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Cizek for Arizona House

GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE  -  LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 3  - ARIZONA STATE HOUSE

Cizek for Arizona House Portrait

I am Edward Cizek, and I am running for the Arizona State House of Representatives in District 3. I am running for office because I believe that Arizonans deserve a real choice when voting - not just a choice between Democrats and Republicans, but a broader choice between candidates from many different parties and politics. While I am an unapologetic progressive, I believe that political discourse is enhanced when a wide variety of viewpoints are represented in government.

 

To this end, I am running to reform our elections to make it easier for third-party candidates to run for office, expand voter access through automatic registration, and implement approval voting so that people can vote for their preferred candidates without fear of vote splitting. We must reform our campaign finance system to prevent powerful and entrenched special interests from corrupting government. I will fight through hell and high water to be a voice for those not often heard by politicians, and to take problems such as climate change, education, health care, criminal justice reform, racial justice, income and wealth inequality, and jobs and the economy head on. I ask for your vote, because we are stronger when we stand together.

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I am a graduate student in environmental economics at the University of Arizona, and specialize in the economics of clean energy, pollution management, and government policy relating thereto.  While I have never held public office before, I am prepared by my background and training to come in on day one to propose and implement sensible policy which serves the interests of the people, not the wealthy and their cronies.  I believe that we can develop a government accountable to the people and which responsibly manages our state, the people, and the economy, but I need your help.

 

Vote YES for Efficient, Responsible, and Sustainable Government.  Say NO to Crony Capitalism, Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Two-Party System.  Please vote Cizek for Arizona House on or before November 8!

My campaign is proud to announce that I have been officially endorsed by the Arizona Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers for the upcoming 2016 election!  I look forward to working with their organization to address the issues facing disempowered, improverished, and other disadvantaged communities throughout the state of Arizona!

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Weekly Sunday Social @ Revolutionary Grounds (4th Ave & 5th Street), 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Rally for Election Integrity, Time & Place TBD

Green Party Steering Committee Meeting, The Historic Y, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

People Demanding Action Southern AZ Meeting, 7:00 PM, Woods Memorial Library (1st Ave & Prince)

Bring Approval Voting to Arizona

It is clear that the two-party system of Republicans and Democrats is failing Arizona, and failing the nation.  Congress and State Legislatures are marked by gridlock and partisanship, and the two major parties have presumptive nominees marked by record levels of unfavorability among the broader electorate.  Meanwhile, record numbers of voters are registering as either independent, no party preference, or with one of the smaller parties, such as the Green Party and the Libertarian Party.  However, thanks to our system of voting, referred to as either plurality-rules voting or 'first-past-the-post', voting for third party candidates creates the potential for a spoiler effect.  This in turn further entrenches the Democrats and Republicans at the expense of other parties and candidates.  In order to correct this anomaly, I am advocating for Arizona to pass and implement approval voting in all legislative, statewide, and federal elections within the state of Arizona.

What is Approval Voting?

Approval Voting is a different system of conducting elections.  Instead of voting for one candidate in an election, each voter can vote for any number of candidates among the choices.  This is important because our current system of elections has a vote-splitting problem where people are having to choose the best, or the least bad, among the top two candidates, generally a Democrat and a Republican.  A system of approval voting gives people the opportunity to vote for their first choice, and can also vote for other candidates strategically.  This allows people to express their support for their preferred candidate, especially for less well-known or less publicized candidates, without the fear that doing so will help get a disliked candidate in office.

Why Approval Voting?

Approval Voting allows third-parties to garner support without the risk of their vote acting like a vote for their least-preferred choice. This also has the effect of selecting candidates who are liked by a broad spectrum of the electorate, rather than for polarizing love-them-or-hate-them candidates.  This will also help to foster cooperation and negotiation within the state legislature by rewarding compromise and coming together over partisanship that rewards candidates within their base, but alienates other voters.  In addition, a system of approval voting does not require expensive and time-consuming primary elections, which can potentially save taxpayers a lot of money each election cycle.

Other Advantages

Many other election reform advocates are pushing for a related system called Instant-Runoff Voting, or IRV.  While IRV has many of the same advantages as Approval Voting, I believe that there are some negatives associated with IRV.  In particular, approval voting is a much simpler system to implement, does not require expensive ballot redesigns or new equipment to read these ballots, and is intuitive for new voters to follow.  IRV tends not to do as well of a job at electing more moderate and independent candidates than does Approval Voting.

On the Issues

Climate & Environment

  • Invest in Solar Power, Energy Storage, and Energy Efficiency throughout Arizona

  • Transition to 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

  • Efficient regulation for water rights and water access.

  • Impose mining and pollution taxes to correct for pollution externalities

  • Use a small carbon tax to fund sales tax reduction.

Criminal Justice Reform

  • Ban Private Companies from operating prisons.

  • Reform Bail to be less destructive toward the economically disadvantaged

  • End Civil Asset Forfeiture for people not convicted of a crime.

  • End the Death Penalty

  • Reform Police to become partners with their community, and interact directly with the people.

  • Increase access to legal counsel and public defenders

  • Rehabilitate Ex-Cons and Push for Restitution

  • Respect victims' rights as well as due process.

  • Expand Kindergarten and Pre-K access, particularly in underprivileged communities

  • More access for free and reduced-price school lunches

  • Access to quality before- and after-school educational opportunities

  • More emphasis on creativity and critical thinking over rote-memorization & standardized tests

  • Expanded and equitable distribution of education funds statewide

  • Reform school discipline & end the school-to-prison pipeline

  • Allow communities to teach Multicultural Studies programs.

  • Expanded Taxpayer-funded Higher Education funded by a surtax on unearned income.

  • Reduce student loan burdens and interest rates on student loans.

Education Policy

Inequality & Poverty

  • Fight for a $15 Minimum Wage

  • Expand healthcare via a state-wide Medicare for All

  • Expand access to the banking system.  Support for federally-managed postal banking.

  • Expand access to childcare services

  • Invest in Jobs and Infrastructure statewide

  • Support for unionization

  • Expand welfare assistance and end the poverty traps in our welfare programs.

Marijuana and Drugs

  • Legalization for Marijuana; regulate it like tobacco and alcohol

  • End the War on Drugs

  • Decriminalization for simple possession.

  • Treat addiction as a mental illness instead of a criminal issue

  • Investing in drug treatment and diversion programs instead of incarceration.

  • Work with physicians to address prescription drug abuse.

Racial & Social Justice

  • Invest in Minority Communities

  • Full equality for the LGBT Community

  • Safe & Legal Abortion, Contraception, and Comprehensive Sex-Ed

  • Funding and support for the disabled & mentally ill

Politics & Campaign Finance

  • Overturn Citizens United

  • End First-Past-the-Post

  • Liberalize Ballot Access Laws

  • Proportional Representation in the Legislature

  • Defeat Crony Capitalism

Voting & Voting Rights

  • End racist & discriminatory Voter ID laws

  • Mandatory checking & counting of provisional ballots

  • Stand against long waiting times at the polls

  • Restore voting rights to ex-cons after probation & parole

  • Ban Taxpayer-funded primaries not open to independents

  • Automatic voter registration at age 18 for all citizen residents.

  • Added security of Service Arizona and county recorders' databases to defend against hacking.

Ready to fight for a clean environment, a clean economy, and a clean government?  Click here or the "Get Involved" page for more information about registering to vote and helping my campaign!

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