Post by admin on Oct 10, 2007 4:59:01 GMT -5
Don't diss democracy
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 10/9/07
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The deadline for state lawmakers to return their Project Vote Smart questionnaires on issues important to voters has passed. Once again, the participation rate this year was dismal — 36 percent. In the six districts covered by the Press, the results were far better — 72 percent. But that's 28 percent less than it should be. There is no excuse for any candidate to refuse to fill out and return the questionnaire.
Project Vote Smart, a bipartisan, good-government group, asked candidates for the Senate and Assembly questions on a variety of issues. The responses, incumbents' voting records, biographical sketches and links to campaign finance reports, interest group ratings and contact information are available at its Web site, www.votesmart.org.
Of the 10 major party candidates in the Shore area who refused to fill out the questionnaires, seven of them were Democrats — including the entire 13th District ticket of Leonard Inzerillo (Senate) and Patricia Walsh and Robert Brown (Assembly), and incumbent Sen. Ellen Karcher in the hotly contested 12th District. Both 10th District Assembly candidates, Sal Martino and John Kaklamanis, also failed to return the questionnaires.
Only three of 18 Republicans candidates for legislative seats spurned Project Vote Smart — and, by extension, the voters. The GOP holdouts were all incumbents from the 30th District — Sen. Robert Singer and Assemblymen Joseph Malone and Ronald Dancer. Questioned about their failure to complete the questionnaires at a recent editorial board meeting of the Press, Malone and Dancer made it clear it was no oversight. Malone said he and his record were so well known to his constituents that it was pointless.
Baloney. Polls have consistently shown appalling levels of ignorance among voters. That's one of the main reasons Project Vote Smart was created in the first place — to provide a bipartisan source of information about candidates for office. It has done an outstanding job. Project Vote Smart and the citizens it serves warrant respect. Candidates who snub it are snubbing democracy. Make it clear to them that's unacceptable.
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/OPINION/710090334/1029
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 10/9/07
Post Comment
The deadline for state lawmakers to return their Project Vote Smart questionnaires on issues important to voters has passed. Once again, the participation rate this year was dismal — 36 percent. In the six districts covered by the Press, the results were far better — 72 percent. But that's 28 percent less than it should be. There is no excuse for any candidate to refuse to fill out and return the questionnaire.
Project Vote Smart, a bipartisan, good-government group, asked candidates for the Senate and Assembly questions on a variety of issues. The responses, incumbents' voting records, biographical sketches and links to campaign finance reports, interest group ratings and contact information are available at its Web site, www.votesmart.org.
Of the 10 major party candidates in the Shore area who refused to fill out the questionnaires, seven of them were Democrats — including the entire 13th District ticket of Leonard Inzerillo (Senate) and Patricia Walsh and Robert Brown (Assembly), and incumbent Sen. Ellen Karcher in the hotly contested 12th District. Both 10th District Assembly candidates, Sal Martino and John Kaklamanis, also failed to return the questionnaires.
Only three of 18 Republicans candidates for legislative seats spurned Project Vote Smart — and, by extension, the voters. The GOP holdouts were all incumbents from the 30th District — Sen. Robert Singer and Assemblymen Joseph Malone and Ronald Dancer. Questioned about their failure to complete the questionnaires at a recent editorial board meeting of the Press, Malone and Dancer made it clear it was no oversight. Malone said he and his record were so well known to his constituents that it was pointless.
Baloney. Polls have consistently shown appalling levels of ignorance among voters. That's one of the main reasons Project Vote Smart was created in the first place — to provide a bipartisan source of information about candidates for office. It has done an outstanding job. Project Vote Smart and the citizens it serves warrant respect. Candidates who snub it are snubbing democracy. Make it clear to them that's unacceptable.
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/OPINION/710090334/1029
