Chapter 36 — Quiz
Multiple Choice
1. The original federal franchise (1788) covered approximately what share of the U.S. population?
a) 3% b) 6% c) 25% d) 40%
2. The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibits denial of the right to vote on account of:
a) Sex b) Age (above 21) c) Race, color, or previous condition of servitude d) Failure to pay a poll tax
3. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 contains all of the following provisions EXCEPT:
a) Section 2, prohibiting practices that result in racial vote denial or dilution b) Section 5, requiring federal preclearance of voting changes in covered jurisdictions c) Section 4(b), the coverage formula d) Section 7, providing federal funding for polling-place modernization
4. Shelby County v. Holder (2013) struck down which provision of the Voting Rights Act?
a) Section 2, the nationwide rule b) Section 5, the preclearance requirement c) Section 4(b), the coverage formula d) The whole Act
5. Allen v. Milligan (2023) addressed:
a) Whether Section 5 preclearance still applies despite Shelby County b) Whether Alabama's congressional map violated Section 2 by diluting Black voting strength c) Whether felony disenfranchisement is constitutional d) Whether the Twenty-Fourth Amendment applies to state elections
6. The most-cited empirical estimates suggest strict photo-ID laws produce aggregate turnout effects of:
a) Approximately 0% (no detectable effect) b) Less than 1 percentage point on average, with larger effects on specific subgroups c) 5–10 percentage points d) 15–25 percentage points
7. The 2020 mail-voting expansion produced turnout effects that, on the available academic evidence (Yoder et al. 2020; Thompson et al. 2020):
a) Were heavily Democratic-favoring b) Were heavily Republican-favoring c) Were roughly partisan-symmetric d) Caused turnout to decline
8. The number of court cases challenging 2020 presidential election results that the Trump campaign and allied litigants lost was approximately:
a) Fewer than 10 b) 60+ c) Around 250 d) Around 1,000
9. Florida Amendment 4 (2018) was a ballot initiative that:
a) Eliminated voter ID requirements in Florida b) Restored voting rights to most felons who had completed their sentences c) Banned drop boxes statewide d) Authorized automatic voter registration
10. The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 did all of the following EXCEPT:
a) Clarified that the Vice President's role in counting electoral votes is ceremonial b) Raised the threshold for congressional objections to electoral slates c) Set a federal floor on early voting in all states d) Identified a single state executive responsible for certifying electors
11. Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021) established:
a) That the Voting Rights Act preempts all state voter-ID laws b) Multi-factor "guideposts" for evaluating Section 2 vote-denial claims c) That felony disenfranchisement is unconstitutional d) That mail voting is a fundamental right
12. The Sentencing Project estimates that of approximately 5 million Americans currently disenfranchised by felony status, the share NOT currently in prison is approximately:
a) 10% b) 25% c) 50% d) 75%
Short Answer
13. Explain in 100–150 words why the distinction between Section 2 and Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act matters in practice. Address the burden of proof, the timing of enforcement, and the scope of what each section covers.
14. The chapter states plainly that "the 2020 presidential election was not stolen." Summarize, in 100–150 words, the principal categories of evidence that support this finding (court rulings, recounts and audits, the role of Republican election officials, and the certification process).
15. Voter ID is one of the most contested voting-rights questions. In 150–200 words, present the strongest steel-manned argument for photo ID at the polls, then the strongest steel-manned argument against. Conclude with one sentence on what the empirical aggregate-turnout evidence shows.
16. Explain, in 100–150 words, what the Shelby County v. Holder (2013) Court's reasoning was. Identify the federalism argument the majority offered, and the strongest counter-argument that Justice Ginsburg's dissent presented (the "umbrella in a rainstorm" passage is fair game).
Answer Key
- b — Approximately 6% per the most common estimate for the 1790 census era.
- c — Race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
- d — There is no Section 7 funding provision; the VRA's structure is based on Sections 2, 4, and 5.
- c — Section 4(b), the coverage formula. Section 5 was not struck down but became dormant absent a coverage formula.
- b — Alabama's map under Section 2; a 5-4 affirmation that Section 2 still requires Gingles-framework remedies.
- b — Less than 1 percentage point aggregate, with larger subgroup effects.
- c — Roughly partisan-symmetric (Yoder, Thompson, et al.).
- b — 60+ court losses.
- b — Restored voting rights to most felons who had completed sentences; subsequent legislation limited implementation.
- c — The ECRA did not set a federal floor on early voting (that was in the Freedom to Vote Act, which did not pass).
- b — Multi-factor guideposts for vote-denial Section 2 claims.
- d — 75%, per Sentencing Project estimates.
13–16: Open-response. Grading rubric expects students to identify the correct doctrinal/empirical anchor points (e.g., for Q13: Section 5 was prospective with burden on jurisdiction; Section 2 is post-hoc with burden on plaintiff; Section 5 covered minor changes in covered jurisdictions; Section 2 covers nationwide vote denial and dilution).