US Electoral Process 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A presidential candidate must win how many Electoral College votes to be elected President?
- 218
- 270 (Correct answer)
- 300
- 435
Correct answer: 270
A majority of 270 out of 538 total electoral votes is required to win the presidency.
Question 2: Which constitutional provision sets the date of congressional elections?
- Article I, Section 4 (Correct answer)
- Article II, Section 1
- The Seventeenth Amendment
- The Twentieth Amendment
Correct answer: Article I, Section 4
Article I, Section 4 gives Congress the power to set the time, place, and manner of congressional elections.
Question 3: Under the Twelfth Amendment, if no vice-presidential candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, who selects the Vice President?
- The House of Representatives
- The Senate (Correct answer)
- The Electoral College in a second vote
- The President-elect
Correct answer: The Senate
The Twelfth Amendment assigns the Senate the task of choosing the Vice President when no candidate has an electoral majority.
Question 4: The term of a U.S. Representative lasts how long?
- 1 year
- 2 years (Correct answer)
- 4 years
- 6 years
Correct answer: 2 years
Article I, Section 2 establishes two-year terms for members of the House of Representatives.
Question 5: What fraction of U.S. Senators are up for election every two years?
- One-half
- One-third (Correct answer)
- One-fourth
- All of them
Correct answer: One-third
The Senate is divided into three classes; one-third of senators face election every two years under Article I.
Question 6: Which constitutional amendment changed the date presidential terms begin?
- Twentieth Amendment (Correct answer)
- Twenty-Second Amendment
- Twenty-Third Amendment
- Twenty-Fifth Amendment
Correct answer: Twentieth Amendment
The Twentieth Amendment (1933) moved Inauguration Day from March 4 to January 20 to shorten the lame-duck period.
Question 7: Under the Constitution, which official presides over the counting of Electoral College votes before Congress?
- The Speaker of the House
- The Vice President (Correct answer)
- The Chief Justice
- The Senate Majority Leader
Correct answer: The Vice President
The Twelfth Amendment specifies that the President of the Senate (the Vice President) opens and presides over the counting of electoral votes.
US Electoral Process 3
A presidential candidate must win how many Electoral College votes to be elected President?