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 Opposes topic 1: Abortion is a woman's right (-5 points on Social scale)	Existing embryonic stem cell research ok, but no new lines: Opposes topic 1 Respect all human life including those not yet born: Strongly Opposes topic 1 For federal funding only in cases of incest, rape, health: Favors topic 1 No litmus test for judiciary appointments: Neutral on topic 1 Pro-life, with exceptions for rape, incest, & health: Opposes topic 1 Human Life Amendment is irrelevant; focus on other issues: Opposes topic 1 Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record: Strongly Opposes topic 1 Rated 100% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-life stance: Strongly Opposes 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 NO on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines: Opposes topic 1 YES on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions: Opposes topic 1
Opposes topic 2: Require hiring more women & minorities (+2 points on Economic scale)	Discontinue affirmative action programs: Strongly Opposes topic 2 More to be done to remove the “glass ceiling”: Favors topic 2 Empowerment of women comes from dreams and passion: Neutral on topic 2 Issue a commemorative postage stamp of Rosa Parks: Favors topic 2 Rated 18% 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)	Traditional marriage is something Republicans will defend: Strongly Opposes topic 3 Rated 0% by the HRC, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance: Strongly Opposes topic 3 Amend Constitution to define traditional marriage: 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)	Freedom of religion, not freedom from religion: Favors topic 4 Set aside Sundays for spiritual and personal rejuvenation: Favors topic 4 For school prayer & 10 Commandments in schools: Strongly Favors topic 4 Crusade for a rebirth of our values: Strongly Favors topic 4 Add a 4th “R”: Responsibility: 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 use of federal death penalty: Favors topic 8
Favors topic 9: Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws (-3 points on Social scale)	Permanent crime database for volunteers with kids: 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)	Ban AK-47s; add safety locks; instant background checks: Opposes topic 10 Limited right to bear arms.: Opposes 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
Opposes topic 5: More federal funding for health coverage (+2 points on Economic scale)	Allow self-employed to deduct health costs: Favors topic 5 Rated 0% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Establish a National Diabetes Coordinator: Favors topic 5 NO on allowing tribal Indians to opt out of federal healthcare: Strongly Favors 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 NO on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility: Opposes topic 5 YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare: Favors topic 5
Strongly Favors topic 6: Privatize Social Security (+5 points on Economic scale)	“Catch-up” IRA contributions, faster vesting, & portability: 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)	Give parents a smorgasbord of choices: Strongly Favors topic 7 Vouchers OK where public schools fail.: Strongly Favors topic 7 Parents should demand success; be given vouchers if not: 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)	Release 1/3 of the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve: Opposes topic 18 Farm program: more ethanol; more conservation; less taxes: Favors topic 18 Pay to stop farming environmentally sensitive cropland: Strongly Favors topic 18 Rated 11% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Keep efficient air conditioner rule to conserve energy: Strongly Favors topic 18 Rated 17% by the CAF, indicating opposition to energy independence: Opposes topic 18 Open the Outer Continental Shelf for oil & gas leasing: 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 removing oil & gas exploration subsidies: Strongly Opposes topic 18 YES on addressing CO2 emissions without considering India & China: Favors topic 18 NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation: Strongly Opposes topic 18
Strongly Favors topic 19: Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it (-5 points on Social scale)	Random drug testing for a drug-free transportation system: Strongly Favors topic 19 Use all branches of the military in Drug War: Strongly Favors topic 19 Would “lead a crusade” against illegal drugs: Strongly Favors topic 19 Reducing supply isn’t enough-we must blunt demand: Favors topic 19 Reduce demand for this “personal and national evil”: Favors topic 19 Require chemical resellers to certify against meth use: Favors topic 19
Favors topic 20: Allow churches to provide welfare services (+2 points on Economic scale)	Flexibility in welfare programs via federal block grants: Favors topic 20
Strongly Opposes topic 11: Make taxes more progressive (+5 points on Economic scale)	Sales tax, income tax, food tax, liquor tax: it’s too much: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Tax cuts are top priority; eliminate marriage penalty: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Tax rates are at all-time highs, yet budget adds taxes: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Cut the tax burden on Americans: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Rated 72% 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 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
Strongly Opposes topic 12: Illegal immigrants earn citizenship (-5 points on Social scale)	Help sheriffs identify illegal immigrants among suspects: Strongly Opposes topic 12 Crackdown on illegal immigrants who commit crimes: Opposes topic 12 Link local sheriffs to federal immigration tools: Opposes topic 12 Supports CA Prop 187 barring illegal aliens from schools: Opposes topic 12 Rated 100% by USBC, indicating a sealed-border stance: Strongly Opposes topic 12 Zero tolerance for border crossing via increased prosecution: Strongly Opposes topic 12 Government services in English only: Opposes topic 12 YES on continuing federal funds for declared "sanctuary cities": Strongly Favors topic 12 NO on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security: Strongly Opposes topic 12 NO on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship: Strongly Opposes 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)	CAFTA has created jobs for North Carolina: Opposes topic 13 An open global market helps our economy thrive: Strongly Favors topic 13 Free trade zone for the entire Western Hemisphere: Strongly Favors topic 13 Authorize “Fast Track” for trade negotiations: Strongly Favors topic 13 NO on establishing free trade between US & Singapore: Opposes 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 NO on free trade agreement with Oman: Strongly Opposes 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)	Pentagon has been reduced to a triangle: build it back: Strongly Favors topic 15 Re-build military for greater readiness: Strongly Favors topic 15 Increased spending needed to keep the peace: Strongly Favors topic 15 Restore shortfalls in Armed Forces personnel: Strongly Favors topic 15 Rated 0% by SANE, indicating a pro-military voting record: Strongly Favors topic 15 Improve mental health care benefits for returning veterans: Favors topic 15 Set minimum spending on defense at 4% of GDP: Strongly 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)	Contributing to campaigns is 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)	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 YES on removing need for FISA warrant for wiretapping abroad: Strongly Opposes topic 14
Opposes topic 17: US out of Iraq (-3 points on Social scale)	Precipitous Iraq withdrawal leads to further instability: Strongly Opposes topic 17 Mistakes were made, but no precipitous withdrawal from Iraq: Strongly Opposes topic 17 Russia: Work with policies, not personalities: Strongly Favors topic 17 US has responsibility to lead post-Cold War world: Strongly Favors topic 17 US responsibility: clear, credible & capable leadership: Strongly Favors 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