The number of political candidates willing to answer non-partisan survey questions about their positions on a variety of issues has plummeted over the past 12 years, according to a new report from Project Vote Smart.
In 1996, about three-quarters of congressional (72 percent) and gubernatorial (77 percent) candidates responded to Project Vote Smart's Political Courage Test, a balanced, though comprehensive, position survey. By the 2008, the numbers had fallen to 41 and 46 percent, respectively. Responses by state legislative candidates have tracked even lower, logging in at 36 percent in 1996 and just 21 percent in 2008.
Incumbents in 2008 also tracked significantly lower than challengers. Eight in 10 members of Congress running for re-election declined to respond, compared to just over half of their challengers. Only one out of four incumbent governors in the race answered the survey questions; and just 14 percent of incumbent state legislators participated.
Project Vote Smart, a Sunshine Week partner, has spent the past six months travelling across the country introducing people to its Voters' Self-Defense System, a comprehensive database of information on candidates from local to national office, including biographies, voting records, speeches, campaign contributions and the like. The data can be accessed free on on the Web, or with the help of a dedicated researcher called toll free at 1-888-VOTE-SMART.
Read more on the Project Vote Smart Web site.
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