Skeptical Voter is a non-partisan project aimed at helping UK voters make an informed choice by documenting where each candidate stands on science, secularism and evidence-based policy.

Over the past few months we have been developing the Skeptical Voter wiki, a candidate database that works along similar lines to Wikipedia. Anyone can create or edit an entry, and our volunteers have been busily collating information about the views of incumbent MPs on issues ranging from the abolition of the blasphemy law to climate change science.

The Skeptical Voter wiki is already a rich source of information, with Bad Science author Ben Goldacre recently describing it as “great material for teasing canvassers”.

We have also been gathering input about the issues which skeptically-minded voters see as key priorities. Our next step will be proactively to survey as many election candidates as we can, from all parties (and none), focussing on the following 10 questions:

1. Do you support the use of NHS money to provide unproven health products such as homeopathy?

2. Should schools be allowed to teach creationism as an equivalent theory to evolution?

3. Do you believe that religious belief should be legally protected from ridicule?

4. Should an independent government adviser whose views in their area of expertise conflict with government policy be able to express those views publicly?

5. Should religious courts such as Sharia and Beth Din be recognised as alternative systems within UK law?

6. Do you agree that testing on animals (within strict criteria) is a necessary part of the development of medicines?

7. Should policy-makers trust scientific evidence even when it appears counter-intuitive?

8. Do you think that abortion time limits should always be determined by the current scientific and medical consensus?

9. Should religious leaders be entitled to vote in the House of Lords?

10. Do you support the reform of English and Welsh libel law to allow a stronger ‘public interest’ defence?

We know that these are controversial issues, with complex arguments on both sides. For this reason we want to give every candidate in this election the opportunity to tell voters, in their own words, where they stand on these public policy questions. Subject to the constraints of the law, our intention is to publish in full every candidate response that we receive.

But we also know that there are many other “skeptical” issues and questions that could be included in our project, and we’d like to invite Liberal Democrat members and candidates to help us add more information to the Skeptical Voter wiki.

Whatever your position on the topics we have chosen, we believe that we all have an interest in ensuring that voters know as much as possible about their candidates’ views ahead of May 6th. Technology means that the voter of 2010 has the potential to be the most-informed in British electoral history, which can only be good for our democracy.

‘The Independent View‘ is a slot on Lib Dem Voice which allows those from beyond the party to contribute to debates we believe are of interest to LDV’s readers. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in contributing.