Florida voters who might be tempted to cast a ballot for GOP Senate candidate Katherine Harris now have a definitive reason not to do so. Harris can't be trusted, and untrustworthy people should not be put into positions of public trust, such as U.S. Senator. Only by rejecting incumbents and challengers alike who have shown a willingness to reject ethical principles in pursuit of expediency, power, money or political gain will Americans begin to build an ethical political culture.

All that is necessary for American government to be run ethically is for us to insist upon it. That is the goal of the Scoreboard's "Vote Ethics" initiative.

As the November elections approach, the Scoreboard will regularly examine the ethical credentials of the men and women who are running for office. It is the thesis here that if voters choose the candidates who have proven themselves to be honest, responsible, fair, respectful, independent and courageous, the country will benefit regardless of their ideological and policy positions.

Harris sealed the verdict on her ethical qualifications by an intentional and egregious act of omission. When she received a grand jury subpoena from federal investigators, presumably in connection with a Justice Department investigation into Harris' dealings with Mitchell Wade, a defense contractor who has pled guilty to bribing another congressman, Harris did not bother to share this fact with her campaign staff. When campaign manager Glenn Hodas stumbled upon some invoices from Harris' attorney related to the subpoena, he realized that his candidate was hiding information.

"Finding out about the subpoena caused me to wonder about what was going on and what else I didn't know," Hodas reporters after he resigned.

Good point. Voters should wonder about exactly the same thing. The fact that the Justice Department is investigating Harris' contacts with Wade doesn't mean she necessarily did anything wrong. Nonetheless, Harris had a duty to both her campaign staff and the public to let them know that an investigation was underway. Her failing to disclose such information, which directly relates to Harris's political conduct, integrity and trustworthiness, tells us all we need to know about her candor and courage.

Since Hodas quit, several other Harris campaign professionals have followed his lead, unwilling to work for a candidate whom they now feel they can never trust to keep them informed of both the good news and the bad. They no longer trust her, and voters should not trust her either. No trust, no vote. That's what "Vote Ethics" is all about.