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)
Opposes topic 1: Abortion is a woman's right (-3 points on Social scale)	Ban partial birth abortion; 3-day waiting period: Strongly Opposes topic 1 Supreme Court should interpret Constitution literally: Opposes topic 1 Abortion is wrong - let states restrict it.: Strongly Opposes topic 1 Opposed to Abortion, but VP need not be.: Neutral on topic 1 Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record: Strongly Opposes topic 1 Expand embryonic stem cell research: Favors topic 1 Rated 75% by the NRLC, indicating a mixed record on abortion: Neutral on topic 1 Prohibit transporting minors across state lines for abortion: Opposes topic 1 YES on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion: Strongly Opposes topic 1 YES on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP: Opposes topic 1 YES on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life: Strongly Opposes topic 1 YES on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime: Opposes topic 1 NO on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives: Opposes topic 1 YES on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions: Opposes topic 1 YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines: Favors topic 1 YES on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions: Opposes topic 1 YES on restricting UN funding for population control policies: Opposes topic 1
Opposes topic 2: Require hiring more women & minorities (+2 points on Economic scale)	Racial preference is just as wrong as racial discrimination: Opposes topic 2 Conversation on Race should focus on common principles: Neutral on topic 2 Passionately advocates equal opportunity: Favors topic 2 Issue a commemorative postage stamp of Rosa Parks: Favors topic 2 Rated 11% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance: Strongly Opposes topic 2
Strongly Opposes topic 3: Same-sex domestic partnership benefits (-5 points on Social scale)	Rated 0% by the HRC, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance: Strongly Opposes topic 3 YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage: Strongly Opposes topic 3
Strongly Favors topic 4: Teacher-led prayer in public schools (-5 points on Social scale)	Pledge Plus Three: daily patriotic affirmation in schools: Strongly Favors topic 4 Allow organized voluntary prayer in public schools: Favors topic 4 Rated 100% by the Christian Coalition: a pro-family voting record: Strongly Favors topic 4 Rated 0% by the AU, indicating opposition to church-state separation: Strongly Favors topic 4 YES on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration: Favors topic 4
Favors topic 8: Death Penalty (-3 points on Social scale)	Supports Capital Punishment.: Favors topic 8
Strongly Favors topic 9: Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws (-5 points on Social scale)	Class X: Armed robbery means mandatory sentence, no parole: Strongly Favors topic 9 NO on reinstating $1.15 billion funding for the COPS Program: Favors topic 9
Favors topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (+2 points on Economic scale)	Repeal assault weapon ban; enforce existing laws.: Favors topic 10 Criminals--not guns--cause crimes: Favors topic 10 Strictly enforce gun laws instead of making new ones: Favors topic 10 More gun laws won’t prevent another Littleton: Favors topic 10 Rated A by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun rights voting record: Strongly Favors topic 10 Ban gun registration & trigger lock law in Washington DC: Strongly Favors topic 10 NO on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence: Strongly Opposes topic 10 YES on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers: Strongly Favors topic 10 YES on prohibiting foreign & UN aid that restricts US gun ownership: Favors topic 10 YES on allowing firearms in checked baggage on Amtrak trains: Favors topic 10
Opposes topic 5: More federal funding for health coverage (+2 points on Economic scale)	Patient’s bill of rights with four principles; but not suing: Opposes topic 5 For uninsured: church-based Health Care Networks: Opposes topic 5 Medicare provides a menu of plans, some with add-on costs: Favors topic 5 Rated 0% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Establishment of Office of Health Care Fraud Prevention: Opposes topic 5 YES on allowing tribal Indians to opt out of federal healthcare: Strongly Opposes topic 5 YES on means-testing to determine Medicare Part D premium: Opposes topic 5 YES on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit: Favors topic 5 NO on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics: Opposes topic 5 NO on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug: Strongly Opposes topic 5 NO on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D: Opposes topic 5 YES on limiting medical liability lawsuits to $250,000: Favors topic 5 NO on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D: Opposes topic 5 YES on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility: Favors topic 5 YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare: Favors topic 5 YES on expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program: Favors topic 5 NO on regulating tobacco as a drug: Opposes topic 5
Strongly Favors topic 6: Privatize Social Security (+5 points on Economic scale)	Allow workers to manage their own retirement funds: Strongly Favors topic 6 Create Individual Security Accounts: Strongly Favors topic 6 Fund IRA’s that individuals control themselves: Strongly Favors topic 6 Rated 0% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record: Strongly Favors topic 6 YES on establishing reserve funds & pre-funding for Social Security: Favors topic 6
Strongly Favors topic 7: Parents choose schools via vouchers (+5 points on Economic scale)	Create Education Savings Accounts: Favors topic 7 Regulate all public schools like charter schools: Neutral on topic 7 $1,500 scholarship for poor kids to attend any school: Strongly Favors topic 7 Pass Model Charter School Laws in all 50 states: Favors topic 7 Give school decisions back to families: Strongly Favors topic 7 Rated 27% by the NEA, indicating anti-public education votes: Strongly Favors topic 7 Support the goals and ideals of Charter Schools: Favors topic 7 NO on $5B for grants to local educational agencies: Favors topic 7
Opposes topic 18: Replace coal & oil with alternatives (+2 points on Economic scale)	Fund national parks in the tradition of Teddy Roosevelt: Favors topic 18 Supports local land trusts to protect ecology: Favors topic 18 Expand use of corn-based ethanol to create jobs: Strongly Favors topic 18 Substitute Ethanol for MBTE in gasoline: Strongly Favors topic 18 Rated 5% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Keep efficient air conditioner rule to conserve energy: Strongly Favors topic 18 Rated 0% by the CAF, indicating opposition to energy independence: Opposes topic 18 Open the Outer Continental Shelf for oil & gas leasing: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Establish energy security strategy with domestic production: Strongly Opposes topic 18 NO on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010: Strongly Opposes topic 18 NO on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill: Opposes topic 18 NO on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%): Strongly Opposes topic 18 NO on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR: Strongly Opposes topic 18 NO on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Opposes topic 18 NO on factoring global warming into federal project planning: Opposes topic 18 YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies: Strongly Favors topic 18 NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation: Strongly Opposes topic 18 YES on requiring full Senate debate and vote on cap-and-trade: Opposes topic 18 YES on protecting middle-income taxpayers from a national energy tax: Opposes topic 18 YES on $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers program: Favors topic 18
Strongly Favors topic 19: Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it (-5 points on Social scale)	New branch of Armed Services to fight drugs: Strongly Favors topic 19 Revive drug war with credo “Just Say No - Because”.: Strongly Favors topic 19 Stricter enforcement at borders and of drug dealers: Strongly Favors topic 19 For intensive treatment; employee “education”; drug testing: Opposes topic 19 Require chemical resellers to certify against meth use: Favors topic 19
No opinion on topic 20: Allow churches to provide welfare services (0 points on Economic scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Strongly Opposes topic 11: Make taxes more progressive (+5 points on Economic scale)	1985: Raised state taxes to improve education: Favors topic 11 Flatter, fairer, simpler federal income tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 End marriage penalty; raise child deductions; cut rates: Opposes topic 11 Restore flatter 28% and 15% tax rates: Strongly Opposes topic 11 America needs a “family-friendly” tax code: Opposes topic 11 Rated 73% by NTU, indicating "Satisfactory" on tax votes: Neutral on topic 11 Rated 0% by the CTJ, indicating opposition to progressive taxation: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Keep reduction of capital gains tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 YES on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M: Strongly Opposes topic 11 NO on increasing tax rate for people earning over $1 million: Strongly Opposes topic 11 YES on allowing AMT reduction without budget offset: Opposes topic 11 YES on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years: Strongly Opposes topic 11 YES on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends: Strongly Opposes topic 11 NO on $47B for military by repealing capital gains tax cut: Opposes topic 11 YES on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends: Strongly Opposes topic 11 YES on permanently repealing the `death tax`: Strongly Opposes topic 11 YES on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts: Strongly Opposes topic 11 YES on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million: Strongly Opposes topic 11 YES on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11
Opposes topic 12: Illegal immigrants earn citizenship (-3 points on Social scale)	Replace bilingual education with “English for Children”: Strongly Opposes topic 12 Enforce against illegal immigrants; appreciate legal ones: Neutral on topic 12 Rated 50% by USBC, indicating a mixed record on open borders: Neutral on topic 12 Increase limitations for H-1B, H-2B, and L-visas: Favors topic 12 NO on continuing federal funds for declared "sanctuary cities": Strongly Opposes topic 12 NO on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security: Strongly Opposes topic 12 YES on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship: Strongly Favors topic 12 NO on establishing a Guest Worker program: Opposes topic 12 YES on building a fence along the Mexican border: Strongly Opposes topic 12 NO on eliminating the "Y" nonimmigrant guestworker program: Neutral topic 12 YES on declaring English as the official language of the US government: Strongly Opposes topic 12 NO on comprehensive immigration reform: Strongly Opposes topic 12
Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+2 points on Economic scale)	More export subsidies for farmers: Strongly Opposes topic 13 Fast-track helps farm exports: Favors topic 13 YES on establishing free trade between US & Singapore: Favors topic 13 YES on establishing free trade between the US and Chile: Favors topic 13 YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade: Strongly Favors topic 13 YES on free trade agreement with Oman: Strongly Favors topic 13 YES on promoting free trade with Peru: Favors topic 13
Strongly Favors topic 15: Expand the armed forces (-5 points on Social scale)	Stop the free fall in defense spending: Strongly Favors topic 15 Upgrade retirement and health benefits for veterans: Favors topic 15 Rated 0% by SANE, indicating a pro-military voting record: Strongly Favors topic 15 Extend reserve retirement pay parity back to 9/11: Favors topic 15 NO on requiring on-budget funding for Iraq, not emergency funding: Favors topic 15 NO on limiting soldiers' deployment to 12 months: Favors topic 15
Strongly Opposes topic 16: Stricter limits on political campaign funds (+5 points on Economic scale)	Campaign finance reform is wrong, and abridges free speech: Strongly Opposes topic 16 NO on establishing the Senate Office of Public Integrity: Opposes topic 16 YES on allowing some lobbyist gifts to Congress: Strongly Opposes topic 16
Strongly Opposes topic 14: The Patriot Act harms civil liberties (-5 points on Social scale)	Prohibit torture of terrorists in US custody: Favors topic 14 NO on requiring FISA court warrant to monitor US-to-foreign calls: Strongly Opposes topic 14 YES on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision: Strongly Opposes topic 14 YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act: Opposes topic 14 NO on preserving habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees: Strongly Opposes topic 14 NO on requiring CIA reports on detainees & interrogation methods: Strongly Opposes topic 14
Strongly Opposes topic 17: US out of Iraq (-5 points on Social scale)	Supports strategic alliance with Israel: Favors topic 17 No US military action under UN command: Strongly Opposes topic 17 NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007: Strongly Opposes topic 17 NO on redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008: Strongly Opposes topic 17 NO on redeploying non-essential US troops out of Iraq in 9 months: Opposes topic 17