Issues

Where We Stand...

We align ourselves with the views of the Democratic party. What does that mean?

Worker's Rights

The federal minimum wage should be increased to be a livable wage of at least $15 an hour.
All workers have the right to organize and join unions.
Everyone deserves at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to care for a child or address a personal or family member's serious health issue.
New jobs should be created that are centered around green infrastructure, such as modernized energy and water systems.
Social Security needs to be expanded to allow every American to retire, including widowed individuals and those who took time out of the workforce to care for children or ailing family members.

Education

Art and music education programs, as well as high-quality STEAM classes and computer science education, for primary and secondary schools should receive further public funding.
The federal government should push colleges and universities to increase percentages of racial and ethnic minority, low-income, and first-generation students who enroll and graduate.
Interest rates for future undergraduates' loans should be lowered to make college more affordable.
Sexual violence prevention education programs should be increased and expanded to not only colleges but secondary schools, covering issues like consent and bystander intervention.

Economic Policy

The economy should work for the average citizen, not just the richest. There should be stronger laws and civil penalties for crimes such as tax evasion, restrictions on excessive consumer fees, and a financial transactions tax on Wall Street.
Those in the 1% should pay their fair share, possible through a multimillionaire surtax.
When it unfairly limits competition, corporate concentration must be combated through promoting stronger competition policy.
Tax relief should be provided to middle-class families, who have experienced hardship due to the rising cost of health care, childcare, and education.

Cyber Security

The internet should be free and open, at home and abroad, and net neutrality is an important aspect of protecting a free internet.
There should be stronger cyber security and global regulations in cyberspace to protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.
We stand against the U.S. government's collection of millions of files on innocent citizens.

Fighting Inequality

Federal policies must be instituted to combat forms of systemic and institutional racism.
We must end the school-to-prison pipeline by opposing discipline policies that disproportionately affect minorities.
Current police protocols should be reformed to end racial profiling, including training on deescalation and the required use of body cameras.
The "war on drugs" disproportionately affects people of color and does not reduce drug use. Prevention and treatment should be favored over incarceration.
LGBT people have the right to marry and deserve non-discrimination protections in areas such as housing, employment, public accommodation, credit, and education, regardless of the state they live in.
Everyone, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, should be allowed to join the military and serve our country.
Our current criminal justice system must be reformed to end mass incarceration of people of color by reforming mandatory minimum sentences and closing for-profit prisons and detention centers.
The Equal Rights Amendment should be ratified to end gender discrimination in education, employment, and health care.

Women's Rights

Every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured.
Restrictions to women's access to healthcare information and services, such as the "global gag rule", should be abolished.
The Violence Against Women Act will help law enforcement with the tools it needs to combat assault and services should be in place to provide comprehensive support to survivors of violence.

Constitutional Rights

The death penalty should be abolished, as it is a form of cruel and unusual punishment and the financial cost exceeds that of life imprisonment.
Freedom of speech is a fundamental constitutional principle, but hate speech is condemned by the DNC for promoting a climate of violence.
There should be stronger background checks on gun ownership, and dangerous loopholes should be closed to prevent guns from falling into the hands of terrorists and those with severe mental health issues.
Torture is not an effective interrogation technique, and the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay must be closed.
The freedom of religion is a fundamental right, and religious minorities must be protected.

Immigration

The immigration system should be expanded to create an easier path to citizenship for law-abiding families who are currently in the U.S.
DREAMers should be eligible for driver's licenses and in-state tuition.
DREAMers, parents of citizens, and lawful permanent residents should be protected from deportation.

Environmental Justice

50% of our electricity nationwide should come from clean energy sources within a decade.
We should invest in public transportation and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in urban and suburban areas.
Carbon dioxide, methane, and other harmful greenhouse gases should be priced to reflect their environmental impact.
Hydraulic fracturing should not take place where state and local communities oppose it, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should be able to regulate hydraulic fracturing.
Access to cost-saving renewable energy should be extended to low income households.
We must oppose efforts to undermine the Endangered Species Act.

Expanding Voting Rights

To allow Native Americans to better exercise their right to vote, polling locations must be more conveniently located.
Any citizen of Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories deserves the right to vote for their legislators and for the President of the United States.
Washington D.C. deserves statehood so that they citizens can have full and equal congressional rights.
The creation of electoral counties via gerrymandering should not be made on partisan or racial lines.
Voter identification laws should not be implemented, as they are discriminatory and disproportionately impact younger voters, low-income groups, and racial minorities.
Formerly imprisoned individuals deserve the right to vote.
Super PACs and outside spending abuses should be eliminated, and Supreme Court decisions in Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo should be overturned to require further disclosure of campaign finances.

Health Care

Health care is a human right, not a privilege, and the healthcare system should put people before profits.
Costs of healthcare coverage should be lowered by making premiums more affordable, reducing out-of-pocket expenses, and capping prescription drug costs.
Marijuana should be removed from the list of "Schedule 1" substances and be properly regulated, with a path toward future legalization.
Mental health issues deserve the same level of care and treatment as physical health and should be further integrated with the general health care system.
It is vital to be prepared for future potential pandemics by working with first responders and health officials to reduce risks associated with unintentional or deliberate outbreaks of infectious diseases.

This information is summarized from the Democratic Party Platform, which is available in full on the DNC website.