2004 Election Polls: Register Your Opinion on Election Issues

After the 2004 elections, Republicans even more firmly control both the Presidency and Congress. During the previous 4 years Republicans rarely engaged in bipartisanship, preferring instead to run roughshod over Democrats and abuse their power. What will happen now?

During his first election campaign, George W. Bush described himself as a uniter and not a divider. America became more bitterly divided than most could remember. After his second election, Bush promised to unite the nation. Will he?

In the 2004 presidential election, John Kerry lost and George W. Bush won. But why? A lot of reasons have been offered: lack of organization, lack of positive messages, etc. Why do you think that Kerry lost and Bush won?

Is it acceptable for school beautification projects to include religious messages? The 11th Circuit Court has decided not, ruling that administrators can remove Bible verses included in a school-wide mural project. Some students had objected to the verses and school officials determined that they could be viewed as official endorsement of certain religious beliefs.

George W. Bush has been elected to a second term as President of the United States, despite all of the problems during his first term. Will his second term be good for America or ultimately harmful?

John Kerry conceded the 2004 election to George W. Bush before all of the provisional ballots were counted. He believed that he could not have received enough votes to overcome Bush's lead in Ohio. Was this the right decision?

American voters are increasingly demented - literally. More and more Americans are suffering from one form of dementia or another and there is nothing that stops them from voting in elections. Indeed, they sometimes turn out in higher numbers (percentage-wise) than the rest of the population.

A few states not only prevent prisoners and parolees from voting, but also convicted felons who have completely served their sentences and are "free" now. This includes Florida. Why - because voting would be dangerous to society? No, because they wouldn't vote Republican. Is that ethical?

President Bush has been quoted as saying that God instructed him to 'strike at al Qaida' and then to 'strike at Saddam.' Do we really want a president who is listening to and obeying orders from his god from than from his constituents, the citizens of the United States who elected him?

Some of those who have been involved in crafting anti-gay legislation and policies are themselves gay - and as a result, some gay activists have worked to out them and reveal the truth. It has been argued that such outings are inappropriate because a person's sexuality should remain private. That's a reasonable argument, but it is good enough?

More and more places are moving to electronic voting instead of the old paper ballots. Did you know that two brothers, Bob and Todd Urosevich, own the companies that will count about 80% of all votes in the next presidential election? Do you suppose that this is a bit too much power and responsibility to be placed in the hands of too few unaccountable people?

There are plenty of conservative atheists who tend to vote for Republican candidates, but is that a mistake? The Republican Party takes a strong position against many things important to even conservative atheists, like maintaining the separation of church and state. It's also beholden to the Christian Right. Are atheists who vote Republican just hurting themselves?

More and more people are asking whether George W. Bush was not simply AWOL in 1973 but, in fact, a deserter according to military definitions. Either accusation is pretty serious but at the same time the evidence against him is serious as well. What do you think?

It has been argued that the Republican Party has, at times, down played their close ties to radical Christian Right groups in order to appeal to moderate voters who wouldn't support the groups' extreme agenda - for example, by not inviting certain activists to speak at the Republican convention. Do you think that has been happening or is this just a case of selective use of data?

There has been some discussion about setting up the conditions for postponing federal elections in the event of a large terrorist attack. At first glance this seems like it might be reasonable - after all, if people are scared they might not vote or they might vote differently. ,There are, however, strong arguments against it. What do you think?

Political debates often revolve around what different candidates think the most important issue is. Should people focus more on international terrorism or domestic economic problems? Is health care a hot issue or not? Well, what do you regard as the most important issue today?

Many have claimed that the 2004 presidential election is the most important in recent memory - it will decide the course of the war in Iraq, the course of the war on terrorism, and the future of America's international standing. How do you plan on voting?

A significant percentage of people who vote in an election vote for someone who doesn't win. Thus, regardless of how you vote in the 2004 presidential election, the person you vote might lose. So who do you think will win the election, regardless of how you vote - or even if you don't vote?