Kate Kelly’s Journal News Election Day Quiz
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Kate Kelly of Larchmont, author of “Election Day: An American Holiday, An American History” (Facts on File) and political blogger for The Huffington Post, wrote this quiz for The Journal News and LoHud. Com. If you take the quiz and get fewer than three questions wrong, consider yourself an election-history expert. Fewer than three right? Maybe you should buy the book. To learn more, visit Kate Kelly’s Web sites: www. Electiondayhistory. Org and www. Americacomesalive. Com.
- 1.Bill Clinton was sometimes referred to as the “MTV president." This was because:
- A.
One of his campaign messages was that people should spend "more time voting."
- B.
He appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show and played his saxophone, the first time a candidate opened himself to this type of media exposure.
- C.
His relationship with Monica Lewinsky showed that he got along well with younger voters
- 2.Which presidential candidate sent his alleged mistress and their child to live in New Rochelle?
- A.
John Kennedy
- B.
Grover Cleveland
- C.
Ulysses Grant
- 3.John McCain is the oldest candidate to ever run for a presidential first term. How old was Ronald Reagan when he ran for his first term?
- A.
68
- B.
69
- C.
71
- 4.2008 is the first time we have had such a large percentage of people voting before Election Day, with one-third of all voters expected to vote early. One state now votes 100 percent by mail. Which state is it?
- A.
Montana
- B.
Arkansas
- C.
Oregon
- 5.Women were given the right to vote in 1920 by the 19th Amendment. Who were the presidential candidates in that election?
- A.
Warren G. Harding (Republican) and James Cox (Democrat)
- B.
Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) and Charles Hughes (Republican)
- C.
Calvin Coolidge (Republican) and John W. Davis (Democrat)
- 6.These days, we eagerly await the results of the latest polls. Polls have been conducted since the:
- A.
1940s
- B.
1920s
- C.
1890s
- 7.How many senators have been elected president?
- A.
12
- B.
18
- C.
15
- 8.It is often said that a governorship provides a smoother pathway to the presidency because there is no congressional voting record to haunt the candidate. How many governors have been elected president?
- A.
18
- B.
12
- C.
16
- 9.Only 10 times in modern history (since 1945) have both branches of Congress and the presidency been controlled by the same party. When was the last time the House, Senate and presidency were all held by Democrats?
- A.
In 1979, when Jimmy Carter was president
- B.
In 1993, the year Clinton started his presidency
- C.
In 1967, when Lyndon Johnson was president
- 10.In our history, how many times has the winner of the popular vote been displaced by another candidate?
- A.
Six times
- B.
Two times
- C.
Four times
- 11.The Voting Rights Act outlawed discriminatory practices that often kept African-Americans from voting. It was passed in:
- A.
1920
- B.
1950
- C.
1965
- 12.True or False: Since each state has a specific number of electors, the number of electors who participate in the Electoral College changes only when additional states are added to the Union.
- A.
True
- B.
False
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