NATION'S FIRST VOTER'S SELF-DEFENSE SYSTEM:
Citizens Fight Stonewalling Efforts of Major Parties

Great Divide Ranch, MT-October 23, 2006 - In a speech at the National Press Club today, Project Vote Smart President Richard Kimball announced that after 16 years of effort by almost 6000 citizens, the nation's first Voter's Self-Defense System is approaching completion. The system will enable all citizens instantly to defend themselves from the often-abusive manipulative tactics of today's candidates and political parties.

"Brick by brick, full-time student interns, volunteers and staff have constructed an enormous database of factual information on more than 30,000 political candidates and elected officials. The system currently enables any citizen to access abundant, accurate, factual information with which to defend themselves from the bombardment of self-serving hype, spin and evasion of both major parties and their campaigns," Kimball said.

Kimball said the only pieces left to be installed are the new computer programs that enable the staff to manage internally the enormous amounts of data. However, citizens do not need to wait. Each candidate's voting records, campaign finances, performance evaluations by more than 200 liberal and conservative special interest organizations, biographical backgrounds, issue positions and public comments, are all up and operating over the Project's web site (www.vote-smart.org) and through student researchers on the Project's Voter's Research Hotline (1-888-VOTE SMART).

"While we get upwards of 16 million hits a day on our web site, 90 percent of the country still has no idea this Voter's Self-Defense System has been built for them," Kimball said. "And in the process of building it, we have learned one dangerous and undeniable fact: the political parties and most major candidates are pursuing a course that denies citizens the crucial information they have every right to have."

As part of the data collection efforts, the Project has conducted a ten-year study called the Political Courage Test, which has asked every congressional, gubernatorial and state legislative candidate in the country since 1996 one question: Are you willing to tell citizens your positions on the issues you will most likely face on their behalf?

Results of the Political Courage Test from 1996-2006 indicate a dramatic nosedive over the last five election cycles in the willingness of candidates of both major parties to say "yes" to that question, and then prove it by answering a few questions on issues known to be of concern to voters in their state. In the 1996-1998 tests, a high of 72 percent of all federal candidates and 38 percent of all state legislative candidates responded "yes" to the question. Since then, the decline has been steady and dramatic. The 2006 statistics are at an all time low of 48 percent and 26 percent for federal and state legislative candidates respectively. Gubernatorial candidate rates for 2006 are at 43%, also an all time low.

Following documented advice from their campaign consultants and party leaders, candidates of both major parties cite fear of opposition research and a need to control their campaign message to justify withholding information from voters.

Now candidates for public office attempt to tailor their images to what they think will sell in the political marketplace. This campaign strategy counts on the voters buying these images instead of requiring straight-forward answers from the candidates to fair-minded questions on the issues they will have to face if elected.

"Campaign consultants now have enormous power over our election process, and they are not accountable to the public in any way," Kimball said. "One campaign consultant told us, 'It's not our job to educate--it's our job to win.' Another said, 'I advised my candidate not to answer issue questions unless they came with a campaign donation.' This cynical advice strips citizens of the information the Founding Fathers considered essential if they were to cast the vote out to the masses."

Other recently completed elements of the Voter's Self-Defense System include tracking legislative voting records in every state, compiling the speeches and public statements of every presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial candidate (searchable by key word and phrase), and tracking judicial candidates and nominees. Project Vote Smart also provides ballot measures in every state, issue information, and how citizens can register and vote.

All citizens need to know is their zip code to access all this information and more over the Vote Smart web site (www.vote-smart.org) and the toll-free Voter's Research Hotline (1-888-VOTE SMART). Information is also available in the free 100-page Voter's Self-Defense Manual.

Project Vote Smart was founded by national leaders such as honorary co-founders Presidents Carter and Ford, and Senators Barry Goldwater and George McGovern. Current board members include Senator John McCain and former governor Michael Dukakis, former representatives Geraldine Ferraro and Newt Gingrich, and 36 other national leaders across the political spectrum. Project Vote Smart does not take a position on any issue, or support or oppose any candidate or party. It is funded entirely through foundation grants and the individual contributions of approximately 40,000 members.

Break-out statistics and supporting documents on the 1996-2006 Political Courage Test are available on Project Vote Smart's web site and by request through fax or email.