October 29, 2001
Poll: People of faith support reforms
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--When the Christian Coalition claims people of faith do not support campaign finance reform, they "haven't done their homework," according to a new Gallup poll commissioned by the Interfaith Alliance.
___The national poll of 1,202 "people of faith" and 303 clergy found widespread ambivalence about the way elections are financed, but strong support for reforms that would ban "soft money" and expand public financing of campaigns.
___The poll also detected a sense of wariness when pastors endorse particular candidates, tell parishioners how to vote or distribute controversial "voter guides" in churches. Fifty percent of respondents said churches should not distribute voter guides, compared to 39 percent who support them.
___Religious people also are less concerned that overhauling campaign finance might threaten their right to free speech, an argument promoted by opponents of reform, including televangelist Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition. A full 78 percent of people said they were not concerned about free-speech violations.
___"It may be that on this issue and other issues the Christian Coalition has not done their homework," said John Green, a professor at the University of Akron and an expert on religion and politics.
___Opponents in Congress want to allow groups to make unlimited contributions but require full disclosure, an argument that finds little support among religious people. Instead, 71 percent of religious people and 64 percent of clergy prefer limits on "soft money" contributions to political parties, as well as full disclosure.
___Researchers found greatest support for the most sweeping campaign-finance reform among mainline Protestants (46 percent), followed by Roman Catholics and evangelicals at 40 percent. Black Protestants showed the least support for reform, echoing members of the Congressional Black Caucus, with only one out of five supporting bans on soft money and full disclosure, while 35 percent oppose it.
___The poll of lay members has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, and the poll of clergy has a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.
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