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Rob Yates' 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.

Rob Yates has provided voters with clear stances on key issues by responding to the 2024 Political Courage Test.

What is the Political Courage Test?

North Carolina State Legislative Election 2024 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 (e.g. Medicaid) for organizations that perform abortions?
I am pro-life. However, I don't believe that outlawing abortion prevents it. I am a Libertarian, and I fundamentally dispute the idea the prohibition is ever effective. I would rather work to end abortion by supporting education around safe sex and creating a prosperous economic environment that disincentivizes abortions so that there are no more unwanted pregnancies.
Yes a) In order to balance the budget, do you support limiting state government spending on social programs (e.g. SNAP, TANF)?
Yes b) Do you support a decrease in income taxes in order to promote economic growth?
No c) Do you support a wealth tax in order to pay for public programs in your state?
#TaxationisTheft. No one can spend your money better than you.
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?
Yes e) Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders?
Yes f) Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in North Carolina?
I don't believe in prosecutorial discretion or in variable sentences. We should take all victimless crimes off the books, and then people who commit crimes against person or property should all face equal consequences. It is insane and authoritarian to throw people in a cage for smoking pot, and anyone who supports that is a tyrant. If someone is not considered an adult for other things, why would we arbitrarily determine that person is mentally developed enough to be considered an adult for other things? Private prisons are the most egregious example in the country of a disgusting public/private alliance, and they incentivize horrible treatment of people.
No a) Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth (e.g. grants, tax incentives)?
Yes b) Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector (e.g. for business or the environment)?
No c) Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of North Carolina?
No d) Do you support government spending on affordable housing projects in North Carolina?
I support the government getting out of the way.
No a) Do you support adopting federal education standards (e.g. Common Core) in North Carolina?
No b) Do you support state funding for charter schools?
No c) Do you support increasing teacher salaries AND/OR benefits in North Carolina?
No d) Should immigrants in the United States who graduate from North Carolina high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities, regardless of immigration status?
The only way to ensure all of our children have access to quality and affordable education is to get government out of the education business entirely.
No 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?
No c) Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
We could've completely solved climate change already, by embracing clean, reliable nuclear energy, but then politicians wouldn't have anything to use to fear monger and drive votes.
No a)Do you support limiting campaign contributions from corporations, unions, and individuals?
No 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?
No d) Do you support automatic voter registration?
Yes e) Do you support the implementation of ranked choice voting in North Carolina?
Yes f) Should it be mandatory for any potential voter to be verified as a U.S. citizen before registering to vote or casting a ballot?
Instead of fighting over voting and voter access, we need to take so much power away from politicians that it doesn't matter who gets elected. If there is no power to buy, money will leave politics. Ranked choice voting is a great first step toward removing these bought-and-sold uniparty hacks from our government and giving the power back to the people.
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 North Carolina?
Gon control is a blatantly racist institution that needs to immediately disappear. "...shall not be infringed..." is quite clear.
No a) Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
No 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?
No d) Do you support mandating vaccinations (e.g. for school or employment)?
No e) Do you support expanding paid family AND/OR medical leave benefits (e.g. maternity leave)?
No f) Should the government be able to regulate the cost of prescription drugs?
Yes a) Do you support inclusion of sexual orientation in North Carolina's anti-discrimination laws?
No b) Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in North Carolina's anti-discrimination laws?
No c) Do you support greater efforts by North Carolina's state government in closing gender, racial, and other wage gaps?
My top three priorities would be: 1. Remove restrictive zoning regulations as much as possible to let housing get built and lower prices. 2. Eliminate the administrative layer in public schools and give as much power to parents as possible with the goal of eliminating public schools as an institution completely. I am currently supportive of distributing dollars earmarked for education directly to children. 3. Constitutional carry, bringing more nuclear power to our beautiful state, fostering a prosperous economic environment, and public access to all police body camera footage are my other priorities.

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