Jordan Applewhite

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Do you support the “Education Freedom Account” program, which gives students access to the per-pupil share of state school funding to spend on private school or home school expenses?

"No, the over-budget costs of this voucher program are causing rural property taxes to skyrocket and forcing public schools to decrease services, all so normal people like us subsidize private school tuition for wealthy families. This is purposeful, as the stated goal of many in the legislature is to dismantle the public school system. I'm not opposed to subsidizing alternative education institutions like K-8 farm schools, but this voucher program was created with self-destructive intent. You can put the word "Freedom" on a poorly designed law, but it'll still be a poorly designed law."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the first trimester (e.g. after 6 weeks gestation)?

"Despite what cable news pundits say, no one is getting an abortion at 24 weeks on a whim. These are people who are dealing with serious medical issues. Either the pregnancy is no longer viable, or the health of the mother is threatened. I think it's obscene to force someone to carry an unviable pregnancy to term. This is why the entire NH medical community came out against this divisive and irresponsible law. As far as earlier term abortions, most people I know who have had an abortion for an unplanned pregnancy are, in fact, mothers who had to make a difficult decision to support the lives of the children they already have with their finite resources. Those leading the push for fewer abortions need to create policy that supports families and children AFTER they are born."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the second trimester (e.g. after 15 weeks gestation)?

"Despite what cable news pundits say, no one is getting an abortion at 24 weeks on a whim. These are people who are dealing with serious medical issues. Either the pregnancy is no longer viable, or the health of the mother is threatened. I think it's obscene to force someone to carry an unviable pregnancy to term. This is why the entire NH medical community came out against this divisive and irresponsible law. As far as earlier term abortions, most people I know who have had an abortion for an unplanned pregnancy are, in fact, mothers who had to make a difficult decision to support the lives of the children they already have with their finite resources. Those leading the push for fewer abortions need to create policy that supports families and children AFTER they are born."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire ban discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3?

"As I mentioned before, many in the legislature have stated that they wish to defund and dismantle the public school system. Part of that strategy to undermine and ultimately destroy public school is to focus partisan abuse towards teachers. I've spoken with many teachers who deeply resent being made into political targets just for doing the same job they've always done. This is part of the reason they're leaving the field by the thousands. Every teacher I know welcomes face-to-face dialogue with concerned parents. Instead they’re facing national, partisan witch hunts in our local classrooms. It’s shameful, and it has to stop."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Do you support the state law that bans teaching certain concepts, such as the idea that people may be "inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously"?

"As I mentioned before, many in the legislature have stated that they wish to defund and dismantle the public school system. Part of that strategy to undermine and ultimately destroy public school is to focus partisan abuse towards teachers. I've spoken with many teachers who deeply resent being made into political targets just for doing the same job they've always done. This is part of the reason they're leaving the field by the thousands. Every teacher I know welcomes face-to-face dialogue with concerned parents. Instead they’re facing national, partisan witch hunts in our local classrooms. It’s shameful, and it has to stop."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should NH add an income tax on earned income?

"It's pointless to discuss taxes in the abstract. We need to have straightforward discussions about policies that benefit Granite Staters first, then the people can decide how they want those policies funded if extra funding is even required."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should NH add a broad-based sales tax?

"It's pointless to discuss taxes in the abstract. We need to have straightforward discussions about policies that benefit Granite Staters first, then the people can decide how they want those policies funded if extra funding is even required."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire add a tax credit for businesses that contribute to student loan repayment for employees?

"I don't think our limited state budget needs to subsidize banks or the federal government. This is a federal responsibility. I think the better way to tackle this at the state level is to lower the cost of tuition for in-state college and vocational school. Our rates are nearly the highest in the country, and it's causing the next generation work force to leave."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire lower business taxes?

"Small businesses in NH already don't pay NH Business Profits Tax by using exemptions, which is good. I'm in favor of restructuring taxes so that small businesses with small profits pay less, and the biggest and most profitable corporations pay their fair share. I don't think we need to cut taxes for McDonalds, Walmart, and Amazon. Those big, out of state corporations benefit from our workers and our infrastructure, and they're rich enough that they can afford to chip in."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire government do more to address climate change?

"It's only prudent to prepare. We can do so much at the state level to increase energy efficiency, switch from expensive dirty energy to cheap clean energy, and create a climate change resiliency plan. In my vision of the future, NH has nearly-free energy thanks to smart investments in solar, offshore wind, and community power. With emerging practices such as agrivoltaics, we can provide a new revenue stream for NH farmers if they combine grazing or row-cropping with solar panel arrays, which has the added bonus of reducing soil moisture loss during increasing periods of drought and heat waves."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Do you support giving voters who register without ID on Election Day a ballot that only counts if they return identifying documents to the state before a deadline?

"If they return the ID before the deadline, then why not? Our democracy works better when everyone's vote counts."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire add a fee or mileage charge for electric vehicle owners to help pay for transportation and/or electric infrastructure?

"Against"

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should the state do more to encourage municipalities to remove zoning barriers to housing development?

"Our district desperately needs to fix the housing shortage. A reasonable rental vacancy rate is about 5%, NH’s is currently less than 1%, and in our district it’s even lower. This is contributing to a worker shortage and causing the next generation workforce to leave the state. There are no-cost zoning strategies that we can enact to chip away at this problem, for example reducing minimum lot size which in some towns is as large as 5 acres. We need enough housing to support workers and growing families, as well as people who grew up here and are now trying to return to invest in our state."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire extend the renewable portfolio standard past 2025, requiring public utilities to obtain more than 25% of electricity from renewable energy sources?

"Our energy costs are skyrocketing because we depend on unstable prices from dirty energy. Granite Staters understand that investing in clean energy independence means lower costs, stable prices unaffected by geopolitics, and clean air and water. Win win win."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire guarantee the right to access abortion before 24 weeks?

"Despite what cable news pundits say, no one is getting an abortion at 24 weeks on a whim. These are people who are dealing with serious medical issues. Either the pregnancy is no longer viable, or the health of the mother is threatened. I think it's obscene to force someone to carry an unviable pregnancy to term. This is why the entire NH medical community came out against this divisive and irresponsible law. As far as earlier term abortions, most people I know who have had an abortion for an unplanned pregnancy are, in fact, mothers who had to make a difficult decision to support the lives of the children they already have with their finite resources. Those leading the push for fewer abortions need to create policy that supports families and children AFTER they are born."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Do you support the option of mail-in ballots for all voters, not just absentees?

"This is how many states have done it for a long time, both red and blue states. Functionally there is no difference between how you handle a mail-in ballot with an excuse and one without. Any modern and secure election system should be able to handle them."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by allowing home-growing and private use without sales?

"We are giving away hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue to our neighbors because of our legislature's inability to get taxed, legal cannabis over the finish line. When we do, we should empower NH farmers to produce it rather than creating onerous regulation that only benefits out of state agribusiness. I prefer a model that allows private retail sales, like in Maine, although if the state stores want to compete with private retail I don't see a problem with that."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by licensing growers and private retail locations?

"We are giving away hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue to our neighbors because of our legislature's inability to get taxed, legal cannabis over the finish line. When we do, we should empower NH farmers to produce it rather than creating onerous regulation that only benefits out of state agribusiness. I prefer a model that allows private retail sales, like in Maine, although if the state stores want to compete with private retail I don't see a problem with that."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by establishing state-run cannabis stores?

"We are giving away hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue to our neighbors because of our legislature's inability to get taxed, legal cannabis over the finish line. When we do, we should empower NH farmers to produce it rather than creating onerous regulation that only benefits out of state agribusiness. I prefer a model that allows private retail sales, like in Maine, although if the state stores want to compete with private retail I don't see a problem with that."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire raise the minimum wage?

"$7.25/hr is obscenely low. Thankfully most businesses in NH can't hire with such terrible compensation, but the people who take minimum wage jobs don't have another choice. Those workers still deserve the right to a living wage, as we all do. Where I live, the only employer I've heard of that pays minimum wage is Dollar General. With over 18,000 stores, I think they can afford to pay our residents better. Raising the minimum wage ensures that they will. I'd be happy to support exemptions for tip-based small businesses as long as they can prove their pay after tips meets or exceeds the minimum. Aside from wages, it's just as important to tackle costs. Minimum wage is an arbitrary number, but what affects standard of living is the relationship between wages and the cost of necessary goods like food, housing, energy, and healthcare."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should the state permanently increase how much tax revenue it shares with towns and cities every year, beyond public school funding?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Do you support the gradual phase-out of the Interests and Dividends tax?

"I support raising the exemption threshold past what any middle class person would expect to pay in a given year. Retirement accounts like IRAs and 401ks aren't exclusively held by the rich. Along with home ownership, they are the primary way normal people can afford to retire in old age, and I&D tax can significantly affect yield over a lifetime. For wealthy people who already have more than enough to retire comfortably, they should pay their fair share of I&D tax. The rest of us shouldn't pay for handouts to the rich."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Do you support the state’s current system of public school funding, with each district’s total funding primarily dependent on local property tax revenue?

"The vast majority of Granite Staters oppose this funding model. It's squeezing rural districts like ours so our property taxes are going up while public school funds are going down. You can have 4 different towns in a school district paying 4 different tax rates for the same service. The current system enables wealthy towns to pay much lower tax rates to achieve the same amount public school funding. It's not fair, and it's a giveaway to the rich. Every child in NH deserves a quality education, regardless of zip code or income."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should New Hampshire repeal the ban on abortion after 24 weeks gestation?

"Despite what cable news pundits say, no one is getting an abortion at 24 weeks on a whim. These are people who are dealing with serious medical issues. Either the pregnancy is no longer viable, or the health of the mother is threatened. I think it's obscene to force someone to carry an unviable pregnancy to term. This is why the entire NH medical community came out against this divisive and irresponsible law. As far as earlier term abortions, most people I know who have had an abortion for an unplanned pregnancy are, in fact, mothers who had to make a difficult decision to support the lives of the children they already have with their finite resources. Those leading the push for fewer abortions need to create policy that supports families and children AFTER they are born."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2022

Should NH pass stricter gun control laws?

"It really just depends on if the law is grounded in research and evidence. I'm tired of seeing gun control bills proposed that aren't designed to make any meaningful reduction in gun violence (see the fight over guns on snowmobiles). For example, the majority of gun deaths are suicides, but we never talk about policy that would prevent those types of deaths. I think we can all agree that we want less gun deaths, and we should implement evidence-based policy instead of the same knee-jerk political reactions."