Are you looking for a nonpartisan voter guide to the Mark Warner vs. Ed Gillespie vs. Robert Sarvis Senate race? One that will give you an unbiased, no-spin comparison of candidate positions on key issues? That's what our Campus Election Engagement Project guide will give you! We are a national nonpartisan initiative working with college and university administrators, faculty, and student leaders to increase student participation in America's elections. For the 2014 elections we have created and distributed voter guides to campuses in more than 20 states so they can provide their communities with accurate information for informed voting. Because these guides have been so well received and are useful for all voting citizens who want to be better informed, we are also posting them here.
We developed our guides by analyzing information from trusted resources such as www.votesmart.org, www.ontheissues.org, www.ballotpedia.com, www.politifact.com, www.factcheck.org, www.vote411.org and from candidate websites, public debates and interviews, and statements in major media outlets. We also showed them to groups like campus Young Republicans and Young Democrats at the schools we work with to verify their fairness and lack of bias.
So here are the issue-by-issue stands for Mark Warner, Ed Gillespie and Robert Sarvis, with additional links at the bottom for each candidate if you'd like to dig deeper.
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Budget: Did you support raising the Federal debt ceiling with no strings attached?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: Unknown
Budget: Do you support a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment?
Warner: No
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: Yes
Campaign Finance: Do you support the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: Unknown
Campaign Finance: Do you support the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions?
Warner: No
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: Yes
Economy: Do you support raising the minimum wage?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: No
Economy: Do you support extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: Unknown
Sarvis: No
Economy: Do you support the Dodd-Frank Act, which established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and sought to increase regulation of Wall Street corporations and other financial institutions?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: Unknown
Economy: Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: No
Education: Do you support refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: Unknown
Sarvis: Unknown
Environment: Do you believe that human activity is a major factor contributing to climate change?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: Yes
Environment: Do you support government action to limit the levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: Yes
Environment: Do you support government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: Unknown. Has lobbied against increased auto mileage standards
Sarvis: No
Gay Marriage: Do you support gay marriage?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: Yes
Gun Control: Do you support enacting more restrictive gun control legislation?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: No
Healthcare: Do you support repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare?
Warner: No
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: Yes
Healthcare: Did you support shutting down the federal government in order to defund Obamacare in 2013?
Warner: No
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: No
Immigration: Do you support the D.R.E.A.M. Act, which would allow children brought into the country illegally to achieve legal status if they've graduated from high school, have a clean legal record, and attend college or serve in the military?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: Unknown
Sarvis: See below
Immigration: Do you support the comprehensive immigration plan passed by the Senate in 2013, which includes a pathway to citizenship and increased funding for border security?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: Proposes increasing number of legal immigrants and giving illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes a status to stay
Iraq: Should the US recommit troops to Iraq to combat the rise in insurgency?
Warner: Unknown. Wants to "keep all options on the table."
Gillespie: Unknown
Sarvis: No
Marijuana: Do you support efforts to decriminalize and/or legalize marijuana?
Warner: Unclear, though says his views have changed on marijuana
Gillespie: Unknown
Sarvis: Supports decriminalization and legalization
Social Issues: Should abortion be highly restricted?
Warner: No
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: No
Social Issues: Should employers be able to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if they disagree with it morally?
Warner: No
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: Unknown
Social Issues: Should Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health services?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: Unknown
Social Security: Do you support partial privatization of Social Security?
Warner: No
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: Unknown
Taxes: Have you signed the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge to oppose any tax increases to raise revenue? (The answer to this question is taken from the database of signatories of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, created by Americans for Tax Reform. Signers to the pledge promise to oppose "any and all tax increases" meant to generate additional revenue.)
Warner: No
Gillespie: Yes
Sarvis: Yes--for legislative race, but would sign for Senate race
Taxes: Would you increase taxes on corporations and/or high-income individuals to pay for public services?
Warner: Yes
Gillespie: No
Sarvis: No
Learn more about the candidates:
Warner: Mark Warner Vote Smart pages and Mark Warner On the Issues pages
Gillespie: Ed Gillespie Vote Smart pages and Ed Gillespie On the Issues pages
Sarvis: Robert Sarvis Vote Smart pages and Robert Sarvis On the Issues pages
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