2018 ELECTION GUIDE. Vote on Tuesday, November 6 th, Polls are open 7:00am-8:00pm. Prepared by Rosie s Place Public Policy program

Transcription

1 2018 ELECTION GUIDE Vote on Tuesday, November 6 th, 2018 Polls are open 7:00am-8:00pm Prepared by Rosie s Place Public Policy program rosiesplace.org/publicpolicy

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Voting Locations 3 Your Rights 4 Candidate Questionnaires 5-13 Candidates for United States Senate 6-8 Candidates for Massachusetts Governor 9-10 Candidates for Secretary of the Commonwealth List of Candidates Ballot Questions About Rosie s Place 19 Helping Poor and Homeless Women with Food, Shelter and Opportunities! 2

3 VOTING LOCATIONS If you are registered to vote at: Rosie's Place (889 Harrison Avenue, 02118) vote at: Orchard Gardens Community Center, 2 Dearborn St Woods Mullen (794 Massachusetts Avenue, 02118), Pine Street Women s Inn (363 Albany Street, 02118), Pine Street Men s Inn (444 Harrison Avenue, 02118), vote at: Cathedral High School Gym, 1336 Washington Street Women s Lunch Place (67 Newbury Street, 02116), vote at: Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 15 Newbury Street St. Francis House (39 Boylston Street, 02116), vote at: Metropolitan Community Room, 38 Oak Street Franklin Field BHA, vote at: Franklin Field Elderly, 100 Ames Street If you are registered to vote at a different Boston address, please call the city elections department at or visit wheredoivotema.com to find your polling location, or reach out to Rosie's Place Public Policy program. 3

4 YOUR RIGHTS Q: Do I need to bring a photo ID? A: No. You may show a piece of mail with your name, voting address or a letter from a shelter where you are registered. Q: Can I bring this guide into the polling booth? A: Yes. You can bring this guide, your own notes, and any other helpful information, even a friend who can help you vote if you need. Q: I was once incarcerated, can I vote? A: Yes. If you have a criminal record, are on parole or on probation, you can vote! Only people currently incarcerated for a felony cannot vote. Q: I cannot go vote on Election Day. Can I still vote? A: Yes. If you cannot get to the polls on Election Day, you can vote early. Cities will have schedules of early voting and you can see when and where you can early vote at MassEarlyVote.com or ask our Public Policy team for help. Q: What if my name is not listed or I don t have any identification? A: You can still vote! Ask for a provisional ballot and you will vote and place your ballot in a sealed envelope to be counted once your voter registration has been confirmed by election officials. Have your rights been violated? Contact the Election Protection Hotline (866.OUR.VOTE), the Department of Justice Voting Rights Hotline ( ), an attorney, or Rosie s Place Legal Program! 4

5 CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRES For the 2018 mid-term general election, we sent three questions to candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Attorney General. We received responses from all except Attorney General and one candidate for U.S. Senate. Each candidate was provided a 200 word response limit per question to ensure all candidates had an equal amount of space to answer our questions. Candidates are listed alphabetically by last name. Current officials denoted by incumbent. U.S. Senate Candidates 6-8 Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai (Independent) 6 Geoff Diehl (Republican) 7 Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, Incumbent) 8 MA Governor Candidates 9-10 Charlie Baker (Republican, Incumbent) 9 Jay Gonzalez (Democrat) 10 Secretary of the Commonwealth Candidates Anthony Amore (Republican) 11 William Galvin (Democrat, Incumbent) 12 Juan Sanchez (Independent) 13 5

6 Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai Political Affiliation: Independent Campaign Website: Shiva4Senate.com Q: Poor and homeless people and families often need a strong safety net to survive and find a way to improve their lives. What policies will you advocate for to ensure access to food, housing, clothing, and growth opportunities for poor and homeless people? A: As I ve shared before, universities such as Harvard are Wall Street Hedge Funds. In fact, Harvard is a $50 billion Hedge Fund. We should tax Harvard s Hedge Fund profits at the 20% rate, in parity with other Hedge Funds, and use those proceeds to fund the poor, homeless people and their families have access to food, housing, clothing and growth opportunities. Q: What policies will you pursue to ensure women are recognized and treated as equal in our society in regards to their public health, wages, and safety? A: I grew up as a low-caste Indian where people of my background were not to be educated. My mom, broke through that system in the 1950s and became a mathematician, which was inconceivable. She taught us that skills-based education is the way to equality and freedom. In Massachusetts, we don t produce enough plumbers, electricians, doctors and engineers --- all of which are high-paying, rewarding jobs. I would support free Vo-tech and associate s degrees for women. I would use those funds to do far more research on women s public health issues as well as training in safety, both of which are severely underfunded. Q: Our immigration system is broken; it does not work for the wellbeing of immigrants or to support our national economy. What policies would you pursue to fix our broken immigration system? A: As an immigrant, I have a first-hand view of this. First and foremost, neither Democrat nor Republican care to solve the immigration issue. The establishment is one on this matter both parties exploit illegal immigration for votes and profit. Both parties benefit from a nebulous immigration policy. Congress is the legislative branch of the government and should not recess until a comprehensive immigration policy is finalized. The policy I would propose would be based on rule of law, meritocracy, fairness and compassion. 6

7 Geoff Diehl Political Affiliation: Republican Campaign Website: diehlforsenate.com Q: Poor and homeless people and families often need a strong safety net to survive and find a way to improve their lives. What policies will you advocate for to ensure access to food, housing, clothing, and growth opportunities for poor and homeless people? A: Candidate did not submit responses to questionnaire. Q: What policies will you pursue to ensure women are recognized and treated as equal in our society in regards to their public health, wages, and safety? A: Candidate did not submit responses to questionnaire. Q: Our immigration system is broken; it does not work for the wellbeing of immigrants or to support our national economy. What policies would you pursue to fix our broken immigration system? A: Candidate did not submit responses to questionnaire. 7

8 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren Political Affiliation: Democrat (Incumbent) Campaign Website: elizabethwarren.com Q: Poor and homeless people and families often need a strong safety net to survive and find a way to improve their lives. What policies will you advocate for to ensure access to food, housing, clothing, and growth opportunities for poor and homeless people? A: Everyone deserves to live a life of independence and dignity, and I will always stand up for the programs that help make that possible. For one, every single person in Massachusetts should have access to affordable housing. Government housing policy has failed working families, which is why I introduced the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act to level the playing field and bring down costs so that people and families can find a decent place to live at a decent price. I also believe that no family should have to struggle to put food on the table, and I will fight to protect vital nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC that make sure that children do not go to sleep hungry at night. And we need to pass a higher minimum wage and beat back against Republican efforts to cut vital safety net programs that help people get back on their feet. I have also proposed a $100 billion federal investment to fight the opioid epidemic and help everyone struggling with addiction, including those who are currently homeless, get the treatment they need. Q: What policies will you pursue to ensure women are recognized and treated as equal in our society in regards to their public health, wages, and safety? A: Women are the backbone of working families in Massachusetts and across the country. To ensure that all women have the chance to go to school, get jobs, and fully participate in the economy, I will push for policies that improve access to reproductive health care and high-quality child care. I ll work to expand access to paid maternity leave and workplace breastfeeding protections, and I ll push back against insurance companies that want to charge women more for just being women. I ve introduced the Schedules That Work Act to end unfair scheduling practices and make it easier for a single mom to arrange child care or go to school, while earning enough to put food on the table. I ll also keep fighting to close racial disparities in our health and economic systems to ensure that all women have access to opportunities and care. And I can t believe it has to be said in 2018, but women deserve equal pay for equal work, and they deserve to work and live in environments free of harassment and abuse. I will work hard to hold abusers accountable and ensure that sexual harassment, sexual assault, and domestic violence survivors have the resources and support they need. Q: Our immigration system is broken; it does not work for the wellbeing of immigrants or to support our national economy. What policies would you pursue to fix our broken immigration system? A: America s diversity is an essential part of who we are, and our immigrant communities make Massachusetts and the country stronger. I have long supported common-sense, comprehensive immigration reform that protects our borders, creates a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and helps us retain talent trained at our world-class institutions.the immigration debate has taken an ugly turn since President Trump was elected, and I have fought President Trump and his extreme anti-immigrant policies at every turn. I stood with protesters at Logan Airport in the immediate aftermath of President Trump s Muslim Ban to remind our immigrant brothers and sisters that we are fighting for them, and I visited with families torn apart by the Trump administration at the border and demanded their reunification. As your senator, I will continue to work hard to pass the Dream Act and establish a path to permanent residency for TPS recipients, end the mass deportation of children and vulnerable families, and return to a real debate about immigration reform. 8

9 Governor Charlie Baker Political Affiliation: Republican Campaign Website: charliebakerma.com Q: How will your administration work to reduce healthcare cost while increasing equity, quality, and affordability of access and care to the consumer of our health care system? A: Massachusetts is a national leader on delivering access to quality, affordable health care for all, and I m proud of our bipartisan record fixing the Health Connector and curbing growth in MassHealth spending, while seeing overall health care spending increase at the slowest rate in years. We secured a federal waiver and the first major overhaul of the MassHealth program in years, providing more integrated, outcomes-based care for behavioral health, long-term services and supports and health-related social needs. This waiver is also helping us to expand access to substance misuse disorder services on top of our nation-leading reforms to combat the opioid epidemic. I have testified and advocated against federal health care changes misaligned with the Commonwealth s best interests in providing nearuniversal care for our residents. And we ve created a blueprint to help the Commonwealth and its communities confront aging-related issues and become only the second age-friendly state in the nation. Massachusetts has been recognized as the healthiest state in the nation and the best state for the health of women and children because of our robust public health efforts. We are committed to working with our colleagues in the legislature and the health care community to build on this success. Q: Research indicates services to homeless persons are better administered when they are housed first. What will your administration do to end homelessness and housing insecurity in Massachusetts? A: Early on in our administration, we convened the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness to coordinate a comprehensive, local rapid response system aimed at preserving access to stable housing, preventing and reducing homelessness and sustaining the emergency shelter safety net. Ending family homelessness has been a major priority for us, reaching families before they need to enter the emergency shelter system with preventative services that include access to affordable housing, case management, job training, education and child care. Since taking office, we have reduced the number of homeless families in hotels and motels away from their communities, schools and support networks from 1,500 to less than 35. We were proud to file and enact the state s largest ever housing bond bill, a $1.8 billion investment building on our work creating, modernizing or preserving 7,500 affordable homes. We re optimizing underused state land for workforce and affordable housing near transit and created a $100 million workforce housing initiative. We are also pursuing a comprehensive initiative to incentivize communities to help diversify our housing portfolio and create 135,000 new housing units by 2025 to alleviate demand and costs. Q: With the rise of inequality in the Commonwealth, poor and homeless people are getting left behind, forgotten and need to access key benefits, such as SNAP, TAFDC, Medicaid, SSI, Child Care and more, to support themselves and their families. How will your administration address access to key benefits that provide housing, food, child care, financial, and other vital assistance to those most in need in the Commonwealth? A: We ve worked hard to ensure Massachusetts has a strong safety net to serve our most vulnerable, making significant new investments in education, substance misuse resources, our children and helping those with mental health disorders. Since 2015, we ve reduced the reliance on hotels and motels to house homeless families, increased investments in substance misuse treatment and services by 70%, hired over 600 new employees at the Department of Children and Families to reduce caseloads and protect kids, and increased education funding by over a half-billion dollars, including the largest increase for low-income early education and child care providers in ten years. We increased funding for mental health services by over $100 million, and fully funded the Turning 22 program to help those living with disabilities get a job, live independently and access critical services, for two years in a row. Massachusetts has added over 180,000 new jobs and household incomes are up across the board, but we remain committed to doing more to support working families, including enacting the nation s first $15 minimum wage and doubling the state s Earned Income Tax Credit, while becoming only the second age-friendly state in the nation to support the long-term independence of older adults. 9

10 Jay Gonzalez Political Affiliation: Democrat Campaign Website: jay4ma.com Q: How will your administration work to reduce healthcare cost while increasing equity, quality, and affordability of access and care to the consumer of our health care system? A: I believe that healthcare is a basic human right, not a privilege for those who can afford it. As Governor, I will implement a single-payer health care system that is simpler, cheaper and does a better job keeping people healthy. I am a former health insurance CEO who believes we need to get rid of health insurance companies. There is so much waste and inefficiency in our health care system. We could actually save money by moving to single-payer system, and I have the leadership experience to get it done. In addition, I think we need to place greater emphasis on behavioral health and must ensure our healthcare system treats the whole person. The opioid epidemic is ravaging people and communities, and we need to treat the underlying causes of addiction, including mental health issues. When I ran a health insurance company, we were recognized by the Boston Globe for our game-changing approach to helping members struggling with substance use disorder. I will take those same types of bold, innovative approaches as Governor to help keep people healthy. Q: Research indicates services to homeless persons are better administered when they are housed first. What will your administration do to end homelessness and housing insecurity in Massachusetts? A: The best approach to reducing homelessness is to prevent it from happening to begin with. I will work to address life challenges that can lead to homelessness, like the availability of affordable housing and access to mental health and addiction treatment services. I will put systems in place to ensure different state and local agencies are collaborating to provide supports to people who otherwise are at risk of becoming homeless. Lastly, I will invest more in preventative strategies that can be implemented at the front door of shelters to help people avoid homelessness. While working for Governor Patrick, I helped pioneer a program called Pay for Success that gives charities and private investors incentives to provide permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless people. This involves also providing the support services these individuals need to manage their life challenges to stabilize their lives and successfully maintain housing. The program only rewards investors if they help homeless people successfully transition to permanent supportive housing. Based on the positive results of the program, I will work to scale up our investment in permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals. Q: With the rise of inequality in the Commonwealth, poor and homeless people are getting left behind, forgotten and need to access key benefits, such as SNAP, TAFDC, Medicaid, SSI, Child Care and more, to support themselves and their families. How will your administration address access to key benefits that provide housing, food, child care, financial, and other vital assistance to those most in need in the Commonwealth? A: One of the most important responsibilities of government is to support the most vulnerable among us. As Governor, I will make sure we live up to this responsibility. For example, I will work to eliminate the cap on kids to ensure mothers and the children receive the support they need. I also want to pursue ways to make it easier for families to access the various benefits they are eligible for; navigating the different state agencies responsible for administering the benefits is challenging. 10

11 Anthony Amore Political Affiliation: Republican Campaign Website: amore2018.com Q: Poor and homeless voters often struggle to vote on Election Day due to several barriers they encounter such as shelter curfews, mandated program meetings, unstable housing and unsafe living conditions. As Secretary of State, what would you do to ensure fair and accessible voting practices for poor and homeless voters? A: Thank you for the opportunity to address Rose s Place, which is an institution for which I have the utmost admiration. As Secretary of State, I will be committed to ensuring that every qualified citizen has an equal opportunity to vote. This means everyone, from the poor and homeless to the disabled, active duty military, and disenfranchised. I would work with institutions like Rosie s Place that serve these populations to develop solutions to the challenges their populations face. I believe that those closest to the challenges are best able to develop ways to overcome them. Q: As a Massachusetts leader overseeing election matters, what policies would you advocate for at the federal and state level to ensure that poor citizens voices are not drowned out by money? A: I believe that everyone has a First Amendment right to donate money within established legal parameters to the candidates and issues important to them. However, I am aware that there are advantages to people and organizations that have the means to gain access in their government. However, I believe that the vote is the most powerful tool to overcoming money issues, and history is replete with examples of movements overcoming money. Ensuring that all qualified citizens have access to the ballot box would be my priority as the chief elections officer for the Commonwealth, and that would be the greatest impact the Secretary of State can make. Q: Too often voters are demotivated from the polls due to several personal and systemic reasons. How would your office work to increase voter turnout and what policies would you pursue to improve our election system? A: The chief reasons that people stay home on Election Day are: 1) they don t like the candidates; 2) they don t like the issues; and 3) they feel their vote doesn t matter. I believe that many feel this way because of a system that heavily benefits incumbents. I would work to even the playing field between challengers and incumbents. I would also seek creative ways to motivate voters from all walks of life to have their voices heard through their most sacred right of citizenship: the vote. This means outreach, and I would do so without trying to use the resources of the office to benefit me first. 11

12 Secretary William Galvin Political Affiliation: Democrat Campaign Website: billgalvin.org Q: Poor and homeless voters often struggle to vote on Election Day due to several barriers they encounter such as shelter curfews, mandated program meetings, unstable housing and unsafe living conditions. As Secretary of State, what would you do to ensure fair and accessible voting practices for poor and homeless voters? A: I will continue to work to expand early voting so it applies to all elections. For the November 6th election, I will be strongly encouraging local election officials to extend early voting beyond the mandated hours and to include weekend hours. As with 2016, I will be offering them a grant program for extended hours. Q: As a Massachusetts leader overseeing election matters, what policies would you advocate for at the federal and state level to ensure that poor citizens voices are not drowned out by money? A: I believe in transparency in campaign finance for both donations and expenditures and strict enforcement on existing laws. Q: Too often voters are demotivated from the polls due to several personal and systemic reasons. How would your office work to increase voter turnout and what policies would you pursue to improve our election system? A: I ve worked hard to make sure voting is accessible to all. From the implementation of mail-in voter registration and online voter registration, I recently successfully lobbied for automatic voter registration, which will begin in I continue to support Election Day registration and expanded opportunities for voting generally. 12

13 Juan Sanchez Political Affiliation: Green-Rainbow Campaign Website: none provided Q: Poor and homeless voters often struggle to vote on Election Day due to several barriers they encounter such as shelter curfews, mandated program meetings, unstable housing and unsafe living conditions. As Secretary of State, what would you do to ensure fair and accessible voting practices for poor and homeless voters? A: One of my main goals would be to run a multilingual statewide voter education campaign for this very purpose. My goal is to empower the underprivileged, underrepresented, and underestimated. Q: As a Massachusetts leader overseeing election matters, what policies would you advocate for at the federal and state level to ensure that poor citizens voices are not drowned out by money? A: I would work with other state secretary's to run a campaign to overturn citizens United. I'm also pro question 2 creating a citizens commission to review the process to overturn citizens United. Every vote should matter as much if not more as every dollar. Q: Too often voters are demotivated from the polls due to several personal and systemic reasons. How would your office work to increase voter turnout and what policies would you pursue to improve our election system? A: I've worked in politics for several years. One of the key issues I find is the lack of voter engagement that's why if elected Secretary I'm bringing voter education to you in your neighborhoods no matter what part of the commonwealth you live in, I want to ensure that when you vote its with full understanding of what your vote means for you and your communities. 13

14 LIST OF CANDIDATES U.S. Senate Dr. Shiva Ayyudarai Independent Geoff Diehl Republican Governor Elizabeth Warren Democrat (Incumbent) Charlie Baker Republican (Incumbent) Attorney General Jay Gonzalez Democrat Maura Healey Democrat (Incumbent) James McMahon Republican Secretary of the Commonwealth Anthony Amore Republican William Galvin Democrat (Incumbent) 14 Juan Sanchez Green-Rainbow

15 LIST OF CANDIDATES Treasurer Jamie Guerin Green-Rainbow Deb Goldberg Democrat (Incumbent) Auditor Keiko Orrall Republican Helen Brady Republican Suzanne Bump Democrat (Incumbent) Daniel Fishman Libertarian Edward Stamas Green-Rainbow Important non-statewide races: There are several non-statewide races that will show up on your ballot depending where you live. They are important races such as U.S. Representative, State Senate, State House, District Attorney, and other races. To find a complete ballot list of candidates please go to: 1) wheredoivotema.com 2) Insert YOUR voting address 3) Select My State Election Ballot 15

16 BALLOT QUESTIONS Massachusetts voters will have three questions on their ballot. Make sure to review both sides of the ballot so that you do not miss any questions. Rosie s Place urges a YES vote on questions 1, 2 and 3! Patient-to-Nurse Ratio Limits Endorsed by Rosie s Place Rosie s Place urges a YES vote on Question 1 Why Vote Yes? A YES vote would establish limits on the number of patients assigned to registered nurses working in hospitals. BALLOT QUESTION 1 Why Vote No? A NO vote would keep things the way they are, with no legal limits set to how many patients a nurse can be assigned. When nurses have too many patients to care for, we see a dramatic and dangerous impact on safety and patient outcomes. Study after study shows that there is an absolute need to set a maximum limit on the number of patients that can be assigned to each registered nurse in order to avoid serious complications, mistakes, and preventable readmissions. We believe that women should receive the best-quality health care. When nurses have too many patients to care for, it impacts the safety of all patients. Ensuring nurses workload is appropriate for the deliver of consistent high quality and attentive care is of importance to Rosie s Place. 16

17 BALLOT QUESTIONS Limiting Election Spending by Corporations Endorsed by Rosie s Place Rosie s Place urges a YES vote on Question 2 Why Vote Yes? A YES vote would establish a 15- member citizens commission to advocate for certain amendments to the United States Constitution regarding campaign finance and corporate personhood. BALLOT QUESTION 2 Question 2, if approved, would put Massachusetts voters on record as opposing the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling that opened the door to greater political spending by corporations and labor unions. The November ballot measure calls for the creation of a commission that would seek a potential amendment to the U.S. Constitution to override Citizens United. Your voice matters. We believe that elections should be swayed by individual voters and their voices, not corporations. Poor and homeless women cannot spend millions of dollars to influence elections as some corporations do. They vote! This is their biggest tool, and should be the biggest tool for all in elections, not corporate influence. Corporate influence in elections must be reduced to let voters voices matter more than corporations. 17 Why Vote No? A NO vote would not establish the commission.

18 BALLOT QUESTIONS BALLOT QUESTION 3 Transgender Anti-Discrimination Endorsed by Rosie s Place Rosie s Place urges a YES vote on Question 3 Why Vote Yes? A YES vote would support and uphold the current law that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in public places such as hotels, restaurants, and stores. Why Vote No? A NO vote would repeal the law that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in public places. Transgender people should have the same basic protections as everyone else to live their lives with safety, privacy and dignity. Protecting people from discrimination including people who are transgender is about treating others as we want to be treated. Vote Yes on 3 because we support more love, respect and kindness and less fear, intimidation and discrimination. We believe ALL women have equal rights and should be safe and protected by law in public spaces. We need more acceptance, not fear and discrimination. Rosie s Place is a sanctuary for ALL women. Our philosophy strives to recognize the unique value in each woman, welcome, and embrace each one unconditionally. This philosophy drives us to know that transgender guests must be seen in this same light, to be protected, and cared for equally and unquestionably. 18

19 Community and democracy must work hand in hand, otherwise we have neither. -Kip Tiernan Founded in 1974 by Kip Tiernan, Rosie s Place was the first drop in and emergency shelter for women in the United States. Rosie's Place is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives. The Public Policy program works to further Rosie s Place s mission within the larger socio-political context by representing the interests of Rosie s Place guests at the State House through direct lobbying, coalition building and by empowering guess and Rosie s Place supporters to be actively involved in advocacy. 889 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA rosiesplace.org 19

20 Vote on Tuesday, November 6 th, 2018 MY POLLING LOCATION IS: I WILL VOTE AT (time):