Wissam Charafeddine

Green | Michigan

Wissam Charafeddine websites FacebookLinkedIn

Candidate Profile

State Board of Education (2 seats) Michigan General | November 3, 2026

Liberal

BIOGRAPHY

EDUCATION

Wayne State University, Detroit, BS Computer Engineering

WORK & MILITARY

Candidate did not provide

AFFILIATIONS

Candidate did not provide

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

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POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

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OTHER INFORMATION

Charafeddine completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026.

QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.

Choose not to answer

developing human life has moral value from the beginning — but no, I do not support granting full legal personhood from conception or using government to criminalize pregnancy decisions. Biology can say fertilization begins a new human organism, but law and ethics have to deal with personhood, bodily autonomy, medical reality, miscarriage, IVF, rape, danger to the mother, and privacy.

What role should the school serve in helping a student with an unwanted or crisis pregnancy?

A school’s role is not to shame, judge, or make a medical decision for a student. Its role is to protect the student’s safety, dignity, privacy, and education. In a crisis pregnancy, the school should connect the student with a trained counselor, accurate health information, legal resources, and family support when safe and appropriate. It must also follow mandatory reporting laws if abuse, coercion, or exploitation is involved. No student should be pushed out of school, humiliated, or left alone because of pregnancy. My focus would be compassionate support, clear policy, and making sure the student can continue learning while receiving the help she needs.


ECONOMY

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.

Strongly Agree

I agree that government has a responsibility to help build an economy where every working person can live with dignity. That does not mean replacing personal responsibility or local enterprise. It means fair wages, strong public schools, affordable housing, health care access, childcare, and pathways to good jobs. No full-time worker should live in poverty while doing everything society asks of them. I am with reaching to UBI eventually, but with a gradual plan.


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

The Ten Commandments should be displayed in public school buildings or court houses.

Strongly Disagree

I do not support displaying the Ten Commandments as a government-endorsed religious statement in public schools or courthouses. I respect their moral and historical importance to many people, but public institutions must serve citizens of all faiths and no faith equally. Schools should teach about religion, ethics, and history in an educational context, not promote one religious tradition through government authority.

At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.

Strongly Agree

Yes. Students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience, faith, and moral conviction, including Christianity or satanism alike. Public schools should not silence sincere religious expression simply because it is religious. At the same time, schools must not use government authority to promote one faith over another. The standard should be simple: protect free speech, require civility, and respect students of every religion and no religion.


NATIONAL SECURITY

I support boycott, divestment, and/or sanctions (BDS) against Israel if they refuse to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.

Strongly Agree

Yes. I support nonviolent economic and political pressure, including boycott, divestment, and sanctions, when a government denies Palestinian self-determination and equal rights. Supporting Palestinian freedom is not hatred of Jewish people, and antisemitism must be rejected clearly. My position is rooted in human rights, international law, and equal dignity for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.

Disagree

Not by itself. A capable defense may deter aggression, but lasting peace comes from diplomacy, human rights, fair trade, education, climate stability, and reducing the conditions that lead to war. History shows that military power without wisdom can create more conflict, not less. I believe in defending people when necessary, but the best way to maintain peace is to invest in justice, cooperation, and human security before violence becomes the only tool left.


EDUCATION

I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.

Disagree

No. I support more local control, parent voice, teacher leadership, and community-based decision-making, but eliminating the U.S. Department of Education would be a mistake. Federal education policy should protect civil rights, students with disabilities, low-income districts, English learners, and basic educational equity across states. The answer is not to centralize everything in Washington, but also not to abandon national responsibility. We need reform, transparency, and less bureaucracy.

I support taxpayer funding of public education from Pre-K through college.

Agree

Yes. I support strong public funding for education from Pre-K through college because education is the foundation of opportunity, democracy, and economic growth. But I do not believe taxes should be the only answer to every public need. We should also pursue creative funding: public-private partnerships, grants, endowments, workforce partnerships, green bonds, and smarter use of existing dollars. Fund education fully — and fund it intelligently.

Abortion and gender-affirming providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.

Disagree

I would not frame schools as places to promote any medical provider or political agenda. But students deserve accurate health information and access to qualified, lawful, age-appropriate resources when facing serious health questions. Any outside provider, including Planned Parenthood or gender-affirming care organizations, should be evaluated by clear standards: medical accuracy, legal compliance, parental involvement where required, student privacy where protected, and no ideological pressure.

Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): American History, Art & Music, Civics, Critical Race Theory, Foreign Language, Gender Identity, Information Technology, Language Arts, Mathematics, Personal Finances, Physical Fitness, Political Activism, Science, Sexuality, Social Emotional Learning, Vocational Learning

1. Language Arts 2. Mathematics 3. Science 4. Civics 5. American History 6. Information Technology 7. Vocational Learning 8. Personal Finances 9. Art & Music 10. Physical Fitness 11. Foreign Language 12. Social Emotional Learning 13. Sexuality 14. Gender Identity

Which should students have: equity of outcomes or equality of opportunities?

Students should have equality of opportunity, with equitable support to make that opportunity real. I do not believe schools should promise identical outcomes for every student, because students have different talents, choices, interests, and paths. But I also reject the idea that opportunity exists just because we say it does. A child without internet, language access, safe transportation, qualified teachers, or stable support does not truly have the same opportunity.


VALUES

Children have the right to be protected from sexual grooming including drag shows, explicit materials in schools and libraries, and other public venues.

Agree

Children absolutely have the right to be protected from sexual exploitation, grooming, and age-inappropriate explicit material. Schools and libraries should have clear, transparent standards for what is educational, age-appropriate, and professionally reviewed. But I would not use the word “grooming” as a political weapon against every discussion of gender, sexuality, or LGBTQ people. That is unfair and dangerous.

Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.

Disagree

I respect that many faith traditions define marriage as sacred between one man and one woman, and religious communities must be free to hold that belief. But civil marriage is a legal institution. Government should protect equal rights for all families and not impose one religious definition on everyone. No faith group should be forced to perform a marriage, and no family should be denied legal protection.

Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.

Agree

Yes. Parents have the primary right and responsibility to guide their child’s health and education. Schools should respect parents, communicate clearly, and treat families as partners, not obstacles. At the same time, public schools must also follow the law, protect student safety, and provide every child with a quality education. The best model is not government replacing parents, but schools, teachers, and families working together with transparency and trust.

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

My spiritual beliefs are rooted in faith, humility, service, and the dignity of every human being. I believe we are judged not only by what we say we believe, but by how we treat the vulnerable, the poor, the stranger, the child, and those who disagree with us. My values are compassion, justice, honesty, family, peace, and responsibility. In public service, that means leading with conscience without using government to impose religion on others.

If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- abortion methods and side effects; abstinence; consent; contraceptive methods; human anatomy/the reproductive system; physical and emotional health outcomes; sex acts and pleasures of sex; sexual orientation and gender identity; stages of pregnancy and fetal development

I support age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education with parental transparency and the ability for families to review curriculum. Topics should include: abstinence, consent, contraceptive methods, human anatomy and the reproductive system, physical and emotional health outcomes, stages of pregnancy and fetal development, STI prevention, healthy relationships, digital safety, and protection from coercion or abuse. For older students, sexual orientation and gender identity may be addressed respectfully and factually, without ideology or pressure. Pregnancy options, including abortion-related health information and side effects, should be handled carefully, legally, and non-directively. I would not support explicit instruction on sex acts or “pleasures of sex” in K-12 schools. The focus should be health, safety, responsibility, dignity, and respect.


ELECTIONS AND VOTING

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Agree

Yes, with safeguards. Voting is a constitutional right, not a privilege reserved for people who have the easiest access to documents. I support secure elections, voter registration verification, and penalties for fraud, but I oppose photo ID rules that disenfranchise seniors, students, low-income voters, people with disabilities, or citizens who do not drive. Election security matters, but access to democracy matters too.


EQUALITY

Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.

Neutral

Women and girls deserve fair competition, privacy, and safety in sports and sex-specific spaces. I support policies that protect female athletic opportunity and safeguard private spaces like locker rooms, shelters, and prisons. At the same time, every person must be treated with dignity. The goal should be clear rules based on fairness, safety, privacy, and reasonable accommodations, not cruelty or political theater.


ABOUT YOU

Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.

No

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

No

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?

Choose not to answer

I would describe myself as a pragmatic progressive rooted in Green values. I believe in strong public education, economic dignity, peace, environmental responsibility, civil liberties, religious freedom, and equal rights under the law. I am not interested in left-versus-right slogans. I believe government should protect people, empower families and communities, and stay humble enough not to control every part of life.


2ND AMENDMENT

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

I respect the constitutional rights of lawful gun owners, but public safety requires common-sense limits. I support universal background checks, safe storage laws, mandatory training for concealed carry, strong penalties for illegal gun trafficking, and keeping firearms away from violent felons, domestic abusers, and people found by a court to be a serious danger to themselves or others. Schools should be safe places to learn, not armed political experiments.

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