What term is commonly used to refer to the redrawing of electoral boundaries?
a) Gerrymandering
b) Districting
c) Redistribution
d) Realignment
Answer: c
What is the main purpose of redistributing electoral boundaries?
a) To favor a specific political party
b) To adjust the number of electoral districts
c) To reduce voter turnout
d) To increase the length of election campaigns
Answer: b
Which level of government is responsible for electoral boundary redistribution in Canada?
a) Federal
b) Provincial
c) Municipal
d) Territorial
Answer: a
In Canada, what is the term for the organization responsible for redistributing electoral boundaries?
a) Election Commission
b) Boundaries Commission
c) Districting Board
d) Representation Council
Answer: b
What principle is followed when redistributing electoral boundaries to ensure each riding has roughly the same population?
a) Proportional representation
b) First-past-the-post
c) One person, one vote
d) Ranked-choice voting
Answer: c
Which factor is NOT typically considered when redistributing electoral boundaries?
a) Ethnic diversity
b) Geographic features
c) Community interests
d) Population growth
Answer: a
What is the aim of maintaining “effective representation” when redistributing electoral boundaries?
a) Ensuring diversity of candidates
b) Preventing gerrymandering
c) Balancing urban and rural representation
d) Ensuring equal representation for Indigenous communities
Answer: c
Which province uses the “follow the voter” rule, allowing electors who move within the province to vote in their old riding for a certain period?
a) Ontario
b) British Columbia
c) Quebec
d) Alberta
Answer: c
How often are federal electoral boundaries reviewed in Canada?
a) Every year
b) Every two years
c) Every five years
d) Every ten years
Answer: d
What is the purpose of having an independent Boundaries Commission handle electoral redistributions?
a) To expedite the process
b) To ensure political party representation
c) To prevent gerrymandering and political bias
d) To reduce the number of electoral districts
Answer: c
How many provinces and territories in Canada have established independent Boundaries Commissions for provincial elections?
a) All of them
b) None of them
c) Some of them
d) Half of them
Answer: a
Which factor can be challenging to consider when redistributing electoral boundaries in remote and northern regions?
a) Cultural diversity
b) Urban growth
c) Limited infrastructure
d) Party affiliations
Answer: c
What is gerrymandering?
a) The act of excluding urban areas from electoral districts
b) The manipulation of electoral boundaries to favor a specific political party
c) The division of rural and urban areas into separate districts
d) The practice of allowing non-citizens to vote
Answer: b
Which method of gerrymandering involves concentrating opposition voters in a few districts to minimize their impact?
a) Packing
b) Cracking
c) Stacking
d) Racking
Answer: a
What is the purpose of cracking in gerrymandering?
a) Concentrating voters in a few districts
b) Splitting a strong group of voters across multiple districts
c) Eliminating the concept of electoral districts
d) Making the boundary-drawing process transparent
Answer: b
In Canada, what term is used to describe the process of drawing electoral boundaries to give an advantage to a particular group?
a) Party favoritism
b) Voter manipulation
c) Geographic realignment
d) Unfair representation
Answer: b
What is the “community of interest” principle in the context of electoral boundaries?
a) A principle to ensure all communities have equal representation
b) A principle to ensure parties have a fair chance of winning
c) A principle to group together areas with similar characteristics
d) A principle to allow urban areas to dominate rural areas
Answer: c
Which of the following statements is true about the size of electoral districts in Canada?
a) All districts have the same population.
b) Urban districts are larger than rural districts.
c) The size of districts depends on the number of candidates.
d) The size of districts is determined by the federal government.
Answer: a
Which of the following regions in Canada has been known for having irregularly shaped electoral districts?
a) Prairie provinces
b) Northern territories
c) Maritime provinces
d) Central Canada
Answer: b
What term is used to describe an electoral district that is significantly larger than others due to geographic constraints?
a) Super district
b) Geographical expansion
c) Geographic disparity
d) Geographical magnitude
Answer: a
Which federal agency in Canada is responsible for conducting the decennial census used in the redistribution of electoral boundaries?
a) Elections Canada
b) Statistics Canada
c) Canadian Border Services Agency
d) Boundaries Commission
Answer: b
What is the term used to describe the process of evaluating electoral boundaries to ensure they are fair and equitable?
a) Boundary assessment
b) Electoral analysis
c) Fairness review
d) Boundary review
Answer: d
How can technological advancements impact the process of redistributing electoral boundaries?
a) By making the process faster but less accurate
b) By allowing for more creative boundary shapes
c) By enabling more public participation and transparency
d) By reducing the need for independent Boundaries Commissions
Answer: c
In what year did the Canadian province of British Columbia introduce fixed electoral boundaries between elections?
a) 1960
b) 1990
c) 2000
d) 2010
Answer: c
What is the purpose of having public hearings during the process of electoral boundary redistribution?
a) To provide an opportunity for political parties to campaign
b) To gather input from citizens and community organizations
c) To determine the final election results
d) To decide the composition of the Boundaries Commission
Answer: b
What is the significance of the “100% rule” in some Canadian provinces?
a) It requires electoral districts to have at least 100% voter turnout.
b) It ensures that 100% of eligible voters are included in the electoral list.
c) It mandates that electoral districts must be redrawn after each election.
d) It allows prisoners to vote if they have served 100% of their sentence.
Answer: b
Which region in Canada has been known for having large electoral districts due to vast geographic areas?
a) Atlantic provinces
b) Prairie provinces
c) Central Canada
d) West Coast
Answer: b
What is the primary goal of electoral boundary redistribution?
a) To create the most competitive elections possible
b) To promote urban-rural balance
c) To ensure fair and equal representation
d) To increase voter turnout
Answer: c
How does the principle of “maintaining communities of interest” affect the process of electoral boundary redistribution?
a) It encourages the separation of urban and rural areas.
b) It discourages the grouping of areas with shared characteristics.
c) It promotes the grouping of areas with shared characteristics.
d) It aims to create boundaries that are difficult to understand.
Answer: c
What is the purpose of applying mathematical models when redistributing electoral boundaries?
a) To create districts that favor the incumbent party
b) To balance the influence of urban and rural voters
c) To ensure every district has the same geographic size
d) To prioritize the interests of major cities
Answer: b
In what year did the federal government of Canada introduce a requirement for fixed electoral boundaries?
a) 1947
b) 1964
c) 1981
d) 2000
Answer: a
What is the rationale behind having electoral boundaries that are fixed for a certain period between elections?
a) To ensure politicians do not manipulate boundaries
b) To allow political parties to campaign more effectively
c) To facilitate the counting of ballots on election day
d) To accommodate changes in population distribution
Answer: a
How can public input influence the process of electoral boundary redistribution?
a) It determines the final election results.
b) It affects the composition of political parties.
c) It can lead to adjustments in proposed boundaries.
d) It determines the frequency of electoral redistributions.
Answer: c
What is the primary criterion used for distributing electoral boundaries in the Yukon Territory?
a) Geographic features
b) Population density
c) Language spoken
d) Indigenous representation
Answer: b
In what year was the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act passed in Canada, establishing a formal process for redistributing federal electoral boundaries?
a) 1867
b) 1920
c) 1964
d) 1985
Answer: b
Which principle of electoral boundary redistribution aims to prevent any party from having an undue advantage?
a) Population balance
b) Effective representation
c) Proportional representation
d) Party parity
Answer: d
What is the main objective of having independent Boundaries Commissions in the redistribution process?
a) To ensure that politicians have the final say
b) To prevent electoral boundary changes
c) To safeguard against partisan manipulation
d) To expedite the process of redistribution
Answer: c
How are electoral boundaries adjusted in response to population changes?
a) By increasing the number of ridings
b) By redistributing only urban areas
c) By modifying riding names
d) By altering riding boundaries
Answer: d
What is the role of the federal Representation Order in electoral boundary redistribution?
a) To determine which party gets more seats
b) To establish electoral district sizes
c) To set the rules for party campaigning
d) To create new political parties
Answer: b
What is a potential disadvantage of fixed electoral boundaries between elections?
a) It could result in gerrymandering.
b) It may not account for shifts in population.
c) It prevents any changes to the number of seats.
d) It encourages high voter turnout.
Answer: b
Which principle of electoral boundary redistribution ensures that voters’ preferences are reflected as closely as possible?
a) Population balance
b) Effective representation
c) Geographic proximity
d) Party parity
Answer: b
In Canada, who ultimately approves the proposed changes to federal electoral boundaries?
a) The Prime Minister
b) The Governor General
c) The Chief Electoral Officer
d) The House of Commons
Answer: d
How can political party representatives influence the electoral boundary redistribution process?
a) By participating in public hearings
b) By submitting a list of preferred candidates
c) By altering the size of electoral districts
d) By appointing the Chief Electoral Officer
Answer: a
Which region in Canada has experienced significant demographic changes leading to challenges in electoral boundary redistribution?
a) Atlantic provinces
b) Prairie provinces
c) Northern territories
d) Central Canada
Answer: c
What is the purpose of ensuring “effective representation” when redistributing electoral boundaries?
a) To discourage citizens from participating in elections
b) To avoid urban areas dominating rural areas
c) To ensure that politicians are effectively representing citizens
d) To make the election process more complicated
Answer: b
What term describes the drawing of electoral boundaries to benefit a specific political party?
a) Districting
b) Urbanization
c) Gerrymandering
d) Fragmentation
Answer: c
How do the Northwest Territories address the challenges of geographic dispersion in electoral boundaries?
a) By conducting elections only in urban areas
b) By establishing satellite voting stations
c) By using electronic voting machines
d) By having a unicameral legislature
Answer: b
What is the primary consideration when redistributing electoral boundaries to account for demographic shifts?
a) Urban-rural balance
b) Political party preferences
c) Boundaries’ geometric shapes
d) Equal population distribution
Answer: d
Which Canadian province or territory has the smallest population, leading to challenges in electoral boundary redistribution?
a) Ontario
b) Quebec
c) Yukon
d) Prince Edward Island
Answer: d
How does the practice of gerrymandering affect electoral districts?
a) It ensures that electoral districts have equal populations.
b) It results in electoral districts with irregular shapes.
c) It makes electoral districts more competitive.
d) It promotes balanced representation of urban and rural areas.
Answer: b
