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Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Elections

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Can American elections be described as debates over government policy, given that the average voter knows little about what government is doing or could do? Explain your answer.
2. Using cues to make vote decisions lowers the cost of voting, in terms of the time and effort involved in a voter’s decision. Under what conditions will cues help a voter make the right choice in an election, if this is defined as the same choice that would result from having complete information about the candidates? Under what conditions will cues lead a voter to make the wrong choice?
3. What kinds of candidates are helped by limits on campaign contributions by individuals and organizations such as PACs? What kinds of candidates do these restrictions hurt? Why do such limits affect these types of candidates differently?

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