Candidate Surveys

NEW!!! 2006 Libertarian Candidate Survey.

See the results of the 2004 OKLP Candidate Survey.

Liberty Index: Oklahoma Legislators Rated

Visit the 2004 OKLP Liberty Index and see the 2004 bills considered here.

Visit the 2003 OKLP Liberty Index and see the 2003 bills considered here.

Visit the 2002 OKLP Liberty Index and see the 2002 bills considered here.

Visit the 2001 OKLP Liberty Index (pdf).

Liberty Index: Past Winners

2004 Senate Winner
Click here to view the 2004 Liberty Index

Senator Angela Monson
2004 House Winner
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Representative M. C. Leist
2003 Senate Winners
Click here to view the 2003 Liberty Index

Senator Kenneth Corn
Senator Cal Hobson
Senator Jim Reynolds
Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson
2003 House Winners
Click here to view the 2003 Liberty Index

Representative Mike O'Neal
Representative M. C. Leist
2002 Senate Winner
Click here to view the 2002 Liberty Index

Senator Frank Shurden
2002 House Winner
Click here to view the 2002 Liberty Index

Representative Carolyn Coleman
Friend of Accuracy Award Winner

Representative Kevin Calvey

Surveys seek out candidates' views

By Jennifer Mock
The Oklahoman 8/21/06 www.newsok.com/article/2834378/

Questions run political gamut, Some on ballot wary of questions

Every campaign season, candidates are bombarded with surveys from groups seeking their opinions on everything from legalizing marijuana to right-to-life issues.

Candidates have received dozens of surveys this year from people who want to nail down their political positions.

The Libertarian Party of Oklahoma wants to weed out candidates who don't support broader ballot access laws.

Oklahomans for Life wants to gauge which candidates they can count on to be anti-abortion supporters.

It's all there in black and white. If a candidate marks that he or she supports lawsuit reform and then is elected and votes against a tort reform measure, there's a paper trail to expose the apparent contradiction.

State House Rep. Brian Bingman, who now is a Senate candidate, said candidates don't always realize the implications of their answers in such surveys. A personal interview with a group is a better way to get views across, Bingman said. "You can get yourself in trouble," said Bingman, R-Sapulpa. "There are a lot of the questions where there isn't an easy answer."

Survey answers can make or break endorsements For groups that conduct surveys, the answers can make the difference in an endorsement or financial support.

Michael Jestes, executive director of the Oklahoma Family Policy Council, said the survey results are sent to group members to give them an idea of which candidates share similar views.

"We want to see family oriented legislators and see what their views are on issues affecting the family," he said.

Jestes acknowledges that some more moderate candidates see the survey as a threat, while "those who are extreme don't mind telling you," he said. To combat those fears, the council posts all comments returned with the questionnaire so candidates can further explain their positions.

In Jestes' view, candidates owe the voters an answer to every question on the surveys, and he said his group's members do not look kindly on candidates who refuse to return the survey or answer certain questions.

"They need to be proud of what they believe, even if it is used against them," Jestes said.

Number of surveys can be overwhelming Some candidates say the questions can be leading. A question on the Oklahoma Family Policy Council survey asks about encouraging more gambling, "despite its high social cost."

Lawton House candidate T.W. Shannon said the number of surveys alone is overwhelming. "I wish I was receiving as many checks as I was surveys," he joked. Of the 280 surveys the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma sent out this year, 50 candidates responded, said party vice chairman David Splinter. Kris Rush, director for the Oklahoma Prosperity Project through the State Chamber, said that in 2004, 83 percent of Senate candidates and 72 percent of House candidates completed its survey.

The project focuses on employment and economic development issues. "Yes-and-no questions at least give an idea of where a candidate stands on those issues," Rush said. "If you ask an open-ended question, you have no way to compare the candidates."

Keith Smith, chairman of the Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats, said surveys can be ineffective because so many candidates don't fill them out. His organization advocates gay rights.

"The concept is outdated because anyone can tell you anything they want on a survey," Smith said. "You won't know the whole truth until they are elected and their views are proven."


The following are questions taken from surveys sent out by five state lobbying groups to candidates for the state and federal legislature.

The Oklahoma Prosperity Project

Will you vote to: "Fund Oklahoma's higher education to the regional average?"
Will you vote to: "Dedicate more road-user fees and taxes for bridge and highway improvements?"

Oklahoma Family Policy Council

"Define marriage in the U.S. Constitution as between a man and a woman?"
"Deny publicly funded benefits and services to illegal immigrants?"

Oklahoma Education Association

Agree or disagree: "Oklahoma teachers' salaries should be above the state regional average and should be the legislature's highest priority."
Agree or disagree: "The legislature should adopt a more rigorous curriculum in Oklahoma's high schools to prepare all graduates to seek a college degree."

Oklahomans for Life
"Would you support a legal prohibition on human cloning, including the creation of human embryos by cloning?" (Federal candidate survey)
"Would you oppose the legalization of lethal prescriptions or lethal injections to intentionally kill an innocent person or to 'assist' someone in committing suicide ('active euthanasia')?" (State candidate survey)

Libertarian Party of Oklahoma "Do you support trade-offs of freedoms intended to increase security, such as the Patriot Act or warrantless wiretaps?"
"Do you support laws placing more controls on gun purchases and ownership?"