CHARLESTON -- A majority of West Virginia's congressional and legislative candidates haven't yet shared their positions on key issues with a national, nonpartisan voter education effort.
But that hasn't stopped Project Vote Smart from offering a detailed rundown of at least some of the state's federal hopefuls before November.
Just three of the seven active congressional candidates had responded to the group's Political Courage Test by last week's deadline: Marty Gearheart, the Mercer County businessman challenging Rep. Nick Rahall in the state's 3rd District; Jay Wolfe, in a rematch against Sen. Jay Rockefeller; and 2nd District Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito.
Both Gearheart and Wolfe are Republicans facing Democratic incumbents. Capito's was not among the candidate names listed by Project Vote Smart officials last week, but her campaign on Sunday provided a copy of her response dated by the group's Wednesday deadline.
Former South Charleston Mayor Richie Robb had also completed the issue survey, before his loss in the Democratic primary for the 2nd U.S. House District race.
The response rate for Project Vote Smart was equally poor among state legislative candidates, with 58 out of 260 participating, group spokesman Brandon Horton said. Thirty Democrats and 28 Republicans responded, with 37 of them challengers and 21 incumbents.
Neither Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, nor GOP challenger Russ Weeks has completed the test. The only response has come from a write-in candidate, James Davis, Horton said.
"The idea of the test is simple," Horton said. "We ask, 'Are you willing to tell voters your positions on the issues that you'll most likely face on their behalf?"'
The group began quizzing congressional candidates in 1992 and expanded it to state races in 1996. It also seeks responses from White House hopefuls.
This year's test asks about issues from abortion and welfare to trade and the budget. Horton said the questions and answer choices are phrased with voters in mind. Candidates select from broad principles and can write more in-depth responses.
Because the test asks what a candidate does not support, it should be of little value to opponents seeking fodder for attack ads. But the specter of giving ammo to foes has been blamed as the response rate nationwide to Project Vote Smart's congressional survey has dropped from its 1996 peak of 72 percent to 48 percent a decade later.
"They do give a number of excuses, the most common being opposition research," Horton said. "But in terms of excuses, we can't see our test as being any less relevant than they were in 1996."
Horton also said his group will condemn any ads that inaccurately cite the test.
Responses from state office candidates has also declined, from a 38 percent high in 1998 to 26 percent in 2006. Horton said bare-bones campaigns may partly explain the low response rate, though he noted that both state and congressional candidates can fill out the test and their biographies online.
In West Virginia, more than 50 percent of the congressional candidates took the test during the past two elections. But Horton estimated that this year's response level among all West Virginia candidates would fall below the nationwide average.
However, Mountain State voters can still learn more about their incumbent congressional delegation. Project Vote Smart released its 2008 Voter's Self Defense Manual last week. The free, state-by-state guide lists key votes, ratings from interest groups, campaign finance figures and contact information, as well as survey responses.
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On the Net:
Project Vote Smart: http://votesmart.org/
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Lawrence Messina covers the statehouse for The Associated Press.
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