Copernicus Election Watch

As candidates campaign for election, they take stands on issues that are important to the public. Some issues, such as taxes, are raised during every election; others, such as gun control, become important because of recent events that have happened or laws that were passed.

During each political party's national convention, party officials develop a platform, the official viewpoint that the party will adopt for each issue. The candidates' views are generally similar to, but do not have to match, their parties' platforms. To distinguish themselves, candidates propose different programs or laws that address each major issue. Below is a chart that summarizes some of this election's important issues and the proposals offered by Al Gore and George W. Bush (click here to read their biographies).

	Ban political parties from receiving "soft money" contributions
	Regulate issue ads sponsored by special interest groups and allow candidates targeted by these ads free equal air time to respond
	Obligate radio and TV broadcasters to give free air time to qualified candidates during election years
	Establish a $7.1 billion Democracy Endowment to pay for the campaigns of candidates in the general election so that candidates don't have to finance their own races. Money for the fund would come from public and private contributions, and would only be given to candidates who promise not to accept funding from other sources.
	Require lobbyists to keep and reveal monthly records about candidates they contacted, topics they discussed, and financial contributions they made

See Al Gore's proposal

	Ban "soft money" contributions from labor unions and corporations because members and shareholders have no say in how this money is spent
	Allow individuals and groups to run issue ads
	Raise the amount of money individuals can contribute to political campaigns
	Require candidates to immediately reveal the sources of campaign contributions they receive
	Prohibit lobbyists from making contributions to members of Congress while Congress is in session

See George W. Bush's proposal

	Create tax credits to help Americans pay for health care and child care
	Increase ways to help Americans save for retirement
	Provide additional tax cuts for low- and middle-income families and small businesses
	Eliminate the "marriage penalty" for low-income couples
	Balance the federal budget every year, except in times of national emergency
	Use any budget surplus to pay for Social Security, Medicare, and the national debt

See Al Gore's proposal

	Reduce the tax rates to 10, 15, 25, and 33 percent, depending on income
	Increase the amount of money Americans can put in special savings accounts to help them pay for education from kindergarten to college
	Eliminate the estate tax charged when wealthy individuals die
	Eliminate the earnings tax on Social Security benefits
	Reduce the "marriage penalty" for two-income couples
	Prevent any increases in individual and business tax rates

See George W. Bush's proposal

	Clean up more toxic waste sites
	Clean up polluted water sources
	Protect America's national parks and wildlife refuges from development and mining
	Research the negative effects of global warming
	Create tax credits for companies that implement energy-efficient processes

See Al Gore's proposal

	Protect the property rights of those who own land, but encourage conservation efforts
	Help national parks and wildlife refuges get needed repairs and improvements faster
	Continue to prohibit offshore drilling in California and Florida and to protect dams in the Pacific Northwest

See George W. Bush's proposal

	Reward schools that meet assessment standards
	Require teachers to pass tougher licensing tests
	Hire more qualified teachers, and increase incentives for and salaries of teachers
	Reduce school and class sizes
	Rebuild 6,000 schools
	Oppose school vouchers
	Connect every classroom to the Internet
	Make preschool available to everyone
	Increase after-school programs
	Eliminate guns and drugs in school
	Create a National Tuition Savings program so parents can save for college tax-free and use the savings at public schools in participating states

See Al Gore's proposal

	Give more money to states and schools who show improved student achievement
	Set state assessment standards for students, and require schools to administer locally developed annual tests
	Empower parents by publishing results of student testing
	Support school vouchers that parents can use to send their children to public or private schools, especially if their children currently attend underperforming schools
	Create 2,000 more charter schools
	Prohibit lawsuits against teachers who discipline children in school
	Increase funding for character education
	Raise amount of money parents can contribute to annual education funds for their children

See George W. Bush's proposal

	Allow individuals to purchase only one gun per month, and require a three-day waiting period for gun purchases
	Require child-safety locks on all handguns
	Make it easier to trace the owners of guns used to commit crimes
	Create photo licenses for all handgun owners
	Ban assault weapons and inexpensive "junk guns"
	Increase sentences for gun-related crimes
	Raise the minimum age for handgun possession from 18 to 21
	Place gun shows and unlicensed gun dealers under the same laws and restrictions currently required of licensed gun dealers
	Provide federal funding to help state and local police buy more bulletproof vests
	Allow individual cities to sue gun sellers and manufacturers for costs associated with gun-related crimes in these cities

See Al Gore's proposal

	Require instant background checks on people who purchase guns at gun shows
	Encourage gun manufacturers to install child-safety locks on all handguns
	Continue the ban on automatic weapons and ban juveniles from possessing assault weapons
	Raise the minimum age for handgun possession from 18 to 21
	Allow law-abiding citizens to own guns without undergoing a registration process
	Increase and improve the efforts of police to enforce existing gun laws

See George W. Bush's proposal

	Enact a Patient's Bill of Rights to ensure that HMO patients get the care they need
	Permit patients to appeal rulings when HMOs deny coverage
	Expand programs to insure children
	Create ways to keep kids from smoking
	Provide better health care for women
	Help families get time off and funding to take care of sick relatives

See Al Gore's proposal

	Permit patients to appeal rulings when HMOs deny coverage
	Require that HMOs allow doctors to talk with patients about all treatment options
	Make it easier for women to see specialists
	Allow all citizens to use medical savings accounts as a form of insurance
	Publish "report cards" on HMOs
	Establish state and federal laws to restrict teenage smoking

See George W. Bush's proposal

	Secure funding for Medicare for the next 25 years and expand it so that more citizens can enjoy its benefits and pay less for it
	Improve Medicare prescription drug coverage so that medicine is more affordable to seniors
	Oppose increasing the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67 and, instead, allow people ages 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare
	Dedicate more than half of the federal budget surplus to saving Social Security
	Protect and strengthen employee pensions
	Improve the quality of nursing homes
	Fight age discrimination by prohibiting companies from enacting mandatory retirement policies
	Crack down on health insurance and telemarketing fraud, which typically targets seniors

See Al Gore's proposal

	Improve Medicare by allowing seniors to choose from a greater number of insurance plans and doctors
	Provide affordable prescription drugs to seniors
	Guarantee no decrease in Social Security benefits to current retirees or those nearing retirement
	Oppose a tax increase to finance Social Security
	Create personal retirement accounts
	Consider raising the age when seniors are eligible for Social Security

See George W. Bush's proposals
for Social Security and Medicare

	Work with other countries to keep them from imposing taxes and duties on international e-commerce sales
	Introduce new tax credits to increase funding for information technology research
	Continue to request that technology providers discount their goods and services so that schools can purchase up-to-date equipment
	Bridge the "digital divide" by providing Internet access and computers to minority communities
	Finish connecting every school in the United States to the Internet
	Create an Electronic Bill of Rights that protects privacy by allowing citizens to monitor personal information posted online

See Al Gore's proposal

	Keep the sale of goods on the Internet tax-free until at least 2004
	Institute legal reforms that protect innovative companies from frivolous lawsuits that may stifle new products
	Prohibit taxing access to the Internet
	Continue tax credits that increase funding for information technology research

See George W. Bush's proposal

Want to Know More?

Read the candidates' responses to USA TODAY's questions about important issues.

Check out the list of easy explanations of key issues at TIME for Kids.

Use the BBC's Campaign Fact File to locate summaries of key issues.

For concise descriptions of five hot campaign issues, scan Information Please's basic issue reviews.

Access non-partisan educational guides about 19 election issues from Public Agenda Online.

Find out what the candidates propose to do about specific education-related issues, such as school choice, school safety, and technology, with Family Education Network's Issue Navigator.

Track candidate initiatives and proposals with PBS Online NewsHour coverage.

Listen to National Public Radio coverage about the candidates' stands on the issues.

For in-depth coverage of the issues, watch related speeches, hearings, and committee debates archived by C-SPAN.

Evaluate the candidates' stands on the issues with U.S. News and World Report's Compare the Candidates interactive tool.

Take the VoteMatch quiz to find out if your views are liberal, conservative, or libertarian.

Visit U.S. News and World Report's list of campaign issues to research subjects and learn how you can use email to share your opinions with elected officials.

Get the latest news headlines, recent opinions and editorials, and special election-related Web sites from the Yahooligans! Big Picture site.

Educators, try these lesson plans and activities in class!

C-SPAN's Defining the Differences
C-SPAN's Single Issue Campaigning
C-SPAN's Analyzing Presidential Campaign Policy Speeches
The New York Times Learning Network's It's Up For Debate
The New York Times Learning Network's Going, But Not Forgotten
The New York Times Learning Network's Showdown on the Frontier
PBS's The American President's A Classroom Debate
PBS's The American President's Building Your Own Political Platform
Education World's If I Were President . . .
Education World's Take a Stand!
Education World's What Are the Important Issues?
Education World's Meet the Press

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Your feedback is welcome.