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)	Leave abortion decision to a woman, her doctor, & her family: Strongly Favors topic 1 Strongly supports “Abortion is a woman’s right”: Strongly Favors topic 1 Right to choose regardless of income: Strongly Favors topic 1 Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record: Strongly Favors topic 1 Expand embryonic stem cell research: Favors topic 1 NO on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life: Strongly Favors topic 1 NO on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime: Favors topic 1 YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives: Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Require hiring more women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	Consider race & sex in government hiring decisions: Strongly Favors topic 2 Favors requiring companies to hire more women & minorities: Favors topic 2 End Racial Profiling: Neutral on topic 2 Focus on social injustice in distributing prosperity: Strongly Favors topic 2 Wage war on Terrorism, not on fellow Americans: Favors topic 2
Strongly Favors topic 3: Same-sex domestic partnership benefits (+5 points on Social scale)	Supports “Sexual orientation protected by civil rights laws”: Strongly Favors topic 3 More funding and stricter sentencing for hate crimes: Strongly Favors topic 3 YES on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes: Strongly Favors topic 3
Opposes topic 4: Teacher-led prayer in public schools (+2 points on Social scale)	Supports Organized Prayer In Public Schools: Favors topic 4 Rated 0% by the Christian Coalition: an anti-Family-Value voting record: Strongly Opposes topic 4
Strongly Opposes topic 8: Death Penalty (+5 points on Social scale)	Opposes the death penalty: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Moratorium on death penalty; more DNA testing: Opposes topic 8 Require DNA testing for all federal executions: Opposes topic 8
Strongly Favors topic 9: Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws (-5 points on Social scale)	Impose “truth in sentencing” for violent criminals: Strongly Favors topic 9 Supports mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws: Strongly Favors topic 9
Strongly Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-5 points on Economic scale)	Opposes absolute right to gun ownership: Strongly Opposes topic 10 NO on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence: Strongly Opposes topic 10 NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers: Strongly Opposes topic 10
Strongly Favors topic 5: More federal funding for health coverage (-5 points on Economic scale)	Universal access to health care, with restrictions: Strongly Favors topic 5 Share health costs among business, employees, & government: Favors topic 5 Supports More Federal Funding for Health Coverage: Strongly Favors topic 5 Invest funds to alleviate the nursing shortage: Favors topic 5 Rated 100% by APHA, indicating a pro-public health record: Strongly Favors topic 5 Adopt national health reform legislation before the end of the year: Strongly Favors topic 5 Extend SCHIP with full funding, plus $12B for Medicaid: Strongly Favors topic 5 Delay Medicaid changes that shift costs from feds to states: Opposes topic 5 NO on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit: Favors topic 5 YES on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit: Favors topic 5 YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug: Strongly Favors topic 5
Strongly Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-5 points on Economic scale)	Opposes privatizing Social Security: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Commit funds to secure Medicare & Soc. Sec. “absolutely”: Opposes topic 6 15% government investment in equities; no privatization: Opposes topic 6 No privatization; government invests in market: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Rated 90% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record: Strongly Opposes topic 6
Opposes topic 7: Parents choose schools via vouchers (-3 points on Economic scale)	Support charter schools: Favors topic 7 Opposes parents choosing schools via vouchers: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Universal right to public education, pre-school thru college: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Federal support & tax breaks for college tuition: Neutral on topic 7 Rated 91% by the NEA, indicating pro-public education votes: Strongly Opposes topic 7 YES on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors: Opposes topic 7 YES on funding student testing instead of private tutors: Opposes topic 7
Strongly Favors topic 18: Replace coal & oil with alternatives (-5 points on Economic scale)	Supports Clean Water Act and a well-funded EPA: Strongly Favors topic 18 Supports spending resources to stop Global Warming: Strongly Favors topic 18 Rated 84% by the LCV, indicating pro-environment votes: Strongly Favors topic 18 Keep efficient air conditioner rule to conserve energy: Strongly Favors topic 18 Establish greenhouse gas tradeable allowances: Strongly Favors topic 18 NO on terminating CAFE standards within 15 months: Strongly Favors topic 18 YES on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010: Strongly Favors topic 18 YES on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill: Favors topic 18 YES on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%): Strongly Favors topic 18 YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Favors topic 18
Favors topic 19: Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it (-3 points on Social scale)	Maintain Byrne/JAG anti-drug funds at $520M instead of $170M: Strongly Favors topic 19 Increase penalties for selling illegal drugs: Favors topic 19 Neutral on “Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it”: Neutral on topic 19
No opinion on topic 20: Allow churches to provide welfare services (0 points on Economic scale)	Supplement poverty aid via religious organizations: Strongly Favors topic 20 Opposes allowing churches to provide welfare services: Opposes topic 20 Increase minimum wage now; index it to inflation for later: Opposes topic 20
Strongly Favors topic 11: Make taxes more progressive (-5 points on Economic scale)	Will not vote for any bill that will put us into deficit: Neutral on topic 11 Targeted tax cuts including ending marriage penalty: Favors topic 11 Too-large GOP tax cuts foreclose on social investments: Favors topic 11 Opposes making income tax flatter & lower: Strongly Favors topic 11 Rated 17% by NTU, indicating a "Big Spender" on tax votes: Strongly Favors topic 11 $12B in federal economic stimulus as state block grants: Favors topic 11 YES on reducing marriage penalty instead of cutting top tax rates: Favors topic 11 YES on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction: Favors topic 11 NO on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years: Strongly Favors topic 11
Strongly Favors topic 12: Illegal immigrants earn citizenship (+5 points on Social scale)	Maintain human services to children of immigrants: Strongly Favors topic 12 Supports “Immigration helps our economy-encourage it”: Favors topic 12
Opposes topic 13: Support & expand free trade (-3 points on Economic scale)	Supports NAFTA, GAT, & WTO: Strongly Favors topic 13 Supports retaliatorytarrifs; opposes Fast Track: Strongly Opposes topic 13 Opposes expanding Free Trade: Opposes topic 13 Rated 42% by CATO, indicating a mixed record on trade issues: Neutral on topic 13 Free trade with post-Orange Revolution Ukraine: Favors topic 13 YES on removing common goods from national security export rules: Favors topic 13 YES on granting normal trade relations status to Vietnam: Favors topic 13 NO on extending free trade to Andean nations: Strongly Opposes topic 13 NO on establishing free trade between US & Singapore: Opposes topic 13 NO on establishing free trade between the US and Chile: Opposes topic 13 NO on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade: Strongly Opposes topic 13
Strongly Opposes topic 15: Expand the armed forces (+5 points on Social scale)	Opposes more spending on Armed Forces personnel: Strongly Opposes topic 15 Rated 100% by SANE, indicating a pro-peace voting record: Strongly Opposes topic 15 YES on requiring on-budget funding for Iraq, not emergency funding: Opposes topic 15
Favors topic 16: Stricter limits on political campaign funds (-3 points on Economic scale)	YES on banning campaign donations from unions & corporations: Favors topic 16 YES on banning "soft money" contributions and restricting issue ads: Favors topic 16
Strongly Favors topic 14: The Patriot Act harms civil liberties (+5 points on Social scale)	NO on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision: Strongly Favors topic 14
Strongly Favors topic 17: US out of Iraq & Afghanistan (+5 points on Social scale)	Supports continuing Foreign Aid to Russia, Israel, & others: Strongly Favors topic 17 Multi-year commitment to Africa for food & medicine: Strongly Favors topic 17