ARLINGTON YOUNG DEMOCRATS
2023 Policy Platform
ARLINGTON YOUNG DEMOCRATS
2023 POLICY PLATFORM
AYD will fight…
- For universal healthcare
- For reproductive freedom and access to abortion and birth control
- For reducing disparities in maternal mortality, especially in communities of color
- For the expansion of mental health and suicide prevention
- For fighting the opioid epidemic, notably by supporting over-the-counter naloxone
- For lowering prescription drug costs
- For instituting comprehensive, science-based sex-ed for all populations
- For free menstrual products in schools
- For universal child care and pre-k
- For universal broadband access
- For increased investment in public education and higher pay for teachers
- For universal access to post-secondary education
- For fair and accountable enforcement of school dress codes
- For the elimination of sub-minimum wage for workers with disabilities
- For disability accessible voting
- For elimination of physical restraints and isolation on students with disabilities in school
- For student loan debt forgiveness
- For accurate history curriculums
- For public health protocols in schools
- For giving voice to parents of children in marginalized groups and allies
AYD will fight…
- For reducing funding to the police and reinvesting in local communities
- For reforming police cultures and holding law enforcement legally and ethically accountable
- For eliminating the Senate filibuster
- For voting rights
- For reproductive rights
- For D.C. statehood and self determination for Puerto Rico
- For marijuana legalization and expunging all marijuana-related criminal offenses
- For banning campaign contributions directly from corporations and from state-regulated utility monopolies, like Dominion Energy
- For common sense gun safety reforms
- For justice reforms such as the elimination of cash bail and mandatory minimums, raising the larceny felony threshold, sentencing disclosure to jurors during deliberation, and Commonwealth Attorney’s budgets to not be based on convictions
- For eliminating 287(g) agreement cooperation with ICE
- For expanding legal immigration
AYD will fight…
- For a Green New Deal
- For loosening zoning restrictions in SFHs
- For supporting the WMATA proposal for a stop on Columbia Pike
- For LEED Certification for all public buildings and environmentally-friendly buildings/projects
- For investing Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) dollars in renewable energy and energy efficiency programs
- For allowing people to resell energy back onto the electrical grid
- For the refunding of NVTA
- For reducing density restrictions and parking requirements along Metro corridors
- For having an infrastructure impact report in site plan review processes
- For expanding Arlington’s housing-first homelessness policy, currently only open now to those recovering from substance abuse
- For expanding affordable housing
- For mandating a proportional number of renters on the Planning Commission
- For bringing Arlington and Virginia in full compliance with the ADA
- For banning source of income housing discrimination for housing choice vouchers
- For pursuing economic growth but not at the expense of low income people
- For aggressive net-zero initiatives that are at the forefront of state and Federal goals
- For introducing donut economics principles (sustainable development) to Arlington
AYD will fight…
- For the repeal of Virginia’s so-called “Right-to-Work” law and the passage of the Protection of the Right to Organize (PRO) Act
- For a living wage
- For public sector collective bargaining in Arlington and Virginia as a whole
- For paid sick and family leave for all workers
- For promoting awareness about the importance of unions and the labor movement as a whole
- For the expansion of minimum wage, workplace protections, and other labor laws to cover farmworkers
- For the protection of small family-owned farms
- For increased relief for small businesses and workers who are suffering from the COVID-related economic downturn
- For the expansion of public banks, credit unions, and community banks
- For expanding the scope and enforcement of antitrust laws
- For highlighting and promoting black-owned businesses in Arlington County
AYD will fight…
- For funding for the arts in schools and the larger community
- For making art, culture, and entertainment more accessible
- For workers rights for those in the arts, culture, and entertainment sectors
- For promoting awareness of various art, culture, and entertainment events in our community
- For promoting underrepresented voices and stories in our community and beyond
AYD will fight…
- For more comprehensive healthcare for veterans and first responders
- For supporting veterans running for office on all levels
- For American leadership in multilateral organizations
- For an emphasis on soft power, smart power, and a fully-funded international affairs budget and professionally staffed State Department
- For reducing the United States’ overreliance and excessive expenditure on nuclear weapons
- For raising awareness of using diplomacy first rather than leading with military engagement
- For a human rights and democracy-based foreign policy
- For acknowledging that the US military is the world’s largest polluter
- For supporting activists calling to shut down the Red Hill facility in Hawai’i and others resisting environment impacts of militarism
- For leading with climate policy
- For a full commitment to empowering Ukrainians to decide their own destiny and remove Russian forces from sovereign Ukrainian land
- For a just peace and respect for human rights in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
- For ending to the war in Yemen
- For supporting human rights activists in Iran
- For normalizing diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba
- For supporting continued peaceful resolution of conflict in Ethiopia
- For a smart policy toward China focused on peace, respect for human rights, and cooperation
JOIN ARLINGTON YOUNG DEMOCRATS
Joining one of the largest Young Dems organizations in the Commonwealth is a great way to become civically engaged. We need your help to protect and expand our Democratic values. Here in Virginia, we have local, state, or federal elections every year. Our goal is to elevate Democratic voices up and down the ballot and we need your help to do so.
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JOIN ARLINGTON YOUNG DEMOCRATS
Joining one of the largest Young Dems organizations in the Commonwealth is a great way to become civically engaged. We need your help to protect and expand our Democratic values. Here in Virginia, we have local, state, or federal elections every year. Our goal is to elevate Democratic voices up and down the ballot and we need your help to do so.