Why did you develop the Vote by Issue Quiz?
"Vote by Issue" allows voters to examine candidates for political office based solely on their positions on issues, not by personality. Vote by Issue is a patent-pending database tool developed by WBUR, that we license to those who want to apply the project to local races. Please contact WBUR if you are interested in using the quiz.

Why did you choose these particular questions for the quiz?
The topics have been selected by editorial boards of NewsHour and WBUR in consultation with polling groups and non-partisan election observers.

Where did the candidates' responses come from?
All questions were submitted to the candidates. President Bush's campaign declined to participate in Vote by Issue. The candidate's responses were compiled from comments by Mr. Bush and published statements.All other candidates' positions are original responses to questions posed by NewsHour and WBUR.

Due to the nature of the quiz, we had to impose a few limitations. They are: 1. Each response must be 75 words or less, with an additional, optional 150 words provided for candidates to elaborate on their platforms. 2. Responses could not include any personal references (such as "As a woman, I believe…" or "My 20 years experience in the Senate…"). Such phrases would give away the identity of the respondent.

Why didn't all candidates include their full plans?
All candidates were given the same questions. They were asked to reply with short answers for the questions, and could opt to submit more detailed plans as well. Not all supplied the longer plans on all the issues.

How did you pick the order in which the candidates and topics are displayed?
The quiz continually randomizes the order in which issues are considered and in which the candidates' positions anonymously appear on the page.