Senate District 21
All statements, answers, and information found within the 159 Georgia Together voter guide were collected via an electronic survey. Due to the sheer volume of information collected and the number of candidates that submitted survey data, all of the information presented in the guide is verbatim per the input from the survey participants (including any spelling or grammatical errors).
Nicole Nash (D)
TOP 3 PRIORITIES IF ELECTED
My top three priorities include affordable healthcare, protecting the environment, and improving work-life balance by addressing area transportation and internet needs. All of these issues are critical to creating a better society and sustainable future.
DO YOU SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PREVENT BUSINESS OWNERS AND EMPLOYERS FROM DENYING SERVICES TO LGBTQ PEOPLE AND OTHERS BASED ON THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS?
No. As a small business owner, I understand wanting to run your business based on your values. However, discrimination is not a value, it is an action, and state-sanctioned discrimination is a slippery slope.
DO YOU SUPPORT ENDING CASH BAIL FOR LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES?
Yes. The cash bail system unequally negatively affects low-income persons and does not alter low-level offense behavior. Our penal system should strive to prevent repeat offenses, not strive to make money on the backs of the poor.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE CREATION OF A NON-PARTISAN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION?
Yes. Georgia's legislative districts are clearly gerrymandered. This does not serve the people we are elected to represent. Those who stand to gain from redistricting should not be in charge of the efforts.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT AN ENGLISH-ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IF IT WERE ON THE BALLOT?
No. An English-only Constitutional Amendment does not serve the public good.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF WORKERS TO FORM A UNION AND BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY?
Yes. Collective bargaining is crucial to ensuring workers' rights.
DID YOU/DO YOU SUPPORT GUNS ON CAMPUS?
No. We need to ask why Georgia's campus carry law was written. Schools weren't asking for guns on campus-- in fact, many argued that it creates a safety concern and they don't want guns on campus. The campus carry law looks a lot like government overreach, and the people should ask what purpose it was really intended to serve. I will work to repeal and replace this law, just as I'm replacing an incumbent who supported it.
DO YOU SUPPORT ELECTRICITY RATE INCREASES TO COMPLETE TWO NUCLEAR REACTORS AT PLANT VOGTLE?
No. I have yet to see an agreeable reason why Georgia Power customers should be forced to pay for the company's budget errors. Rather than nuclear energy, Georgia should be leading the nation in promoting clean energy.
DO YOU SUPPORT CHANGING GEORGIA'S VOTING SYSTEM TO A VOTER-MARKED (PEN OR PENCIL) PAPER BALLOT WITH OPTICAL SCANNERS?
Yes. We must ensure the integrity of our elections. Paper ballots create a paper trail that helps renew voter faith in democracy, and protects our nation.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF EARLY VOTING?
Yes. We should expand early voting, make election days national holidays, and expand voting to include weekends. We have the technology, now we just need the will to make it happen. Voting is a right, and we have a responsibility to make that right as accessible as possible to all eligible persons.
DO YOU SUPPORT PUBLIC VOUCHERS BEING USED FOR PRIVATE AND/OR CHARTER SCHOOLS?
No. This question should have an "it depends" option as this is not a black and white issue. I do not support public funding going to for-profit schools. However, there are situations in which the public school system cannot reasonably accommodate a learner's needs, and tuition assistance that could enable that learner to attend a private school or nonprofit charter school designed to meet those needs could be a viable solution. The goal is to create the best possible outcomes for ALL students, and that may mean creating public-private partnerships for education.
DO YOU SUPPORT MEDICAID EXPANSION OR ANOTHER GEORGIA-SPECIFIC PLAN TO EXTEND HEALTH INSURANCE TO LOW-INCOME GEORGIANS?
Yes. I support expanding Medicaid because helping more people access healthcare is the ethical thing to do. It also works- data from states that have expanded Medicaid prove that it creates better outcomes. Additionally, healthier people means a healthier workforce, which is good for business. Expanding Medicaid is good for people and states.
WILL YOU SUPPORT POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT INCREASE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION, AND OPPOSE POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT LIMIT OR REDUCE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION?
Yes. Reproductive freedom is a civil right and equality issue. We must improve access to contraception and education about physical development, sexual wellness, and consent, at age-appropriate levels including adults. Further, Georgia’s grant program that funds so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” is a misuse of public funds and must be repealed.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RETIREES AND PUT THE PROGRAM ON A MORE STABLE FISCAL PATH?
Yes. Social security isn't an entitlement- it's money workers put into a system to help fund their retirements. We must bolster this program and ensure our senior citizens can retire with dignity.
DO YOU SUPPORT A LIVABLE WAGE OF A MINIMUM OF $15 PER HOUR?
Yes. The whole point of the minimum wage is to establish the amount a person working 40 hours a week needs to be able to support a reasonable quality of life. The minimum wage should be tied to inflation and adjust accordingly.
Brandon Beach (R, Incumbent)
TOP 3 PRIORITIES IF ELECTED
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PREVENT BUSINESS OWNERS AND EMPLOYERS FROM DENYING SERVICES TO LGBTQ PEOPLE AND OTHERS BASED ON THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT ENDING CASH BAIL FOR LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE CREATION OF A NON-PARTISAN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION?
No response yet.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT AN ENGLISH-ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IF IT WERE ON THE BALLOT?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF WORKERS TO FORM A UNION AND BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY?
No response yet.
DID YOU/DO YOU SUPPORT GUNS ON CAMPUS?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT ELECTRICITY RATE INCREASES TO COMPLETE TWO NUCLEAR REACTORS AT PLANT VOGTLE?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT CHANGING GEORGIA'S VOTING SYSTEM TO A VOTER-MARKED (PEN OR PENCIL) PAPER BALLOT WITH OPTICAL SCANNERS?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF EARLY VOTING?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT PUBLIC VOUCHERS BEING USED FOR PRIVATE AND/OR CHARTER SCHOOLS?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT MEDICAID EXPANSION OR ANOTHER GEORGIA-SPECIFIC PLAN TO EXTEND HEALTH INSURANCE TO LOW-INCOME GEORGIANS?
No response yet.
WILL YOU SUPPORT POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT INCREASE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION, AND OPPOSE POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT LIMIT OR REDUCE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION?
No response yet.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RETIREES AND PUT THE PROGRAM ON A MORE STABLE FISCAL PATH?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT A LIVABLE WAGE OF A MINIMUM OF $15 PER HOUR?
No response yet.