Gary Swing's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
Key
Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
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Gary Swing has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2024 Political Courage Test.
Colorado State Legislative Election 2024 Political Courage Test
| Pro-choice | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds (e.g. Medicaid) for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| I support securing abortion rights with amendments to the US Constitution and the Colorado state constitution. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support limiting state government spending on social programs (e.g. SNAP, TANF)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to promote economic growth? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs in your state? | ||
| d) Would you support a constitutional amendment to repeal or limit the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (known as TABOR)? | |||
| No | a) Do you support capital punishment for violent crimes? | ||
| No | b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| No | c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| No | d) Do you support the use of private prisons? | ||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders? | ||
| No | a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector (e.g. for business or the environment)? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Colorado? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support government spending on affordable housing projects in Colorado? | ||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards (e.g. Common Core) in Colorado? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Colorado? | ||
| Yes | d) Should immigrants in the United States who graduate from Colorado high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities, regardless of immigration status? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support state governments allowing permits for drilling on public lands? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| Yes | a)Do you support limiting campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the use of an independent or bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| No | c) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| d) Do you support automatic voter registration? | |||
| e) Do you support the implementation of ranked choice voting in Colorado? | |||
| The term "ranked choice voting" conflates instant runoff voting (a winner take all voting method) with the single tansferable vote (a proportional or semi-proportional voting method). IRV excludes political minorities from representation. Proportional representation secures fair, inclusive representation for a politically diverse population. Ninety-five countries use proportional representation to elect their national legislatures. I support Hybrid Proportional Representation as proposed by the election reform group Best Democracy. See www.bestdemocracy,org/proportional-representation/hybrid.html This system does use ranked ballots, but it is far better than what is commonly referred to as "ranked choice voting." I proposed to eliminate Colorado's state senate and increase the size of the state house of representatives from 65 seats to 185 seats. 80% of the seats would be elected by proportional single transferable vote from 22 seven member districts. The remaining 20% of seats (31 seats) would be "leveling seats" elected from open party lists, ensuring that overall representation would be proportional to the share of the vote cast for each party. A 3% threshold for electing party list seats would enable 98% of voters to elect representatives of their choice. This system of hybrid proportional representation should secure fair representation for eight or more parties, not just the two cartel parties that currently hold office. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation (e.g. red flag laws, closing the boyfriend loophole)? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the right to concealed carry in Colorado? | ||
| d) Do you support levying a 6.5% excise tax on the manufacture and sale of firearms and ammunition to be imposed on firearms dealers, manufacturers, and ammunition vendors? | |||
| I support repeal of the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment prohibits legislators from enacting laws that restrict the right of people to keep and bear arms. There cannot be a legitimate debate about gun ownership policies while the Second Amendment remains in effect. | |||
| Yes | a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support a government-run (e.g. single-payer) healthcare program such as Medicare-for-All? | ||
| Yes | c) Should an individual have the right to choose to die (e.g. those with a terminal illness) through euthanasia? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support mandating vaccinations (e.g. for school or employment)? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)? | ||
| Yes | f) Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs? | ||
| Yes | a) Do you support inclusion of sexual orientation in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Colorado's anti-discrimination laws? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support greater efforts by Colorado's state government in closing gender, racial, and other wage gaps? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support removing the provision in the Colorado state Constitution banning same-sex marriage? | ||
| I advocate electing Colorado's state legislature by hybrid proportional representation as proposed by the election reform group Best Democracy. Dissolve the state senate. Increase the house of representatives to 185 seats. 80% elected by single transferable vote proportional representation from 22 seven member districts. 20% leveling seats elected from open party lists with a 3% vote threshold to win seats. About 98% of voters would be able to elect representatives of their choice, with eight parties or more in the General Assembly. Advocate for a steady state economy based on environmental sustainability. Include environmental impacts in the costs of new goods and services, offsetting pollution taxes with a universal basic income. Single payer universal health insurance. |
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