ProCon’s Voting and Elections Quiz
- Question: What’s the difference between voting with a BMD (ballot-marking device) and voting via a DRE (direct-recording electronic) device?
- Answer: The production of a paper ballot, which is difficult to alter and easy to track and recount, is the main difference between BMDs (ballot-marking devices) and DRE (direct-recording electronic) machines, which store votes electronically, increasing security risks during data storage and transfers.
- Question: Approximately how many seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election every two years on Election Day?
- Answer: Approximately one-third of seats in the U.S. Senate (33 or 34 of the 100 total seats) are up for election every two years on Election Day.
- Question: Which term means the right to vote?
- Answer: Suffrage is the right to vote.
- Question: If you vote “viva voce,” how did you vote?
- Answer: Viva voce (Latin for “with the living voice”) means an oral vote (spoken aloud), which was done in ancient Greece.
- Question: In terms of elections, what is “RCV”?
- Answer: All of these are true about RCV (ranked-choice voting).
- Question: How many seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election every two years on Election Day?
- Answer: All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election every two years on Election Day.
- Question: Which of the following is an argument in favor of keeping electronic voting machines?
- Answer: All of these are common arguments for keeping electronic voting machines.
- Question: Which of the following is a common argument against allowing 16-year-olds to vote in U.S. elections?
- Answer: This is a common argument against allowing 16-year-olds to vote in U.S. elections.
- Question: When it comes to voting, what does a “black ball” signify?
- Answer: Throughout history, in private clubs and public elections alike, selecting or voting with a white ball meant a vote in favor of someone; a black ball was a vote against someone (which is the origin of the phrase to blackball someone).
- Question: What was the national voting age in the United States until 1971?
- Answer: The national voting age was 21 until 1971, when it was lowered to 18.
- Question: When is Election Day in the United States?
- Answer: U.S. Election Day is held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, in even-numbered years.
- Question: Which of the following might a “felon” lose?
- Answer: A person convicted of a felony (a crime more serious than a misdemeanor) could lose any or all of these rights in the United States.
- Question: What’s the significance of the “Australian ballot”?
- Answer: All of these answers are true about the Australian ballot, which was widely adopted around the world in the 1800s.
- Question: Which of the following is true about “midterm elections”?
- Answer: All of these are true about midterm elections.
