Chapter 7 Select a Different Chapter Ch.1 Freedom, Order, or Equality? Ch.2 Majoritarian or Pluralist... Ch.3 The Constitution Ch.4 Federalism Ch.5 Public Opinion & Socialization Ch.6 The Media Ch.7 Participation & Voting Ch.8 Political Parties Ch.9 Nominations, Elections, Campaigns Ch.10 Interest Groups Ch.11 Congress Ch.12 The Presidency Ch.13 The Bureaucracy Ch.14 The Courts Ch.15 Order and Civil Liberties Ch.16 Equality and Civil Rights Ch.17 Policymaking Ch.18 Economic Policy Ch.19 Domestic Policy Ch.20 Global Policy Appendices

Synopsis

Web Links

Crosstabs

Citizen Quiz

Self-Test

 

Only Citizens Can Vote

You can vote in general elections if you are a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old on election day, meet the state's residency requirements (some states deny voting to the institutionalized), and are properly registered to vote.

If you aren't born as an American citizen, you can become a "naturalized" citizen by meeting residency and other qualifications. One test of citizenship is literally a test on American government. These tests usually consist of ten to twenty questions randomly selected from a set of 100 questions compiled by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Take the INS Citizenship Quiz

So here's the moment of truth: do you know enough to be a U.S. citizen, or do you have to hand in your passport? Would-be citizens must get at least 7 out of 10 or 12 out of 20 correct. Click on INS Citizenship Quiz to take the test online.