Group informs voters about candidates
By Jeff Randall
Staff Reporter
People who don’t vote because they
say they can't trust the candidates
now have another place to turn.
Project Vote Smart, a national
nonprofit organization, is providing
voters with the information they need
to make choices on Election Day. The
project has its headquarters at Or
egon State University in Corvallis
and Northeastern University in Bos
ton.
Adelaide Elm is the project's
founding board member. She said the
organization, founded in 1988 by a
group of private citizens, tried to give
the public information it needed about
candidates without having to go
through the candidates themselves.
Elm, who also is director of public
information for the group, said the
services Project Vote Smart provided
were designed to encourage people to
vote and to vote responsibly.
Project Vote Smart distributes can
didate information in two ways. Elm
said. The group sponsors a toll-free
voter research hotline and a 75-page
booklet entitled “The Voter Self-De
fense Manual.”
The program was tested first in the
1990 Senate races in Nebraska and
North Carolina. The test results were
overwhelmingly positive, she said.
“The whole project was just a great
success,” Elm said. “Everyone was
very positive, and we received a lot of
good feedback from everyone who
had heard about us and used our
service.”
Elm said several retired and active
politicians were involved in the
project, including former Presidents
Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford and
former presidential candidates Barry
Goldwater and George McGovern.
The information hotline is staffed
by student interns and other volun
teers who answered callers' questions.
Elm said. She said the volunteers had
immediate access to the
organization's database that stored
information about candidates nation
wide. The hotline number is 1-800
622-SMART.
“The Voter Self-Defense Manual"
is being distributed on the local level
by social service groups and student
organizations on college campuses.
Elm said.
The manual contains general in
formation on several candidates, back
ground about Project Vote Smart and
a copy of a questionnaire that candi
dates complete for the organization.
The questionnaire was given to all
gubernatorial and congressional can
didates, Elm said. It covers 18 differ
ent topics that candidates would have
to address if elected, and it is de
signed to reveal numerous aspects of
candidates’ charactcrsand platforms.
Project Vote Smart also collects
information on candidates’ voting
rccordsand campaign financing. Elm
said.
“We want to get people involved."
Elm said, “and we think giving them
this much available information will
help them do so.”
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Forum
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he favored campaign finance reform.
But lack of money won’t stop him.
Combs said.
“We've been running this cam
paign ... on shoe leather and hard
work.’’ Combs said. “I'm not going to
out-spend this guy. I'm going to out
work him.
“It’s easy for me to say that be
cause I have no money.”
On crime. Bcrcutcr said he voted
against the $30 billion crime package
recently passed Congress because the
bill was too expensive.
Bcrcutcr said the original bill
would have cost between $6 billion
and $8 billion. When the bill came to
the floor for debate, it grew to more
than $30 billion.
Bcrcutcr said he voted to pass an
assault weapons ban. which was later
included in the crime bill.
“It's about drawing a line.” he
said. “It's not about violating the
Second Amendment.”
Combs said he supported the crime
bill and the assault weapons ban. The
bill tried to keep “grenade launchers
and U/.is” off the street, he said.
On the individual campaigns,
Bereuter said preparation to serve
and credibility separated himselffrom
Combs.
Bcrcutcr defended himself from
other campaign criticisms from
Combs. Because he served two years
in the military and spent seven years
in business. Bercuter said he had not
been a bureaucrat all his life.
Bcrcutcr said Combs wanted
change, but change needed to be
looked at before enacted.
Combs said he wanted to run for
the right reasons. He said he wanted
to add another voice to the growing
number of people who wanted the
system changed.
However. Combs said that if he
was elected he would not be naive and
think he could change everything
People arc tired of a government
that spent $ 1.50 for every dollar col
lected in taxes. Combs said. Wash
ington needs to change its ideas on
taxes and spending because the cur
rent thinking is flawed, he said
“If it moves, tax it.” he said. “It it
moves again, regulate it. And if it
stops, subsidize it.”
UNL fraternity
will sponsor
Renteria benefit
From Staff Rtportt
A benefit party for Francisco
Renteria will be held on Thurs
day night at Montigo Bay, 14th
and O streets.
The benefit: “Solidarity ...
By Any Means Necessary,” is
bei ng sponsored by the brothers
of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
and Redwood Productions and
will last from 8 p.m. to 1 a m.
Renteria, 29, died on Oct. 1
after a struggle with university
and Lincoln police. The U.S.
Justice Department is investi
gating the incident.
Receipts from the door will
be donated to the Francisco
Renteria-funeral fund.
Disc jockey Miss Vicki and
J.D. will provide music during
the event. Food and drink spe
cials will be available all night.
Retention
Continued from Page 1
ness of the program in retaining fresh
men.
• Supplemental instruction, funded
by Griescn and Joan Lcit/.cl. UNL
vice chancellor for academic affairs.
This supplemental instruction is of
fered in one section of each of six
freshmen courses: history, political
science, psychology, biology, chem
istry and sociology.
Supplemental instruction has a top
student in each of the areas helping
other students with the course by of
feri ng tips and strategics in 5()-minutc
sessions three times a week.
“This isn't only for new students,
but for anyone who wants to do better
in a course.'' Griescn said.
“We need to stress the importance
of involvement in all areas of the
university.” he said. “We need to help
give students a sense of belonging
and make them feel at home. Tircsc
arc a few of the ways we do that.”
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