Which term describes the total number of citizens aged 18 and over?

• A. Voting-age population
• B. Voting-eligible population
• C. Beat
• D. Agenda setting

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing the standard measure used to describe the potential size of the electorate. The voting-age population is defined as everyone who is 18 years old or older. This figure represents the broad pool from which voters could come, regardless of citizenship or current voting eligibility. That makes it the best fit for describing the total number of people who are legally old enough to vote, which is why it’s chosen as the correct term.

In contrast, the voting-eligible population narrows that pool to those who are actually eligible to vote (typically citizens 18+ who aren’t disenfranchised). The other two options refer to concepts in political communication (beat and agenda setting) and do not describe population sizes.