Center Offers Voters ‘Self-Defense System’ : Politics: Nonpartisan group provides computer printouts of information about candidates.

Richard Kimball’s political career reached a turning point when he found himself raising money so that he could stand before a camera and feed carrots to a horse.

That was 1986 and Kimball was running (unsuccessfully) for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican John McCain (R-Ariz.). His handlers had urged him to make a television commercial projecting an “Arizona image.”

Kimball thought it was crazy. So now, instead of feeding carrots to horses, he spends his time trying to feed solid information about political candidates to voters.

He is the driving force behind the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for National Independence in Politics. The center exists to make available to voters who call in information about all the candidates seeking the presidency, governorships or seats in the House or Senate.

By dialing 1-800-786-6885, voters will speak to a volunteer in Corvallis, Ore., who will answer specific questions about the people seeking to represent them in Congress and their stands on the issues.

By dialing 1-900-786-6885, the voter is billed $3 and gets a printout offering information about congressional incumbents in his or her home state.

The printout includes their biographies, a list of contributors to their campaigns and a reading on how 20 competing special interest organizations rate them based on their voting records.

The idea, Kimball says, is to “take the campaign technology that is often used to manipulate voters and, instead, turn it to the voter’s advantage.”

He compares the voter to an employer conducting a job interview, and candidates to job applicants. The interviewer is entitled to whatever information he can get, he says.

The system has been tested for three years. It was given a workout in the 1990 elections in North Carolina and Nebraska. “The response overwhelmed us,” Kimball said.

Now CNIP is ready to go national with its “voters’s self-defense system.”

It has compiled information on all incumbent members of Congress standing for reelection and is interviewing their challengers as they emerge.

Its 800 number will be able to handle 2,000 calls an hour. The center moved from Kimball’s Arizona to Corvallis to take advantage of the volunteer efforts of student interns from Oregon State University, who will handle the phones.

In addition, the center is mailing 5,000 reporters copies of its Reporter’s Source Book, listing places a journalist can call to get information about public issues.

The center’s $1.5-million annual budget comes from memberships and gifts from foundations. The center declines gifts from any organization that lobbies.

“That kills us financially,” Kimball said, “but if this system is to work it must have unquestioned credibility.”

Evenhandedness starts with its founders--Republican Barry Goldwater and Democrat George McGovern lead the list. Any politician who wants to join the board of directors, Kimball says, must bring along a political opposite to keep the balance.