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Erin Spencer's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.

Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.

Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.

Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.

Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Erin Spencer has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2020 Political Courage Test.

What is the Political Courage Test?

New Hampshire State Legislative Election 2020 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 for organizations that perform abortions?
d) Other or expanded principles:
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?
No c) In order to fund education, do you support creating a state sales tax on electronics?
d) Do you support the development of a road usage fee in New Hampshire?
e) Other or expanded principles:
Yes 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?
Yes e) Do you support automatic voter registration?
I do support government-issued photo identification in order to vote but only if obtaining that ID is made easy for all voters. Schools could be a place for individuals to get their ID when they turn 18 as schools are generally accessible. For areas that lack this accessibility, it is on the state to find alternatives so all voters have access to vote.
No a) Do you support capital punishment for certain 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 in New Hampshire?
No e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders?
Yes f) Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana?
g) Other or expanded principles:
Yes 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?
No c) Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
No d) Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
Yes e) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of New Hampshire?
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?
While I do not support employers being required to provide paid family leave, I do support a paid family leave program that employees are enrolled in and is funded through contributions from their wages. Financial relief for businesses during the state of national emergency due to COVID-19 should absolutely be given to those truly impacted. Large corporations that are not experiencing any meaningful risk to their businesses should not be eligible for this relief.
a) Do you support adopting federal education standards in New Hampshire?
No b) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
Yes c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in New Hampshire?
Yes d) Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New Hampshire high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
e) Other or expanded principles:
Yes a) Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
Yes b) Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
Yes c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
Yes d) Should the construction and expansion of landfills near state parks and federal lands be prohibited?
e) Other or expanded principles:
Yes a) Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
Yes b) Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
No c) Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom after passing gun safety training?
Yes d) Should a license be required for gun ownership?
e) Other or expanded principles:
Yes a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
Yes b) Do you support Medicaid expansion through New Hampshire's health care programs?
No c) Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
Yes 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?
I do support the rights of parents to not vaccinate their children for religious reasons. However, school districts and others should also have the right to require vaccinations. This question puts the onus on the business to cover costs of paid medical leave during a public health crisis. I would prefer there is a requirement that businesses need to pay this but there is strong financial support for those businesses from state and federal government to ensure this requirement does not result in a business failing.
Yes a) Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws?
Yes c) Do you support greater efforts by New Hampshire state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
d) Other or expanded principles:
New Hampshire faces disproportionately high property taxes. One of my priorities is to find creative revenue streams that will help decrease property taxes.
My top priority is to enact legislation toward election reforms. Independent redistricting and campaign donation reforms are the first areas of focus. I don't see either of these as costing the state much, if any, additional funds. That said, closing tax loopholes would be one way I would look to finance the upkeep of these plans.

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