Are you looking for a nonpartisan voter guide to the Gary Peters vs. Terri Lynn Land 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 Gary Peters and Terri Lynn Land, with additional links at the bottom for each candidate if you'd like to dig deeper. (You can also find Michigan's Governor guide here.)
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Budget: Did you support raising the Federal debt ceiling with no strings attached?
Peters: Mixed--Has voted for previous limits on raising debt ceiling, but voted to raise it to end 2013 shutdown
Land: No
Budget: Do you support a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment?
Peters: Unknown--Has opposed some previous variants bundled with other bills
Land: Unknown
Campaign Finance: Do you support the DISCLOSE Act, which would require key funders of political ads to put their names on those ads?
Peters: Yes
Land: Unknown
Campaign Finance: Do you support the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions?
Peters: No
Land: Yes
Economy: Do you support raising the minimum wage?
Peters: Yes
Land: Opposes proposed increase to $10.10, but would consider a smaller increase.
Economy: Do you support extending unemployment benefits beyond 26 weeks?
Peters: Yes
Land: Yes
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?
Peters: Yes
Land: No
Economy: Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
Peters: Yes
Land: Generally no. Opposed 2009 Federal stimulus bill.
Economy: Did you support the Federal auto industry bailout?
Peters: Yes
Land: No--believed industry should have been supported with private capital
Education: Do you support refinancing of student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on income over a million dollars?
Peters: Yes
Land: Unknown
Environment: Do you believe that human activity is a major factor contributing to climate change?
Peters: Yes
Land: Considers the extent of human impact on climate change still up for debate
Environment: Do you support government action to limit the levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere?
Peters: Yes
Land: Opposes EPA regulation of power plants and carbon tax proposals
Environment: Do you support government mandates and/or subsidies for renewable energy?
Peters: Yes
Land: Unclear (Supports a comprehensive energy policy that includes renewables. Unclear whether this includes subsidies for renewables.)
Gay Marriage: Do you support gay marriage?
Peters: Yes
Land: No
Gun Control: Do you support enacting more restrictive gun control legislation?
Peters: Yes
Land: Opposes any restriction on clip/magazine capacity
Healthcare: Do you support repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare?
Peters: No (did vote to delay individual mandate for a year)
Land: Yes
Healthcare: Did you support shutting down the federal government in order to defund Obamacare in 2013?
Peters: No
Land: Yes--Would have voted no on the bill that ended the shutdown because it lacked sufficient spending cuts overall and included slower increases in military retiree pensions. (For more detail about Land's opposition to the bill ending the shutdown, click here.)
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?
Peters: Yes
Land: Unknown
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?
Peters: Yes
Land: Unknown. Opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Iraq: Should the US recommit troops to Iraq to combat the rise in insurgency?
Peters: Unknown. Believes any troop commitment should be approved by Congress
Land: Unknown
Social Issues: Should abortion be highly restricted?
Peters: No
Land: Yes
Social Issues: Should employers be able to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if they disagree with it morally?
Peters: No
Land: Unknown
Social Issues: Should Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health services?
Peters: Yes
Land: Unknown
Social Security: Do you support partial privatization of Social Security?
Peters: No
Land: Unclear--has backed Republican platform proposing this
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.)
Peters: No
Land: No
Taxes: Would you increase taxes on corporations and/or high-income individuals to pay for public services?
Peters: Yes
Land: No
Learn more about the candidates:
Peters: Gary Peters Vote Smart pages and Gary Peters On the Issues pages
Land: Terri Lynn Land Vote Smart pages and Terri Lynn Land On the Issues pages
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Other Senatorial candidates include Jim Fulner (Libertarian), Chris Wahmhoff (Green Party) candidate, and Richard Matkin (U.S. Taxpayer's Party of Michigan). Due to limited space, we can't include their positions, but invite you to check out their websites or biographical information