We have studied the rheological and electrical properties of two types of electrorheological (ER) fluids based on semi-conductive polymers (poly(p-phenylene) and polyaniline). These semi-conductive polymer-based suspensions showed a dramatic increase in viscosity on the application of the static electric field due to the large value of conductivity ratio between particle and medium. The dynamic yield stresses of these ER suspensions exhibited a quadratic dependence on electric field strength at low electric fields and a linear one for high fields. They showed a maximum and then decreased with increasing bulk conductivity of particles. These yield stress behaviors under the static electric field were found to be closely related to the dielectric properties, which is in accord with Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization induced by the conductivity effects. In order to achieve better understanding of interfacial polarization effect on ER response and to improve the stability of ER suspension, different kinds of surfactants were employed for controlling the ER activity as well as for enhancing the colloidal stability of suspensions.