Ballot Access & Public Campaign Financing for Fair Elections

 

Why It Should Be Easier to Run for Office

Across the U.S., ballot access laws vary wildly—some require thousands of dollars in filing fees (like SC’s ~$3,480 for House, ~$20,000 for Prez), or tens of thousands of signatures in tight timeframes brennancenter.org+2uhero.hawaii.edu+2newyorker.com+2fjc.gov+3ballotpedia.org+3en.wikipedia.org+3. These barriers effectively exclude everyday citizens and favor the wealthy or party insiders.

Proposed reforms:

• Cap or eliminate filing fees for federal races.

• Allow lower signature thresholds.

• Give petitioners 90+ days to collect valid signatures.

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💵 Public Campaign Financing & Small-Donor Matching

Heavy reliance on wealthy donors creates imbalance. Public match systems (like NYC’s 1:7 matching on small $10 gifts) empower grassroots campaigns fec.govtimesunion.comcampaignlegal.org+6brennancenter.org+6timesunion.com+6. Reviews (e.g., Brennan Center, Campaign Legal Center) show public funding restores accountability to voters, not donors ngpvan.com+15campaignlegal.org+15brennancenter.org+15.

Our plan:

• Launch South Carolina pilot: small-donor matching (e.g., $50 → $300).

• Offer optional public financing to limit big-money influence.

• Set transparent spending caps.

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✅ Gov‑funded General Election Runoffs

For the final two candidates in federal/state races, public funds would finance general election advertising, evenly split. This ensures:

• Fair exposure without spending races.

• Accountability to voters—not wealthy contributors.

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✔️ Encouraging Broader Participation

These ballot and finance reforms would:

• Lower cost of entry—welcome genuine citizen candidates.

• Help non-rich individuals stay in races.

• Promote diverse, community-focused ideas.

Medicaid vs Tax Cuts: What’s Best for SC Families?

 

What’s in the Bill & Its Impacts

• This sweeping 940-page bill includes major tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, funded in part by significant reductions to Medicaid, SNAP, and other social programs politico.com+15fastcompany.com+15nypost.com+15.

• The CBO estimates it would increase the federal deficit by $2.4–3.3 trillion over the next decade, and leave approximately 10–12 million people uninsured en.wikipedia.org+1nypost.com+1.

• It also cuts green energy tax credits, while adding border and defense spending—doing little for middle-class families cbsnews.com+15wsj.com+15wsj.com+15.

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🩺 Medicaid Cuts & “Ponzi Scheme” Warning

• The legislation proposes Medicaid funding reductions and stricter work/eligibility requirements, even for families nypost.com+2wsj.com+2nypost.com+2.

• States like South Carolina depend on federal Medicaid support—cuts would hurt working families and rural hospitals the most.

• Senator Graham (SC) has warned similar schemes (like the CLASS Act) have functioned like “Ponzi schemes,” delaying benefits until deficit issues arise govinfo.gov+7lgraham.senate.gov+7nypost.com+7.

• Removing Medicaid support undermines healthcare access and worsens poverty.

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✅ What REALLY Helps the People

1. Expand Medicaid & healthcare funding
Invest in Medicaid, healthcare access, and community clinics—preventative care saves lives and cuts long-term costs.

2. Targeted tax relief for working families
Boost the Child Tax Credit, offer earned income credits, and provide rebates for essential expenses, rather than blanket breaks for the ultra‑wealthy.

3. Strengthen social safety nets
Rather than gutting SNAP or Medicaid, protect these programs and enhance benefits for those in need, including rural and disaster-prone areas.

4. Audit & oversight protections
Ensure transparency so taxpayer money goes directly to essential services, not budget skims or corporate giveaways.

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🔍 Final Take

While tax reform can be beneficial, balancing the deficit by slashing Medicaid or food assistance is counterproductive—it hurts vulnerable households, raises healthcare costs, and destabilizes communities.

True economic strength comes from empowering the working class, not enabling the wealthy at their expense. South Carolina families need health coverage, job training, and living-wage supports—not budget cuts disguised as reform.

Abortion with Compassion: Exceptions, Coverage & Common-Sense Reform in SC District 1

 

Abortion Reform with Common-Sense Limits

Today’s heated debates around abortion often miss the real struggles behind them. While I believe in protecting life, we also must recognize why exceptions matter and make our policies truly meaningful.

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1. Birth Control Isn’t Foolproof

Nearly two million contraceptive failures occur each year in the U.S. newyorker.com+3vox.com+3thepublicdiscourse.com+3ewtn.com. Condoms break, birth control can fail, and no method is perfect. Even when people try to prevent pregnancy, unwanted pregnancies can happen—and our laws need to reflect that reality.

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2. No One Should Be Forced to Raise a Child They Didn’t Choose

Imagine forcing someone into parenthood against their will. It’s not just unfair—it’s harmful, for both the parent and the child. We must allow for carefully defined exceptions to protect individuals from lifelong consequences when pregnancy results from rape or when birth control fails.

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3. Pregnancy Is Costly—Especially for Medicaid Recipients

The average cost of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care is nearly $19,000, with out-of-pocket costs of almost $3,000 for those with private insurance kff.org+2healthsystemtracker.org+2healthinsurance.org+2. Many expectant families rely on Medicaid, but if health coverage gets stripped back, these costs will devastate working-class families.

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4. Rape Exceptions Aren’t Optional—they’re Essential

Since Dobbs, around 64,000 pregnancies from rape have occurred in states with near-total bans—and most didn’t have realistic access to abortion forbes.com+8time.com+8healthinsurance.org+8vox.com+4theguardian.com+4ncnewsline.com+4. Some states claim emergency contraception eliminates the need for rape exceptions, but it’s not always effective or accessible—especially under trauma spectrumlocalnews.com+1reddit.com+1.

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🛠️ My Proposal: Balanced & Compassionate Reform

✅ Protect the unborn
✅ Include clear exceptions—rape, contraceptive failure, and critical health risks—to ensure law doesn’t become inhumane

✅ Safeguard Health Coverage
Codify Medicaid support for all pregnant individuals—no gaps, no denials

✅ Ensure Access
Guarantee emergency contraception nationwide, improve education, and fund reproductive healthcare to reduce unintended pregnancies

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✅ Why This Matters for SC District 1

• It's fair: people shouldn’t be punished for accidents or trauma

• It's practical: healthcare costs shouldn’t bankrupt families

• It's humane: we uphold protection without leaving victims trapped

• It’s political courage—putting people’s lives over ideology