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What is SAOVA? The Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance (SAOVA) is a nationwide, nonpartisan group of volunteers seeking to elect politicians who will oppose the "Animal Rightist" (AR) threat to our rights as Americans. It is the only national group working to protect both sportsmen and animal owners, natural allies, in the legislative and political arenas. SAOVA's members hunt, fish and own livestock, dogs, cats and other pets. We study political candidates in all states to identify those who understand and resist the AR threat, as well as those who are in the pocket of the Animal Rightists.

Since 2002, SAOVA's volunteers have interviewed politicians running for election to the U.S. Congress for the first time. Each election cycle, we also reviewed the voting records of incumbents standing for reelection. The goal of these activities was to determine candidates' positions on the animal rightists' threats to our sport, avocations and farming livelihoods.

How does SAOVA evaluate candidates? SAOVA personnel review the voting records of all House members and Senators running for reelection to determine whether they support the AR agenda. Usually the most recent year's data is sufficient for this determination, since committed AR legislators vote the same way year after year. During 1999-2003, many of the twenty-five AR initiated House bills and other actions were considered threats to some animal owner. Senators had fewer relevant voting opportunities.

Any incumbent politician running for reelection in 2004 that supported four or more of most recent nine AR bills had his or her prior voting record, sponsorships and funding/endorsement records carefully examined. In literally every instance (98+%), our determination of "NO __% Animal Extremist Voter" for incumbents was independently confirmed by the August endorsements of the major Animal Rightist political campaign organization, HumaneUSA PAC. HSUS and FFA also publish useful and informative legislator scorecards.

Our 2004 analysis gave modest added weight to three high-profile bills, the recurring, so-called "Puppy Protection Act" and the July 2003 House roll call vote to impose federal restrictions on hunters and their state game departments. SAOVA considers that as a MAJOR TEST VOTE for outdoorsmen. The hypocritical 15% of Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus members that voted against our interests in that crucial showdown are also shown in bold italics on SAOVA's state pages.

Does party affiliation or endorsement by any other interest group guarantee a candidate will defend our rights? Animal rightists have infiltrated both the Democratic and Republican Party ranks. Voting blindly for a candidate based on party affiliation, without studying that individual's voting record on this or other issues, is a sure prescription for trouble. Likewise, endorsements based on handgun positions or Second Amendment concerns are poor voting guides. Some of the most notable AR legislators support gun ownership, but wish to restrict hunting, trapping or animal ownership. In 2004, 50 federal politicians were endorsed by both Humane USA PAC and the National Rifle Association, the nation's leading Second Amendment protection lobbying group.