Most Wisconsin candidates mum on democracy questionnaire

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Fund released the responses of statewide candidates and legislative hopefuls to six questions on democracy reform issues the three groups posed to all candidates.

The League partnered with Common Cause Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign in calling on candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and state legislature (Assembly and Senate) to state their positions on specific reforms designed to reduce the influence of special interests in elections and to promote a fair and transparent process for drawing legislative district lines in 2011.

Almost 60 percent of state legislative candidates declined the opportunity to take a stand on these issues through the League’s questionnaire.

Fourteen out of the 41 candidates for state senate replied and 120 of the 270 candidates for state assembly replied. Of those who responded, 11 refused to answer the questions. Six of 10 candidates for Lieutenant Governor and five of seven gubernatorial candidates responded, candidates Timothy John and Scott Walker declined comment. The League also sent questionnaires to candidates for U.S. Senate and Wisconsin’s eight seats in the House of Representatives. Three of five candidates for U.S. Senator responded.

“The voters deserve to know where the candidates stand on the issues,” said Andrea Kaminski, director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Fund. “Getting more than 40 percent of the candidates to respond is an improvement over 2008, when only a third responded. However, 177 candidates failed to respond and are leaving citizens in the dark.”

The League will open the online questionnaire up to candidates again for one week in mid-September, following the primary election. At that time, candidates who have responded will have the opportunity to edit their answers and those who have not responded will have a second chance to do so.

To see how candidates in your area answered, or whether they answered at all, go here.