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Share views with voters: Candidates should answer simple questions about issues important to Montanans - Sunday, October 19, 2008

Last month, the Missoulian began publishing profiles of state legislative candidates in western Montana, as well as their responses to a short questionnaire.

The questions were simple and straightforward, aimed at giving readers a sense of where the candidates stood on five issues of statewide importance. The questions asked how they might deal with gravel pits located next to homes, whether they support a statewide registry for prescription drugs, what they might do about energy costs, whether they support funding for new buildings on the University of Montana campus and finally, what their top priority will be in the Legislature.

The profile information was similarly simple: name, age, political party - that kind of thing. Nevertheless, some candidates running for Senate and House seats in the next Montana Legislature couldn't bring themselves to share that information with voters.

We assume these candidates are running for public office in in order represent the people of their districts, so we cannot imagine why they would decline an opportunity to provide those voters with information about themselves and where they stand on matters that affect their everyday lives. Perhaps the residents of their districts will ask them.

The candidates who did not return the Missoulian's survey form, despite numerous calls,

e-mails and follow-correspondence pleading with them to do so, are:

Democrat Mark Holston, candidate for Flathead County's Senate District 3.

Republican Gerald Bennett, candidate for House District 1 in Lincoln County.

Republican Chas Vincent, candidate for Lincoln County's House District 2.

Democrat M. Patrick Estenson, candidate for Flathead County's House District 11.

Republican Ronald Marquardt, candidate for Lake County's House District 12.

Constitution Party candidate Renn Bodeker, for House District 13 in Sanders County.

Democrat Cindy Grimm, candidate for House District 14 in Mineral, Missoula and Sanders counties.

Republican Dan Stusek, candidate for Missoula County's House District 92.

Republican Steve Dogiakos, candidate for Missoula County's House District 93.

Republican Kevin Blackler, candidate for Missoula County's House District 95.

Republican John Fuller, candidate for House District 4, provided profile information but chose not to answer the Missoulian's issue questions, opting instead to outline his positions on issues of his own choosing.

Unfortunately, there seems to be an increasing numbers of politicians, from every political party and all across the nation, who refuse to tell voters where they stand on a number of pivotal issues.

This year, for instance, Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, refused to take Project Vote Smart's “Political Courage Test.” Project Vote Smart is a national nonprofit based in Philipsburg that regularly sends these tests candidates running for various state and national offices and posts the answers on its Web site, at www.votesmart.org.

Both of Schweitzer's opponents - Republican state Sen. Roy Brown and Libertarian Stan Jones - completed the test, and their answers are posted for all to see. Sen. Max Baucus, the Democratic incumbent running for re-election this year, also failed to answer the test, as did his challenger, Republican Bob Kelleher. All three candidates for Montana's sole seat in the U.S. House - incumbent Republican Denny Rehberg, Democrat John Driscoll and Libertarian Mike Fellows - passed the “Political Courage Test.”

But tellingly, only slightly more than 40 percent of the Montana's legislative candidates filled out the Political Courage Test with them.

We can understand why politicians might balk at answering loaded questions from partisan organizations, but nonpartisan groups like Vote Smart and news organizations like the Missoulian provide a direct link between candidates and voters. Without this information, it is all but impossible for voters to judge the candidates on anything of substance.

Fortunately, the Missoulian and other Montana newspapers have devoted a significant amount of coverage to this year's candidates and election issues. That coverage is currently available on the Missoulian's Web site, www.missoulian.com, by clicking on the Election 2008 button.

The Missoulian will also be publishing a voter's guide with the Oct. 26 edition of the daily newspaper that will include profiles and survey responses from statewide candidates, as well as additional information about local and statewide candidates, proposed levies and ballot initiatives.

Voters must know where candidates stand before they can be expected to support them, and a good portion of voters look to the newspaper for that information. Candidates who elect not to share that information with newspapers ultimately do a disservice to voters.
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Liesa wrote on Oct 26, 2008 4:09 PM:

" Project Vote Smart's questions are far from unbiased. If they had smarter people writing them in a more balanced way, maybe more candidate's would answer them. If you would read the questions, you'd realize this. Not a top quality politican information site...Just because this group is near Missoula, doesn't mean it's good. "

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