Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 2, 1993 TAG: 9311020119
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BONNIE V. WINSTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Less than 24 hours before Virginians were scheduled to begin voting for statewide officials, the high court dissolved a trial judge's order blocking the Family Foundation and Concerned Women for America of Virginia from giving out the guide.
The two-page guide already had been distributed in some churches last month before the state Democratic Party moved against it.
The guide lists the gubernatorial, lieutenant governor and attorney general candidates' positions on various issues gleaned from questionnaires sent to the campaigns.
Organization officials were scurrying late Monday to spread the word to their volunteers to circulate the guide as best they can before polls close today at 7 p.m.
"This is a bittersweet victory," said Anne B. Kincaid, communications director of the Family Foundation. "However, the damages have already been done, and the victims of this assault on political speech are the voters of Virginia.
"Tens of thousands of voters have been denied access to candidates' position on issues thanks to the Democrat Party. I don't find this mode of censorship very democratic," said Kincaid, who helped research and produce the guide.
Democrats won a temporary injunction against the guide's distribution after complaining that the groups were violating state election laws, because neither had registered as a political organization with the state Board of Elections.
While the Democrats accused the tax-exempt organizations of using "stealth" tactics to hide partisan Republican agendas, the groups argued that the guide is non-partisan, accurately summarizes the candidates' positions, makes no endorsements and should be protected by constitutional guarantees of free speech.
Kincaid said while she votes Republican and can be called a Republican activist, "my personal views didn't have anything to do with the guide."
State Democratic Chairman Mark Warner said he was perplexed by the Supreme Court's ruling; the justices issued no opinion to explain their decision. `We're glad we raised the issue. We still believe this was an attempt to deceive the voters. These are anything but neutral, non-partisan guides. . . . If these groups want to continue advocating for a candidate, we would hope they would register, just like the Christian Coalition does."
Kincaid would not say what the guides cost.
"Desperate men do desperate things when they watch their grip on power slip through their fists," Kincaid said. "This was a purposeful effort to get this survey out of the public eye, because the Democrats' stance is not popular with the people."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB