Sue Forde's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Sue Forde did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2022 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
Washington State Legislative Election 2020 Political Courage Test
| Pro-life | a) Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation? | ||
| No | b) Do you support legalizing abortion when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions? | ||
| There are so many families waiting to adopt, and with the millions of abortions performed each year, it's such a loss - the loss of a life of a child before birth, a child who deserves the right to live, grow up and become a productive member of society, marry and have children of their own. I've known several individuals whose mothers thought about abortion, and decided against it, and who are really grateful for that decision. | |||
| No | a) In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions? | ||
| No | b) In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket? | ||
| During times of emergency, such as the current COVID-19, where many small businesses and employees are hurting financially, I would recommend a freeze on increasing state salaries until such time as the emergency is over, to help the economy recover. I will vote no on any income tax. Washington State is one of the few without one, and it helps bring businesses to our beautiful state. | |||
| No | a) Do you support a limit on campaign contributions to state candidates? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls? | ||
| No | e) Do you support automatic voter registration? | ||
| In Washington state, we have all mail-in ballots, so we don't vote at the polls. I would look carefully at the possibilities of voter fraud in using mail in voting. We need to review how voters register, especially regarding showing proof of citizenship. | |||
| Yes | a) Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes? | ||
| Yes | b) Should an individual under 18 accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult? | ||
| Yes | c) Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police? | ||
| d) Do you support the use of private prisons in Washingon? | |||
| No | e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders? | ||
| No | f) Should State Patrol agents be allowed to destroy firearms that have been confiscated in criminal investigations? | ||
| It would depend on the crime and the age of the individual under 18 as to whether or not they should be prosecuted as an adult. I would need to research the pros and cons of utilizing private prisons before I could answer this question. Regarding minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders, it would depend upon how many times they were arrested. Sometimes, it takes a prison sentence for an individual to take sobriety seriously. Non-violent drug offenders could also include drug dealers, in which case a mandatory minimum sentence might be in order. | |||
| a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| b) Do you support lowering state income taxes as a means of promoting economic growth? | |||
| Yes | c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector? | ||
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits? | ||
| No | e) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of Washington? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring employers to provide paid family leave? | ||
| Yes | g) Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19? | ||
| h) Do you support occupancy restrictions on domestic residences? | |||
| We don't have a state income tax - yet! I would vote against a state income tax. RE: questions (a), and (h), I don't have enough information to make a decision. | |||
| No | a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in Washington? | ||
| Yes | b) Do you support state funding for charter schools? | ||
| c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in Washington? | |||
| No | d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Washington high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities? | ||
| I would need to learn more about teacher salaries and/or benefits before commenting on this. | |||
| No | a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)? | ||
| No | b) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions? | ||
| No | c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives? | ||
| No | d) Do you support restricting local waterway usage for commercial beverage production? | ||
| I would need more information about these issues, but generally speaking, the environment is the cleanest it's ever been, and hydro-electric energy is a renewal and clean source of energy. | |||
| No | a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation? | ||
| No | b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows? | ||
| Yes | c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom after passing gun safety training? | ||
| No | d) Should a license be required for gun ownership? | ||
| I believe and stand for our Second Amendment Rights, and Article 1, Section 24 of the Washington State Constitution. | |||
| a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse? | |||
| b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through Washington's health care programs? | |||
| c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance? | |||
| No | d) Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia? | ||
| Yes | e) Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations? | ||
| No | f) Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19? | ||
| Health insurance should be affordable and available to all. "Universal" health care (like "Hillary Care" and "Obamacare") have proven to increase the cost and many are not covered. Individuals should be in charge of their own health insurance. There are many ways to make insurance affordable, including removing taxes and fees on insurance, medical supplies, etc., allowing purchase of insurance across state lines, choice of coverage, and use of direct primary care, among others. Government and/or private organizations can provide a safety net for those in need. | |||
| a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Washington's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Washington's anti-discrimination laws? | |||
| c) Do you support greater efforts by Washington state government in closing the pay gap between men and women? | |||
| Our U.S. Constitution provides equal rights for each individual. Article 1, Section 1 of the Washington State Constitution says "All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights." Protecting individual rights refers to each citizen, regardless of race, creed, or sex - nondiscriminatory. | |||
| My priorities include reduction of the state budget (it's increased by over 70% in just a few years - 19% in the last two years alone), no new taxes (a 'no' vote on state income tax, pay-per-mile tax and other taxes), reduction of property taxes honoring the vote of the people for $30 car tabs, reduction of over-regulation, streamlining government, taking steps to jump start our economy and help small businesses and families get on their feet, school choice and no state-mandated kindergarten thru 12 comprehensive sex education - education belongs with parents, teachers and local elected school boards. | |||
| Top priorities are in the previous response. By working toward these goals, there would be funding already available. A reduction of government overreach means individuals and families would pay less, not more, of their hard-earned income to fund government. Moving away from a "one-size-fits-all," growing bureaucratic state government to more local control, will give people a stronger voice in their own governance. "All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights." ~Article 1, Section 1, WA State Constitution. |
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