Margaret "Maggie" Helveston

Libertarian | Alabama

Candidate Profile

Leans Liberal

BIOGRAPHY

Name

Margaret "Maggie" Helveston


Party

Libertarian


Election Year

2022


Election

General


Race

State Representative, Dist. 94


Incumbent

No


Links

Margaret "Maggie" Helveston websitesMargaret "Maggie" Helveston phones Margaret "Maggie" Helveston emailFacebook

EDUCATION

Syracuse University College of Law, Syracuse, NY, JD, 1988

Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, BS, 1985

WORK & MILITARY

Candidate did not provide

AFFILIATIONS

Candidate did not provide

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

Candidate did not provide

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

NYS Attorney General, 1990

ENDORSEMENTS

LIBERAL (1)

Alabama AFL-CIO

OTHER INFORMATION

Margaret "Maggie" Helveston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022

QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?

I do not support government control of private medical decisions.

Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).

Agree

I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Agree


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.

Strongly Disagree

Under what circumstances can government close churches?

If a given church has been proven to have committed a crime against persons or their property. Other than that, never.


NATIONAL SECURITY

What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?

Stop interfering/intervening in countries with Islamic populations.

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

I have not seen a lot of evidence that sanctions result in the goals they are intended to achieve. I prefer that this country cease it's interference/intervention in the middle east.


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.

Government intervention into healthcare, including support for employer provided insurance, has already been proven to be ineffective.

Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?

My default position is probably never. However, I am willing to consider evidence which might support a more nuanced position.


ECONOMY

What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?

Reduction and massive simplification.

What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?

All.

Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.

Disagree


IMMIGRATION

The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.

Strongly Disagree

Goods and people should be free to cross borders absent evidence of criminal intent.

Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?

Any person without evidence of criminal intent.


EDUCATION

I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.

Strongly Agree

So long as taxes are levied for education, the money raised should follow the child, not the school system. Parents should be able to choose whatever form of education they believe would best suit their children.


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.

Strongly Disagree

Qualified immunity is a judicially invented "doctrine" which protects individuals from liability for their own actions.

I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.

Neutral


2ND AMENDMENT

What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?

None.

Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.

Disagree


ABOUT YOU

What do you think is the general purpose of government?

To protect the rights of the individual.

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?

Moderate

I AM NOT A MODERATE! However you choose to leave my political philosophy out of your "choice buttons." I am a libertarian.

Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).

https://www.al.com/news/2022/08/here-come-the-libertarians-alabama-voters-brace-for-return-of-third-party-after-20-year-absence.html

Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.

No.

What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?

I will always vote for legislation which reduces the size of government, lowers taxes and increases protection of civil liberties. Also, I don't recall being asked here, but the war on drugs is immoral and ineffective. Adult individuals have ownership rights over their own bodies which involves both rights and responsibilities in deciding what to do, or not do, with them.


VALUES

Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.

Strongly Disagree

I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.

Agree

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

Governments should cease being gatekeepers to family unions. So long as governments issue licenses to marry, such licenses should be available to any adult person.

I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.

Neutral

This is a silly issue. CRT is an interesting legal theory and nothing more. However there are still some vestiges of institutional racism in certain segments of our society and it doesn't hurt to be aware of that.

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

I am an atheist who will support the right of every person to worship in any way they see fit, so long as that worship does not interfere with any other person's right to worship as he/she sees fit or to not worship anything at all.


ELECTIONS AND VOTING

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Neutral

For most of my life, I voted in NY State and didn't need to take ID to the polls. I now reside in Alabama where ID is required. More of a nuisance than anything else.

What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?

I would like to see more experimentation with ranked choice voting.


EQUALITY

Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?

Racism is a threat to any civil society. It is present, to one degree or another in this country and in others. It is certainly not the only threat to peaceful coexistence.

Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.

Neutral

I am willing to entertain conversations about it, but any actual solution seems fraught with logistical issues.


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.

In the best of all possible worlds (in which we do not currently live) all individuals would have the ability to sue, solely or along with others similarly situated, to protect their property from those who would pollute it. Until such time as that is possible, there has to be a balancing of the interests of businesses and those harmed by environmental pollution.

I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.

Neutral

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