2003 VIRGINIA STATE LEGISLATIVE NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST
Candidate's name (please print): ___________________________________________________________ District no.: ______________

Abortion Issues:

Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.
___ a) Abortions should always be illegal.
___ b) Abortions should always be legally available.
___ c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
___ d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
___ e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
___ f) Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
___ g) Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion.
h) Other or expanded principles_______________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Budgetary, Spending and Tax Issues:

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category.
___ a) Education (Higher)
___ b) Education (K-12)
___ c) Environment
___ d) Health care
___ e) Law enforcement
___ f) Transportation and Highway infrastructure
___ g) Welfare
___ h) Other or expanded categories__________________________________________________

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax.
___ a) Alcohol taxes ___ h) Inheritance taxes
___ b) Capital gains taxes ___ i) Property taxes
___ c) Cigarette taxes ___ j) Sales taxes
___ d) Corporate taxes ___ k) Car taxes
___ e) Gasoline taxes ___ l) Commercial vehicle tolls
___ f) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000) ___ m) Passenger vehicle tolls
___ g) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000) ___ n) Other or expanded categories____________
_________________________________________
o) Should Internet sales be taxed? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
p) Do you support eliminating taxes on estates valued at $1 million or more? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
q) Other or expanded principles_______________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Campaign Finance and Governmental Reform Issues:

Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and
government reform.
a) Do you support the current limit on terms for Virginia governors? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for Virginia state senators and representatives?
___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?
1) Individual ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
2) PAC ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
3) Corporate ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
4) Political Parties ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
e) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
f) Do you support voting on-line? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
g) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying and ensuring accuracy of votes? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
h) Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Virginia are closed?
___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
i) Should Virginia recognize civil unions between same-sex couples? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
j) Should Virginia restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
k) Other or expanded principles________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Crime Issues:

Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) to address crime.
___ a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
___ b) Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
___ c) Support the use of the death penalty in Virginia.
___ d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
___ e) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.

2003 VIRGINIA STATE LEGISLATIVE NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST
Candidate's name (please print): ___________________________________________________________ District no.: ______________

___ f) Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
___ g) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
___ h) Support the blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
___ i) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
___ j) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
___ k) Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
___ l) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
___ m) Increase state funding for additional security of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
___ n) Allow police to ticket motorists for not wearing their safety belts, even if they have committed no other traffic violation.
o) Other or expanded principles______________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Educational Issues:

Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) regarding education.
___ a) Support national standards and testing of public school students.
___ b) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
___ c) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
___ d) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
___ e) Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
___ f) Support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools.
___ g) Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
___ h) Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
___ i) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
___ j) Increase state funding to expand Head Start programs.
___ k) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
___ l) Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives and HIV/STD prevention methods.
___ m) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
___ n) Support in-state tuition for illegal immigrants who are Virginia high school graduates and are becoming permanent residents.
o) Other or expanded principles_______________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Employment and Affirmative Action Issues:

Employment: Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) concerning employment.
___ a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
___ b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion.
___ c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding or relocating businesses.
___ d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
___ e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children of low-income working families.
___ f) Include sexual orientation in Virginia's anti-discrimination laws.
g) Other or expanded principles________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:
a) College and university admissions ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
b) Public employment ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
c) State contracting ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
d) Other or expanded principles _______________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Environmental and Energy Issues:

Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.
___ a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
___ b) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused or abandoned.
___ c) Support increased funding for mass transit and high speed rail systems.
___ d) Support increased funding for building new roads.
___ e) Enact legislation that limits urban growth.
f) Do you support state funding for open space preservation? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
g) Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Undecided
h) Other or expanded principles_______________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gun Issues:

Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.
___ a) Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
___ b) Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
___ c) Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.

2003 VIRGINIA STATE LEGISLATIVE NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST
Candidate's name (please print): ___________________________________________________________ District no.: ______________

___ d) Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
___ e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
___ f) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
___ g) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
___ h) Require a license for gun possession.
i) Other or expanded principles________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Health Issues:

Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues.
___ a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms or state-funded care where necessary.
___ b) Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
___ c) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
___ d) Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
___ e) Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied by their HMO.
___ f) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
___ g) Legalize physician-assisted suicide in Virginia.
___ h) Increase state funding for training health workers to recognize and respond to the release of biological agents.
i) Other or expanded principles________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Welfare and Poverty Issues:

Indicate ( ) which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.
___ a) Support current time limits on welfare benefits.
___ b) Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
___ c) Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
___ d) Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
___ e) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
___ f) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
___ g) Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
___ h) Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
i) Other or expanded principles________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Legislative Priorities:

In the space provided below or on an attached page, in a total of seventy-five (75) words or less, please explain what
your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to
implement these priorities.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CANDIDATE MUST SIGN SURVEY TO BE INCLUDED IN THE DATABASE.

Candidate Name____________________________________________ State and District________________ Party_______________
Signature__________________________________________________________________ Date______________________________
For those candidates who return their responses to the NPAT before the deadline passes, Project Vote Smart will
include their position papers on their web site. Please forward them to Project Vote Smart in electronic format (disk,
email, web link). Please note that special formatting (pictures, special fonts) will not appear.