Holding public office in Tennessee is not only a privilege but also a great responsibility. It is a great responsibility because it is a position of trust between officeholder and the people they represent. And because elected office is a position of trust, it is important that voters cast informed votes.

How to Access the Voter Guide

You can access the candidate responses in one of two ways:

• Your District Only: Simply type in your mailing address, and on your screen will appear the voter guide information on the two primary party presidential nominees, Senators Obama and McCain, and the names of your state House and/or Senate candidates. You can see their individual survey results or view them in a side-by-side comparison.
  
  
• All Contested Races: Or if you’d rather see the entire voter guide results for all House and Senate races, you can view a PDF version (allow a minute for it to download). Please note that the full voter guide reflects only the contested House and Senate races.

Information about the Questions

At right you will find background material on the questions asked in FACT’s legislative candidate survey. We hope this information will allow you to better understand the issue as well as a candidate’s answers.

Questions Asked in the Survey

Do you support or oppose:

1. Abstinence Education: Allowing local school systems to use “abstinence only” curriculum in connection with sex education classes?
   
   
2. Parental Rights: Prohibiting public school based mental examinations from being performed on students without express written consent from parents?
   
   
3. "Voluntary" PreK: Keeping enrollment in and attendance of pre-kindergarten classes voluntary?
   
   
4. Abortion - Amendment: Amending the state constitution relative to abortion to include the language found in SJR 127 as adopted by the Tennessee Senate in the 105th General Assembly?
   
   
5. Abortion - Full Vote: Voting to bring to the floor for a vote by the membership of the body to which you are elected a resolution to amend the state constitution to make it silent on the issue of abortion if the resolution becomes stalled in any subcommittee or committee of that body?
   
   
6. RU-486 Restrictions: Requiring doctors who prescribe the abortifacient RU-486 either to follow the Food and Drug Administration’s protocol for use of the drug or to inform the woman in writing that they are not following the protocol?
   
   
7. Adult Business Regs.: Regulating sexually-oriented businesses to the fullest extent allowed by law?
   
   
8. Limit Obscene TV Ads: Prohibiting television stations and cable television companies from advertising or promoting the sale of materials that are obscene for minors during the hours from 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.?
   
   
9. Religious Freedom: Enacting a state law patterned after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act relative to state action and state law?
   
   
10. Civil Unions: Giving legal recognition to “civil unions” or “domestic partnerships” between people of the same sex?
    
    
11. Domestic Partner Benefits: Requiring, as a condition of providing goods and services to state or local government, that employers provide “domestic partner” benefits to unmarried heterosexual couples or to homosexual couples.
    
    
12. Sexual Orientation Rights: Including sexual orientation or preference under Tennessee’s equivalent of the federal civil rights laws?
    
    
13. Elected Judges: Open and contested elections for judges on the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals such as were held before the current process of Gubernatorial appointment followed by unopposed retention elections?

2008 TENNESSEE VOTER GUIDE

Two ways to view the survey results:

• Your district
  only
  
  
• All contested races

background info

Q.4-5: Constitutional amendment SJR 127

Q.6: Abortion pill RU-486

Q.7: Adult-oriented businesses

Q.8: Advertising obscene material

Q.9: Religious Freedom

Q.13: Election of judges