Vocabulary Quiz (Elections & Presidents)
- 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: If a president is “impeached,” what happened?
- Answer: Impeachment is a formal charge of wrongdoing against a public official.
- 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’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: What’s the difference between voting with a BMD (a 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: Why is “270” important in U.S. elections?
- Answer: To win a U.S. presidential election, a candidate must win a majority of “electoral votes” (meaning, at a minimum, 270 votes, which is one more than half of the 538 total votes in the Electoral College, thus constituting a majority).
- Question: Which entity officially elects the president and vice president of the United States?
- Answer: The Electoral College officially elects the U.S. president and vice president.
- 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: What is the only federal body that can file “articles of impeachment” against a public official?
- Answer: In the U.S. federal government, the House of Representatives has the sole power to file articles of impeachment.
- Question: In terms of elections, what is “RCV”?
- Answer: All of these are true about RCV (ranked-choice voting).
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© Blacksanshine/Dreamstime.com
