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PRESS RELEASE
IDAHO VALUES ALLIANCE
PRESS RELEASE
May 9, 2008
To: News Desks/Assignment Editors
Contact: Bryan Fischer (208) 841-2546
Executive Director, Idaho Values Alliance
www.idahovaluesalliance.com
GEM STATE VOTER GUIDE NOW ONLINE; INCLUDES SUPREME COURT RACE
Boise – The Gem State Voter Guide, the most comprehensive voter guide available to Idaho families, is now online and may be accessed at http://www.gemstatevoterguide.com.
The Gem State Voter Guide is a joint project of the Idaho Values Alliance, Idaho Chooses Life, and Education Excellence Idaho.
It features candidate responses on 25 important issues, including the sanctity of life and marriage, religious liberty, education, fiscal and tax policy, and environmental policy.
Candidate profiles are available for both congressional races and for the U.S. Senate race.
In addition, there are 26 contested GOP primaries for seats in the Idaho legislature, and voters can compare and contrast candidate responses in those races.
Significantly, both candidates in the contested race for a spot on the Idaho Supreme Court, Joel Horton and John Bradbury, returned questionnaires, and their responses to the questions on judicial philosophy are also posted.
Said Bryan Fischer, Executive Director of the Idaho Values Alliance, “It’s quite significant that both candidates for the Supreme Court returned questionnaires. In many states, voters fly blind when they go to the polls to vote in judicial elections because candidates often will refuse to even return questionnaires.
“But in this case, voters can compare the judicial philosophies of the two candidates, and make up their own minds about which of them they want to wield the gavel.”
Fischer observed that voters will have a pretty clear choice in this race. “Judge Horton, on a scale of 1-10, says he’s a ‘10’ when it comes to being a strict constructionist, and says that Antonin Scalia is his favorite Supreme Court Justice. Scalia is famous for being an originalist, and believes that a judge’s role is to apply the law, not make it.
“Bradbury, on the other hand, gives himself a 5-6 on the same sliding scale, which indicates he’s right in the middle between seeing the constitution as a living document and taking a strict constructionist view on the other end.
“Bradbury’s favorite jurist is former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who had a well-deserved reputation of being the swing vote on many important rulings, sometimes siding with the ‘living document’ crew and other times with the originalist crew.
“So voters will have a clear choice in that race, depending on what kind of philosophy they prefer in a judge.”
Noting that Idaho is the most heavily Republican state in the union, Fischer pointed out the importance of the primary elections on the GOP side.
“Because this state leans so heavily Republican, the primary election is often much more important than the general election, because the primary winner will be a heavy favorite in many districts in November.
“So this is an extremely critical time for voters, especially in the pro-family community, to educate themselves on where the candidates stand, and make sure they get to the polls on May 27.”
The Gem State Voter Guide is a non-partisan guide, and contains no campaign literature or even a list of what the “right” answers are. Fischer says this means it contains information that is helpful to all voters.
Concluded Fischer, “No matter where you fit on the political spectrum, this guide will help you find the candidates that best represent your values.”
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