Todd Briske
Other | Washington
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Todd Briske
Party
Other
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary & Secretary of State Special
Race
State Rep., Dist. 27 - Pos. 1
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Washington, Tacoma, Bachelor of Science in Computing and Software Systems, 2004
Pierce College, Puyallup, Associate in Arts and Sciences, 2001
Franklin Pierce High School, Tacoma, High School Diploma, 1998
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
Loren Culp (2020)
Phil Fortunato (2020)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Before viability pregnancy takes the form of an abortion. After viability pregnancy termination takes the form of delivery, medical care, and adoption.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Neutral
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Agree
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
School funding should be decoupled from local tax levies. All students deserve the same quality education, no matter what their zip codes are.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
I would consider cutting any spending that is not producing real world and tangible results. When we pay for something, we should have something to show for it. If the results are not as good as we anticipated, we need accept that our hypothesis might have been faulty.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Agree
I think paying for community college, assuming requirements like good grades, would be very doable. There are also certain professions that are desperately needed, like doctors. We could agree to pay for their schooling, if they keep their grades up and agree to practice in the state for 10 years.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Neutral
Depends on available options. If there is an acceptable alternative just down the street, then no. If you have to travel across multiple counties to find an acceptable alternative, then yes.
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
None
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.
(B) The current Washington State budget (2021-23) is $144 billion. The budget in 2013-15 was $80 billion. I would like to revert back to our 2013-15 spending levels and use the savings to buy every Washingtonian healthcare, from whichever insurer they would prefer. Those currently without healthcare would now have it. Those with employer provided healthcare could use the funds to pay their part of the premium. Those with Golden Apple or Medicaid would be able to start pulling themselves out of poverty, without losing it.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
None
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
Did not answer
I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Neutral
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Did not answer
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Did not answer
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Neutral
I love our public school and believe in local control. School boards should be elected by the parents of the children that attend the schools. It always seemed weird that folks with no kids get just as much of a vote as those that are directly affected by the decisions of those boards. If there is a school that consistently fails to reach certain metrics (reading/writing/math proficiency) then it might make sense to give those students other options.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Neutral
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Neutral
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition
Strongly Disagree
I believe in the right of any two consenting adults to marry. I would support an amendment to the Washington State Constitution to that effect.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Disagree
I believe that no person should ever be judged by or discriminated against because of his or her race.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Not relevant for government office.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
Using photo ID is a simple step that we can take that will eliminate a lot of potential abuse. I would support giving free ID to those that cannot afford it, because voting is an inherent right to all Americans.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
I like our voting system in Washington State. I appreciate our absentee ballots. I disagree with ballot harvesting. I think we could add volunteers to ballot drop off locations to check IDs. We can make IDs available to those that cannot afford them.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Phrases like "threat to domestic security," "terrorists," etc get thrown around far to casually. The use of these types of terms is how you end up with the unending War on Terror and the PATRIOT Act. I am against things that could so obviously lead to a police state.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Neutral
We should focus aid on economically disadvantaged communities. Currently this would disproportionately help historically marginalized groups.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.
(None of the above) To me, stricter doesn't provide any context. Some environmental laws are smart and some are not. Currently it is "strict" laws that make it difficult to mine for the materials necessary for solar panels. Instead, we buy all of our solar panels from China. This leaves them with the environmental damage left by the toxic waste created during the manufacturing, and leaves Africa to deal with the environmental damage done by the cobalt mining. Meanwhile, in America, we get to use our "clean" solar panels without any of the environmental consequences. Nuclear power for the win!
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Agree
In the short term, in order to bring down inflation, we need fossil fuels. In the medium term nuclear is our best option. In the long term hopefully the necessary innovations to make solar/wind will made to make them viable options. Or fusion reactors. Nuclear fusion would be cool.
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
To protect our inalienable rights and to serve the will of the people.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Liberal
On the political compass I am a Left Libertarian. Left because I think effective social programs can be a great benefit. Libertarian because I have a great respect for individual rights and abhor authoritarianism. I would also add economic populist, because I want to bring back good paying jobs from overseas, and detest trade deals like NAFTA and the TPP.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
Did not answer
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
Did not answer
iVoterGuide Notes:
After evaluations were complete the candidate indicated that his response to this question would have been "No".
What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?
I want to repatriate jobs and manufacturing lost to economic globalism. I want to reduce our carbon footprint and increase our energy independence, using nuclear power. I want to address homelessness so that nobody is left sleeping on the streets. I want to make sure all Washingtonians have healthcare.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Neutral
Qualified immunity should take place when an unanticipated situation arises that an officer cannot reasonably be expected to have been trained for or expect. As long as he or she acted reasonably and responsibly, I would support it.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Disagree
I do not support defunding the police. I would like to see increased funding to mental health and community programs, but it should not be taken from the police budget. However, staffing levels for the TPD are decided at the city level.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
We already have a lot of laws that are currently not being enforced. Enforcement of existing laws would be the best place to start. Washington State already has universal background checks, but we need to make sure the current databases are accurate and up to date. We also need to make sure that folks with mental health challenges and domestic abuse convictions are accurately represented in those databases.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
This would be like suing Toyota because someone used a Corolla in a hit and run. If there is a defect with the firearm, you can sue the manufacturer, just like with any other product.
