?
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Answer
7 (5 House reps + 2 senators).
18
Question
What is the guaranteed minimum contribution to electoral votes from senators?
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Answer
2 electoral votes per state.
19
Question
Distinguish closed from open primaries.
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Answer
Closed: only registered party members; Open: any voter in any party primary.
20
Question
How does semi-closed primary accommodate independents compared to closed?
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Answer
Independents can choose a party to vote in; closed restricts to registered members.
21
Question
Under winner-take-all, does a candidate need a majority in a state?
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Answer
No, the most votes (plurality) gets all electoral votes.
22
Question
Why are swing states heavily campaigned?
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Answer
They can support either party, making them pivotal.
23
Question
What is the purpose of electors?
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Answer
To cast the state's electoral votes for the chosen presidential candidate.
24
Question
Distinguish cracking from packing in gerrymandering.
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Answer
Cracking: dilute by splitting across districts; Packing: waste by concentrating in one.
25
Question
In general elections, what do voters select?
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Answer
Between party nominees for office.
26
Question
If no candidate reaches 270 electoral votes, what happens?
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Answer
The material does not specify; typically House decides, but focus on 270 threshold.
27
Question
How does gerrymandering favor one party?
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Answer
By manipulating district boundaries.
28
Question
What electoral votes does California likely have (apply formula conceptually)?
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Answer
High number based on large House delegation + 2 senators.
29
Question
Why might campaigns ignore safe states?
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Answer
They reliably go one way, unlike swing states.
30
Question
Compare popular vote to electoral votes.
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Answer
Popular: citizen total; Electoral: state-based, can override.