BY HOWARD WILKINSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Project Vote Smart, a national voter-education projet, has amassed a mountain of information on where congressional candidates stand on issues, but the group drew a blank in Ohio's 1st Congressional District.
Neither incumbent Republican Steve Chabot nor Democratic challenger Roxanne Qualls responded to Project Vote Smart's questionnaire seeking their positions on a range of issues.
The 6-year-old, non-partisan organization compiles issue-oriented information on candidates for state and federal offices. It offers the information to the public through a toll-free hot line and on its Internet Web site.
In Ohio, 108 candidates for governor, state legislature and Congress completed Project Vote Smart's national political-awareness test, which asked for the candidates' stands on issues such as abortion, crime, education, the environment and foreign policy.
Nearly 60 percent of the congressional candidates in Ohio responded to the questionnaire, but Mr. Chabot and Ms. Qualls did not.
Beth Davidson, spokeswoman for the Qualls campaign, said the form was not filled out because the campaign did not want the information posted for anyone -- including the opposition -- to read.
"It's too accessible to everyone; we would rather have control over our message," Ms. Davidson said.
Ed Joyce, communications director for the Oregon-based Project Vote Smart, said some candidates do not want their positions on issues to be widely distributed.
"It's unfortunate," Mr. Joyce said. "You have to wonder if this is what the system has come to, that laying out your opinions has become a political liability."
Chabot campaign manager Shannon Walker Jones said the Chabot campaign did not respond "because no one has any doubt where Steve stands. We choose not to spend our resources filling out questionnaires like this because Steve has a voting record and people know where he is on the issues."
U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester, was the only Southwest Ohio incumbent congressman to fill out the questionnaire, as did his opponent, Democrat John Griffin. U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, and U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lucasville, did not, while their opponents -- Charles Sanders and Nancy Hollister, respectively -- did submit responses.
Bob Taft, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, submitted his questionnaire well after the July 15 deadline set by Project Vote Smart. His answers will be posted on the group's Web site anyway. Mr. Taft's Democratic opponent, Lee Fisher, responded on time.
The candidates' responses are available on the group's Web site (www.vote-smart.org) or by calling Project Vote Smart's toll-free number (1-888-VOTE SMART).
