CMC Election Administration & Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a precinct in election administration?
- To serve as the basic geographic unit for organizing voters and polling places (Correct answer)
- To define county boundaries for tax purposes
- To allocate federal funding to local governments
- To determine redistricting timelines
Correct answer: To serve as the basic geographic unit for organizing voters and polling places
A precinct is the fundamental geographic subdivision used to assign voters to specific polling locations and tabulate results.
Question 2: Under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), what must jurisdictions provide to voters whose eligibility is questioned at the polls?
- A provisional ballot (Correct answer)
- An absentee ballot application
- A voter registration form
- A written notice of disqualification
Correct answer: A provisional ballot
HAVA requires that any voter whose eligibility is challenged must be offered a provisional ballot, which is counted after eligibility is confirmed.
Question 3: Which document formally certifies the results of a municipal election?
- Certificate of election (Correct answer)
- Notice of election
- Election proclamation
- Canvass resolution
Correct answer: Certificate of election
A certificate of election is the official document issued to winning candidates confirming their election to office.
Question 4: What is 'chain of custody' in the context of election administration?
- The documented transfer of ballots and election materials from one authorized handler to the next (Correct answer)
- The order in which candidates appear on the ballot
- The sequence of canvassing steps after election day
- The hierarchy of election officials responsible for results
Correct answer: The documented transfer of ballots and election materials from one authorized handler to the next
Chain of custody refers to the secure, documented transfer of ballots and materials to prevent tampering and ensure integrity.
Question 5: A voter moves to a new address within the same jurisdiction two weeks before an election. Under most state laws, what should they do?
- Update their registration before the registration deadline and vote at their new precinct (Correct answer)
- Vote at their old precinct since they registered there
- Submit an absentee ballot automatically
- Wait until the next election cycle to update their registration
Correct answer: Update their registration before the registration deadline and vote at their new precinct
Voters who move must update their registration before the applicable deadline to vote at the precinct serving their new address.
Question 6: What is the role of a logic and accuracy (L&A) test in election administration?
- To verify that voting equipment correctly records and tallies votes before election day (Correct answer)
- To audit voter rolls for duplicate registrations
- To test the accessibility features of polling places
- To verify that candidate names are spelled correctly on ballots
Correct answer: To verify that voting equipment correctly records and tallies votes before election day
L&A testing confirms that voting machines accurately record and count ballots by running test ballots with known outcomes before the election.
Question 7: Which federal law prohibits voter intimidation and coercion at polling places?
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Correct answer)
- The National Voter Registration Act
- The Help America Vote Act
- The Federal Election Campaign Act
Correct answer: The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits practices that intimidate, threaten, or coerce voters, and bars interference with the right to vote.
CMC Election Administration & Procedures 2
What is the primary purpose of a precinct in election administration?