Leadership is taking action, not just seeking a position. And it only stands to reason that the acid test of leadership for political candidates is their willingness to answer questions on issues. How will they do their job? In the case of 269 candidates running for a seat in the state Legislature, only 58 of them were inclined to take Project Vote Smart's 2008 Political Courage Test. That's 22 percent of legislative candidates. The test asks all candidates one key question: "Are you willing to tell citizens your positions on the issues you will most likely face on their behalf?" If they answer yes, they are then asked to answer a series of questions on issues as diverse as school funding, budget and taxes, and health care. If they answer no, they flunk. If they refuse to take the test, we are inclined to believe they are unwilling to help citizens cast an informed vote.
Or even worse, they are willing to keep voters in the dark for fear of letting their opponents know where they stand on the issues. Which raises an entirely different kind of question: How can these candidates possibly let the voters know how they will approach their job if elected?
Candidates in congressional races fared even worse. Only 18 percent actually responded — two out of 11. None of the state's four incumbents, running for re-election, responded.
That included 13-term congressman Rep. Alan Mollohan, who has failed to ever take the test though we began promoting it in 2000. Ditto for four-term U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller.
Imagine seeking a top leadership role in our state, but being unwilling to inform voters of what your position is — in writing — on illegal immigration or national security.
Candidates advancing to the general election will have another chance to respond to the test, when offered again later this year.
Yet, we are inclined to believe, that locally in state races, only David Pethel, Rick Starn, Harry Bertram, Cindy Frich and Alex Shook, running for the House of Delegates; and Fred Brunner, Jeffrey Kessler and Gary Howell, running for state Senate, care enough about the public interest to take the Political Courage Test.
In congressional races in our area, no incumbent or challenger could be bothered to take the test. As for the 15 candidates running for legislative positions from our region, who were unwilling to take the test, they apparently couldn't spare the time to provide some of the most vital information needed to sustain a democracy. An informed electorate, perhaps, we are not, but we know wherein part of the problem lies.