VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+5 points on Social scale)	Support a woman's right to choose, including contraception: Strongly Favors topic 1 Abortion should be regulated by doctors, not legislators: Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	Pay equity for women and minorities: Strongly Favors topic 2
Strongly Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+5 points on Social scale)	Who you love and how you love are up to you: Strongly Favors topic 3 Supports LGBTQ rights: Strongly Favors topic 3
No opinion on topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (0 points on Social scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Strongly Favors topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (-5 points on Economic scale)	Public option would cost less than present system: Strongly Favors topic 5 Advocates for a single-payer health care system: Strongly Favors topic 5 Medicare-for-All establishes a basic right: Strongly Favors topic 5 ObamaCare is only a good first step: Strongly Favors topic 5
Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-3 points on Economic scale)	Universal Basic Income recipients might lose other benefits: Favors topic 6 Freedom Dividend of $1000/month for every adult American: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Optional automatic tax-free retirement investment vehicle: Favors topic 6 Fund Freedom Dividend payments with 10% VAT: Opposes topic 6
Opposes topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (-3 points on Economic scale)	Pay teachers enough to attract and retain the best: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Improving teacher salaries improves student success: Favors topic 7
No opinion on topic 8: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach (0 points on Social scale)	Create department to regulate social media: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Nuclear isn't perfect, but it's a solid solution for now: Strongly Favors topic 8
Strongly Opposes topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (+5 points on Social scale)	Death penalty has led to tragic errors: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Replace mass incarceration with social programs: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Body cameras for every police officer: Opposes topic 9 Police unfairly target minorities: Opposes topic 9
Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-3 points on Economic scale)	Future without handguns is not reality: Favors topic 10 Treat guns the way we treat motor vehicles: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Three-tier gun licensing for common-sense safety: Opposes topic 10 Make gun manufacturers liable for mass shootings: Strongly Opposes topic 10
Strongly Favors topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (-5 points on Economic scale)	Fund programs from tech companies now paying no tax: Strongly Favors topic 11 Value Added Tax would generate $800 billion: Favors topic 11 Same tax rate on capital gains as on earned income: Strongly Favors topic 11 Revenue Day: make paying taxes a celebration: Favors topic 11 Value-Added Tax as part of new capitalist philosophy: Favors topic 11
Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+2 points on Social scale)	12M illegal immigrants is a major problem: Opposes topic 12 Immigrants make US stronger and more dynamic: Strongly Favors topic 12 Need more case workers & judges at southern border: Strongly Favors topic 12 Come out of shadows with long-term permanent residency: Strongly Favors topic 12 Deporting 11 million is impossible and inhumane: Favors topic 12 Boost funding for U.S. ports of entry: Opposes topic 12 Supports the DREAM Act: Favors topic 12
No opinion on topic 13: Support & expand free trade (0 points on Economic scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Strongly Opposes topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (-5 points on Economic scale)	Some Israeli actions are problematic on human rights: Opposes topic 14 Strengthen alliances such as NATO; reinvest in diplomacy: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Puerto Rican statehood is overdue step toward equality: Opposes topic 14
Opposes topic 15: Expand the military (+2 points on Social scale)	Military spending on modern threats, not decades-old ones: Favors topic 15 Invest in equipment for technical superiority: Favors topic 15 Rechannel $60B per year from defense to infrastructure: Strongly Opposes topic 15 Too much military spending focuses in decades-old threats: Strongly Opposes topic 15
Strongly Favors topic 16: Make voter registration easier (+5 points on Social scale)	Supports statehood for DC & Puerto Rico: Strongly Favors topic 16 Adopt ranked-choice voting model for all primaries: Strongly Favors topic 16 Make Puerto Rico a state: Favors topic 16
Favors topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (+2 points on Social scale)	May need more troops in Afghanistan: Opposes topic 17 Limited foreign intervention; restore Congress's role in war: Opposes topic 17 Be very judicious about projecting force: Strongly Favors topic 17 Repeal post-9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force: Strongly Favors topic 17
Favors topic 18: Prioritize green energy (-3 points on Economic scale)	US only accounts for 15% of global emissions, but take steps: Opposes topic 18 Invest heavily in carbon capture and geoengineering: Strongly Favors topic 18 Carbon tax: internalize the cost of carbon emissions: Strongly Favors topic 18 Mixed score on "350 Action's 2020 Climate Test": Favors topic 18
Strongly Opposes topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (+5 points on Social scale)	Decriminalize opiates & marijuana, but not cocaine: Opposes topic 19 Legalize marijuana; pardon marijuana-related offenses: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Pardon non-violent drug offenders, focusing on marijuana: Strongly Opposes topic 19 War on Drugs has not worked: treatment instead of punishment: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Full legalization of marijuana; expunge federal convictions: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Decriminalize small quantities of opioid use and possession: Strongly Opposes topic 19
Strongly Favors topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (-5 points on Economic scale)	Monthly stipend would help us through technological changes: Strongly Favors topic 20 Universal payments to all adults would have no stigma: Strongly Favors topic 20 Freedom Dividend: create a universal basic income: Strongly Favors topic 20 Subsidize journalists to do local reporting: Strongly Favors topic 20