VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's right (+5 points on Social scale)	Keep abortion legal on privacy grounds: Favors topic 1 Constitution is designed to be interpreted: Favors topic 1 Doesn’t support abortion, but leave them legal: Favors topic 1 Abortion decision belongs with the woman and who she chooses: Strongly Favors topic 1
Favors topic 2: Require hiring more women & minorities (-3 points on Economic scale)	Equal opportunity for women; but equal responsibility too: Favors topic 2 As football commentator, found name “Redskins” offensive: Neutral on topic 2 Crime statistics are distorted to encourage racism: Neutral on topic 2 Against the draft; for including women except in combat: Neutral on topic 2 Prosecution and sentencing should be colorblind: Neutral on topic 2 Support principles embodied in the Equal Rights Amendment: Favors topic 2
Favors topic 3: Same-sex domestic partnership benefits (+2 points on Social scale)	Respect diversity, both cultural and lifestyle: Favors topic 3 Gay domestic partnership OK; not gay marriage: Favors topic 3
Opposes topic 4: Teacher-led prayer in public schools (+2 points on Social scale)	Focus on results and standards: Favors topic 4 Public schools can’t advocate religion; private prayer OK: Opposes topic 4 Teach “creation science” in church, not schools: Opposes topic 4 Religious Right & extreme left are both “morality brokers”: Opposes topic 4 Problem is with fundamentalist fanatics, not religion: Opposes topic 4
Opposes topic 8: Death Penalty (+2 points on Social scale)	Put up with death penalty until life sentences mean life: Favors topic 8 Supported death penalty, but now as Governor opposes it: Strongly Opposes topic 8
Opposes topic 9: Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws (+2 points on Social scale)	Opposes “Three Strikes”; leave discretion to judges: Strongly Opposes topic 9 No role for governor in crime; it’s for local police: Opposes topic 9 Tougher drunk-driving laws for repeat offenders: Favors topic 9 Find compromise between rehabilitation and punishment: Opposes topic 9 Supports flexible federal block grants for crime programs: Neutral on topic 9
Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-3 points on Economic scale)	Gun responsibility goes with gun rights: Opposes topic 10 Guns are designed to kill; respect them: Opposes topic 10 If you’re going to own a gun, know what you’re doing: Opposes topic 10 Concealed weapons OK if you can pass safety exam: Opposes topic 10
Opposes topic 5: More federal funding for health coverage (+2 points on Economic scale)	Individual responsibility for unhealthy lifestyle choices: Opposes topic 5 Focus on prevention, children, and results: Opposes topic 5 Supports “Minnesota Care”; tax to pay for uninsured: Favors topic 5 No national care, but pure capitalism can’t work: Opposes topic 5 Government interference should be kept to a minimum: Opposes topic 5 Maintain Medicare funding of HMO benefits: Favors topic 5 Protect state tobacco settlement funds from federal seizure: Neutral on topic 5
No opinion on topic 6: Privatize Social Security (0 points on Economic scale)	Maintain federal Social Services Block Grant funding: Favors topic 6 Maintain long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare: Opposes topic 6
Opposes topic 7: Parents choose schools via vouchers (-3 points on Economic scale)	Fund schools at state level instead of via property taxes: Neutral on topic 7 Commonsense steps to improve public education: Opposes topic 7 Erase the word voucher from the vocabulary: Opposes topic 7 Public dollars belong to public schools: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Loosen federal control; leave more to state & locals: Favors topic 7 Choosing private school includes responsility to pay: Strongly Opposes topic 7
Favors topic 18: Replace coal & oil with alternatives (-3 points on Economic scale)	Military agrees: climate change represents a serious threat: Strongly Favors topic 18 Develop light rail tranist for Minnesota: Favors topic 18 Competitive electricity pricing; include alternative energy: Favors topic 18 Overcome dependency on foreign oil: Favors topic 18 Subsidize ethanol like we subsidize oil: Strongly Favors topic 18 Recycling conserve our limited resources: Favors topic 18 Teach environment in grade schools: Favors topic 18 Replace MTBE in gasoline with cleaner ethanol: Neutral on topic 18 Voluntary partnerships reduce greenhouse gases economically: Neutral on topic 18 Kyoto Treaty must include reductions by all countries: Opposes topic 18
Strongly Opposes topic 19: Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it (+5 points on Social scale)	Banks & prison-industrial complex gets rich on the drug war: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Drug addiction is a health problem, not a crime: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Drug War fails like Prohibition did: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Stop being so afraid of marijuana; some uses are OK: Strongly Opposes topic 19 The war on drugs has failed; look for other solutions: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Rethink approach to drugs; “more of the same” fails: Opposes topic 19 Jail won’t work when we can’t even keep drugs out of prisons: Opposes topic 19 More federal funding for all aspects of Drug War: Favors topic 19
Strongly Favors topic 20: Allow churches to provide welfare services (+5 points on Economic scale)	Transition from Welfare to Self-Sufficiency: Favors topic 20 Social programs should be a safety net, not a hammock: Favors topic 20 Focus welfare on jobs & training: Favors topic 20 Believes in private charity, not government charity: Strongly Favors topic 20 Support LIHEAP, low-income heating assistance: Favors topic 20 Maintain flexibility & funding levels for TANF block grants: Favors topic 20
Strongly Opposes topic 11: Make taxes more progressive (+5 points on Economic scale)	Government is no bottomless pit of money-it’s from you & me: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Repeal the 16th Amendment: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Replace income with national sales tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Return any budget surpluses to the taxpayers automatically: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Let people keep as much of their money as possible: Strongly Opposes topic 11 $600 “Jesse Checks” tax rebate to every taxpayer: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Replace income tax with 15% national sales tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Supports national consumption tax to equalize tax burden: Strongly Opposes topic 11 No national sales tax or VAT: Neutral on topic 11
Favors topic 12: Illegal immigrants earn citizenship (+2 points on Social scale)	Immigration is an integral part of who we are: Strongly Favors topic 12 Official English leads to Official Christianity: Strongly Favors topic 12 Emergency medical, but no other services, for illegal imms.: Opposes topic 12 Grant legal immigrants all benefits of citizens: Strongly Favors topic 12 Share costs of legal immigration between states & federal: Neutral on topic 12 Federal government should deal with criminal repatriation: Neutral on topic 12 Ease Canadian border-crossing rules: Favors topic 12
Strongly Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+5 points on Economic scale)	Make Agriculture Competitive Anywhere in the World: Favors topic 13 Trade creates jobs & productivity: Strongly Favors topic 13 Ease Canadian border-crossing rules: Favors topic 13 Grant fast-track authority to the President: Favors topic 13
Opposes topic 15: Expand the armed forces (+2 points on Social scale)	Assassinating foreign leadership is despicable: Opposes topic 15 War isn’t civilized; don’t expect warriors to be: Neutral on topic 15 Military is stronger if all-volunteer: Opposes topic 15
No opinion on topic 16: Stricter limits on political campaign funds (0 points on Economic scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
No opinion on topic 14: The Patriot Act harms civil liberties (0 points on Social scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Favors topic 17: US out of Iraq & Afghanistan (+2 points on Social scale)	We attacked Saddam for the same WMDs we have in our arsenal: Strongly Favors topic 17 Global cooperation OK; world government not: Strongly Favors topic 17 Buchanan is an unrealistic isolationist: Favors topic 17 We need Saddam as the bad guy in oil disputes: Neutral on topic 17 Include states in anti-terrorism planning: Neutral on topic 17