ELECTION TOPICS ADDRESSED ONLINE

Candidates respond to potential voters' questions

Cyberspace is the newest realm of debate for young potential voters to
get election questions answered by three presidential candidates.

More than 5,100 questions were submitted to the online debate
sponsored by the New Voters Project. President Bush, Sen. John Kerry
and Ralph Nader agreed to field 12 of the questions from young voters.

Margaret, 20, of Wisconsin asked the candidates about the drug
provision in the Higher Education Act that disqualifies anyone who has
previous drug convictions from receiving financial aid. She said
minority students and lower class students are unfairly targeted and
noted the same rule does not apply to students with rape and murder
convictions.

"Do you feel it is necessary to deny financial aid to a student who
already paid for their crime?" she wrote.

Bush responded by saying the drug provision would be changed to deny
financial aid only to students who are convicted of drug use while in
college, not prior to receiving aid.

Kerry said "education is perhaps the best way for someone who has been
involved with drugs or crime to turn their life around."

He said a person with a nonviolent drug conviction shouldn't be denied
the right to education.

Nader, an independent candidate, said he would repeal the drug
provision in the act and spend money from the war on drugs on education.

Nathan, 25, of Minnesota asked what steps will be taken to either
ensure he gets Social Security benefits he's paid for or allow him to
no longer contribute to the program. He wrote he could use that extra
income to invest in retirement.

Bush said by the time college students retire, there will less people
supporting Social Security.

"I favor the establishment of voluntary personal accounts for younger
workers," he said.

Kerry blamed the deficit for the Social Security crisis. He said his
plan has three pillars - to help the economy grow, restore fiscal
discipline and work in a bipartisan manner.

Nader warned if Social Security is privatized, more people would be
susceptible to stock fraud.

"If the system is privatized, this tranquility will be replaced by
anxiety as we worry about whether we will be winners or losers in the
system's roller-coaster ride on Wall Street," he said.

Anthony Tedesco, founder of the presidential youth debate, said the
majority of the questions came from 18 to 24-year-olds.

He said he created the debate during former President Bill Clinton's
re-election campaign, because young voter concerns had systematically
been ignored by the candidates, and he had no idea where the
candidates stood on issues that were important to him.

He got Clinton to agree to the debate, explaining it was hoped his
participation would increase youth participation in politics.

He said previous debates were a lot of work, but he does them to get
answers.

"I need to know I can vote for the future I want," he
said.

The remaining questions can be viewed at www.newvotersproject.org. The
topics include morality, the draft, sex education and the environment.
Rebuttals are expected to be posted Tuesday.