Gary Swing

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Gary Swing completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-357038-2026-05-04\" id=\"heading-bio-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-357038-2026-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-357038-2026-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI'm just this guy, you know?\r\n<p>Freethinker and adventurer. \"Triple Crown\" backpacker. I thru hiked the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, and I completed the Continental Divide Trail in sections. I also thru hiked the Arizona, Ouachita, Ozark Highlands, Alabama Pinhoti, and Lone Star Trails, completed the Colorado Trail, and spent six months tramping around New Zealand by myself.\r\n</p><p>I climbed all 637 mountains over 13,000 feet in Colorado, along with more than 500 other summits around the United States.\r\n</p><p>I'm a lifelong pacifist. I've been a vegetarian since 1986. Childfree by choice.\r\n</p><p>Perennial alternative party candidate. I was on the ballot seven times as a Green Party candidate between 1996 and 2018 - four times in Colorado, and three times in Arizona. I was also a Unity Party of Colorado candidate three times between 2020 and 2024. In 1998, I petitioned onto Colorado's ballot as a Pacifist Party candidate for US Senate.\r\n</p><p>I have a BA in Political Science and a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado. \r\n</p><p>My work experience includes being a public policy research assistant at the Graduate School of Public Affairs in Denver, twenty years as a cultural events promoter (until that business was killed by the pandemic), US postal carrier, and produce receiver for a Whole Foods store.\r\n</p>\nI'm a former co-chair of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, and a fomer spokesperson for Best Democracy.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-357038-2026-05-04\" id=\"heading-key-message-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-357038-2026-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-357038-2026-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Human rights first. Uphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. Abolish nuclear weapons. Reduce the military budget by 90%. Close all foreign military bases. Restrict the military to non-offensive defense of US territory. The US has no legal or moral authority for foreign military intervention. End all foreign military aid. Abolish the Selective Service System. Fund humanitarian foreign aid. Make ending world hunger a top priority.\r\n<p>Israel has committed genocide against Gaza. I support war crimes tribunals, reparations to the people of Gaza, and nonviolent conflict resolution.\r\n</p>\nThe US must stop obstructing efforts by the United Nations to resolve international conflicts. End permanent membership and veto power on the UN Security Council.</li><li>Elect a unicameral Congress by proportional representation to secure fair, inclusive multiparty representation in government. Abolish the US Senate and the Electoral College. End the imperial presidency. Adopt a parliamentary system. A prime minister with strictly limited authority would be selected by Congress, subject to removal by a majority vote of no confidence. \r\n\r\nImpeach and convict Trump, Vance, and their entire cabinet.\r\n\r\nEach generation should create its own constitution. Support a national initiative and referendum process, public campaign financing, campaign spending limits, and easy ballot access.</li><li>Abolish ICE. Support “fair trade” policies and freedom of migration. No border wall. \r\n\r\nCreate a steady state economy based on environmental stability. Use pollution taxes to include environmental impacts in true cost pricing. Transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy to renewable energy sources. Protect public lands.\r\n\r\nMedicare for all. Enact a universal basic income. Forgive student loan debt and subsidize higher education.\r\n\r\nSubsidize family planning programs at all levels. Pass federal legislation to secure abortion rights.\r\n\r\nSupport the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-357038-2026-05-04\" id=\"heading1-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-357038-2026-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-357038-2026-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI have always considered war to be a crime against humanity. I have advocated for the abolition of war and the development of nonviolent resistance strategies as an alternative to war since 1985. I first became interested in the Green Party when I read that Green Parties in Europe were advocating for transition away from armed military defense to nonviolent \"civilian-based defense\" or \"social defense.\"<br/><br/>\r\nI have been an advocate for proportional representation voting systems for legislative elections to secure fair, inclusive multiparty representation in government since 1993. I support the development of a new, modern constitution to replace the constitution that slaveholders designed to preserve slavery.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-357038-2026-05-04\" id=\"heading2-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-357038-2026-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-357038-2026-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tPeople I look up to include abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., German Green Party co-founder Petra Kelly, South African President Nelson Mandela, and Palestinian nonviolent activist Mubarak Awad.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-357038-2026-05-04\" id=\"heading3-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-357038-2026-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-357038-2026-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tEmpathy and compassion\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-357038-2026-05-04\" id=\"heading4-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-357038-2026-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-357038-2026-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tEcological overshoot will be the greatest challenge facing the human race. Human over-population and over-consumption has greatly exceeded the sustainable carrying capacity of the Earth. <br/><br/>\n<p>The greatest impact individuals can have in fighting climate change is choosing not to reproduce.<br/><br/>\r\nA carbon-footprint study of people in the wealthier nations of North America, Europe and Japan concluded that having one less child would reduce carbon emissions 20.2 times as much as living car-free, 39.9 times as much as switching to renewable energy and 71.5 times as much as eating a plant-based diet.<br/><br/>\r\nWe are experiencing the sixth mass extinction of animal species due to human ecological impact. Humanity has killed off about 73% of the global wildlife population of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish since 1970. At the same time, world human population has increased from 3.7 billion in 1970 to 8.3 billion today.<br/><br/>\r\nAbout 83% of all wildlife mammals have died off since the dawn of agriculture. Farmed poultry now accounts for 70% of birds worldwide. Mammal life is now 60% livestock, 36% people and 4% wildlife.<br/><br/>\r\nClimate change is a consequence of ecological overshoot. Too many people consume and pollute too much.<br/><br/>\r\nIf the average person on Earth consumed as wastefully as the average resident of the United States does today, the Earth could not sustain a human population of more than 1.5 billion people.<br/><br/>\r\nMeanwhile, 815 million people suffer from chronic hunger.<br/><br/>\r\nThe number of people that is “sustainable” depends upon the average standard of living. More people means more widespread poverty.<br/><br/>\r\nSustaining life on Earth means reducing both human birth rates and per capita ecological footprints.<br/><br/>\r\nTransitioning to an environmentally sustainable economy is essential. But it’s also essential to recognize that life on Earth exists within narrow planetary boundaries. I’m concerned about the delusion that there is some technological fix that would enable a modern industrialized society of eight billion people or more to be sustainable in the long term. There isn’t. Today, it would be possible to eliminate world hunger in a world of eight billion people. Fifty years from now, topsoil erosion would probably make it impossible to feed eight billion people. <br/><br/>\r\nAgriculture is the primary driver for the loss of biodiversity. Agriculture is the primary threat to about 86% of the identified species now at risk of extinction. <br/><br/>\r\nToday, people and livestock have displaced 96% of the biomass of global wildlife mammal species. People account for 36% of global mammal biomass. Livestock accounts for 60%. Wildlife only accounts for 4% of global mammal biomass. <br/><br/>\r\nThe mass of plastic now outweighs the biomass of all animal life on Earth. The mass of human-made material is now greater than the biomass of all plant and animal life on Earth.<br/><br/>\r\nHuman beings are just one out of millions of species on Earth. We are part of an interdependent web of life. The Earth doesn’t belong to us. We just live here. If every person on Earth consumed as much as the average person in the United States does now, the Living Planet ecological footprint studies estimate that the Earth could not sustain a human population of more than one and a half billion people. William Rees, the originator of ecological footprint analysis, estimates that the Earth could sustain a maximum human population of somewhere between one and two billion people with a reasonable standard of living if people in wealthy industrialized reduce their per capita ecological footprints by about 75%. We have been in a state of ecological overshoot since about 1970. The ecosystem cannot sustain the environmental impact of human overpopulation and over-consumption. It’s not a question of one or the other. It’s both. People in wealthy, industrialized nations have a much higher environmental impact per capita. However, higher population numbers mean more widespread poverty and more economic equality. <br/><br/>\r\nA livable, sustainable world would require both a rapid reduction in ecological footprints and reduced birth rates to get back to the human population levels of 100 or 200 years ago. Maintaining a global fertility rate of no more than 1.5 children per family for about 200 years would establish a bell curve to a potentially survivable future.<br/><br/>\r\nHaving fewer children is by far the most important choice that people can make for the environment, especially in wealthy, industrialized nations. Fifty years ago, the environmental movement widely recognized this reality. We have far more data available today to demonstrate this reality, but politically, it has become unacceptable to acknowledge reality.<br/><br/>\n</p>\nThe best ways to address the current ecological crisis are to support public funding for family planning programs and voluntary birth control at all levels, support women’s rights, support better educational opportunities, especially for women, and to secure a strict separation between church and state. I suggest that pollution taxes would also be helpful for encouraging people to make more environmentally responsible choices as consumers. A universal basic income would offset the regressive nature of pollution taxes.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-357038-2026-05-04\" id=\"heading5-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-357038-2026-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-357038-2026-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-357038-2026-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI remember the Iranian hostage crisis and the anti-Iranian xenophobia and bigotry that accompanied it. I didn't learn about the history of the US sponsoring a 1953 coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Iran, and the US government's support of the Shah's fascist dictatorship until several years later.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Gary Swing completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading-bio-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tFreethinker and adventurer. \r\n<p>Frequent alternative party candidate. I have been on the ballot thirteen times as an alternative party candidate, dating back to 1996. Seven times with the Green Party, three times with the Unity Party of Colorado, and once each with the labels Boiling Frog Party, US Pacifist Party, and Natural Law Party. \r\n</p><p>In 1996, I got 138,634 votes (5.5%) as a Green candidate for US Senate in Arizona. That was the highest percentage of the vote and the largest total number of votes cast for any Green Party candidate for any seat in the US Senate out of the last six general election cycles nationwide.\r\n</p><p>Former State Co-Chair of the Green Party of Colorado and former Co-Chair of the Denver Region Greens. \r\n</p><p>Former Vice Chair of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, which represented eight alternative political parties in lobbying for ballot acess reform. \r\n</p>\n\"Triple Crown\" backpacker. Completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, Ouachita Trail, Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Ozark Highlands Trail, Lone Star Trail, and Denver Orbital Trail. Climbed all 637 Colorado summits over 13,000 feet and reached all 64 Colorado county highpoints. Completed the 173 designated hiking trails of the Boulder (Colorado) OSMP Trails Challenge. Spent six months trekking around New Zealand by myself.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading-key-message-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Ecological overshoot threatens the sustainability of life on Earth. Since about 1970, the ecological impact from human overpopulation and over-consumption has exceeded the regenerative capacity of the Earth's biosphere. Homo sapiens are one out of millions of species. Human civilization has fundamentally altered the Earth's ecosystem. Plastic now outweighs all animal biomass on Earth. About 96% of Earth's biomass of wildlife mammal species has been displaced by people and livestock. Wildlife vertebrate biomass has decreased by about 73% since 1970.\r\nAn industrialized human civilization of eight billion people is unsustainable, regardless of how wealth is distributed. Everything we do has impact on the environment.</li><li>Uphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. Abolish nuclear weapons. Reduce U.S. military budget by 90%. Close all foreign military bases. End foreign military aid. Fund humanitarian aid to end world hunger and secure drinking water worldwide. Abolish U.S. Senate. Elect Congress by open list proportional representation. Switch to a parliamentary system with weak chief executive selected by Congress. Support national initiative and referendum process, public campaign financing, campaign spending limits, ballot access reform, and verifiable ballots. Support “fair trade” policies, freedom of travel, and international work permits that are not tied to a specific employer. Abolish the CIA, ICE, NSA and Selective Service.</li><li>Establish a universal basic income. Use carbon taxes to include environmental impacts in true cost pricing of new products. End corporate welfare. Medicare for all. Subsidize family planning programs. Support international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Stop subsidizing fossil fuels and nuclear energy. No oil from tar sands or shale oil development. Support conservation and energy efficiency. Convert to solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power. Decentralize energy production. Stop subsidizing petrochemical agriculture and animal farming. Apply cruelty laws to farmed animals. Promote permaculture, organic farming and urban agriculture. Legalize cannabis at the national level. Support equal rights for all.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading1-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tHybrid proportional representation elections to secure fair, inclusive multiparty representation in Congress and state legislatures. Abolishing the US Senate. Decentralizing political authority. Strictly limiting the authority of the chief executive. Replacing presidential elections with a parliamentary system which would enable a unicameral Congress to select a chief executive who can be removed from office at any time on a vote of no confidence. <br/><br/>\n<p>Protection of endangered species. Supporting public funding for voluntary birth control and family planning programs. Protecting abortion rights. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nEnding US military imperialism and eliminating foreign military aid.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading2-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI admire German Green Party founder Petra Kelly, abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass, nonviolent activists from India's independence movement including Mohandas Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, civil rights activists Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Junior, and Palestinian peace activist Mubarak Awad.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading3-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIs there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tHenry David Thoreau, \"On The Duty of Civil Disobedience\" (although it would be less grating without the gender biased language).<br/><br/>\r\nLysander Spooner, \"The Constitution of No Authority.\"\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading4-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tEmpathy\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading5-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tEmpathy\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading6-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI remember the Iran hostage crisis and the widespread xenophobia that accompanied it. I was 12 at the time.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading7-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is your favorite book? Why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\t\"Slave Nation: How Slavery United the Colonies and Sparked the American Revolution\" by Alfred W. Blumrosen and Ruth G. Blumrosen.<br/><br/>\r\nThis book reveals how the United States government was created and designed by affluent white male slaveholders to preserve their own wealth and power while excluding about 94 percent of the population from representation.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading8-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse8-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIf you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading8-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse8-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe Fabulous Frog-Man\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading9-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse9-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading9-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse9-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tLevels of ignorance and stupidity that remain unparalleled outside of the White House and the US Senate.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading10-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse10-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading10-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse10-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tYes\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading11-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse11-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading11-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse11-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tEcological overshoot is the biggest challenge facing the world. We face converging ecological crises as the consequence of human overpopulation and overconsumption. <br/><br/>\n<p>There are more than eight billion people in the world today. The Living Planet Report ecological footprint study concluded that the Earth cannot sustain a population of more than 1.5 billion people at current levels of per capita consumption. <br/><br/>\r\nWe are in the midst of rapid extinction of wildlife vertebrate species resulting from human impact on the environment. People and livestock have displaced about 96% of wildlife mammal biomass on Earth. The mass of plastic outweighs the mass of all animal life on Earth. The mass of material manufactured by people now outweighs the mass of all plant and animal life on Earth. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nHuman beings are just one of millions of species on Earth. We must decrease birth rates to gradually shrink the world’s human population to a sustainable level (probably no more than one billion) and transition to a steady state economy based on principles of environmental sustainability.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading12-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse12-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading12-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse12-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI think representatives should be required to serve the full length of the prison terms that are appropriate sentences for the crimes they commit while in office.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse13-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading13-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse13-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse13-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat are your thoughts on term limits?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading13-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse13-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI support term limits for the US Supreme Court and for the President (or Prime Minister under a parliamentary system).<br/><br/>\n<p>I oppose term limits for members of the US House of Representatives. I support Hybrid Proportional Representation, which would enable at least 98% of voters to elect representatives of their choice. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nThe US Senate is an inherently misrepresentative and archaic relic of slavery. It should be abolished.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse14-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading14-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse14-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse14-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIs there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading14-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse14-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tNo\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse15-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading15-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse15-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse15-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tTell us your favorite joke.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading15-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse15-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tYou can't keep secrets in the produce department because the corn has ears, the potatoes have eyes, and the beans talk.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse16-348625-2025-04-18\" id=\"heading16-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse16-348625-2025-04-18\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse16-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading16-348625-2025-04-18\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse16-348625-2025-04-18\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tIn practice, compromise is essential for policymaking. However, humanity is moving rapidly along a path that will inevitably lead to global ecological catastrophe on an unprecedented scale. People are unwilling and unprepared to deal with reality.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nGary Swing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. I'm just this guy, you know? Freethinker and adventurer. \"Triple Crown\" backpacker. I thru hiked the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, and I completed the Continental Divide Trail in sections. I also thru hiked the Arizona, Ouachita, Ozark Highlands, Alabama Pinhoti, and Lone Star Trails, completed the Colorado Trail, and spent six months tramping around New Zealand by myself. I climbed all 637 mountains over 13,000 feet in Colorado, along with more than 500 other summits around the United States. I'm a lifelong pacifist. I've been a vegetarian since 1986. Childfree by choice. Perennial alternative party candidate. I was on the ballot seven times as a Green Party candidate between 1996 and 2018 - four times in Colorado, and three times in Arizona. I was also a Unity Party of Colorado candidate three times between 2020 and 2024. In 1998, I petitioned onto Colorado's ballot as a Pacifist Party candidate for US Senate. I have a BA in Political Science and a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado. My work experience includes being a public policy research assistant at the Graduate School of Public Affairs in Denver, twenty years as a cultural events promoter (until that business was killed by the pandemic), US postal carrier, and produce receiver for a Whole Foods store. I'm a former co-chair of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, and a fomer spokesperson for Best Democracy. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Human rights first. Uphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. Abolish nuclear weapons. Reduce the military budget by 90%. Close all foreign military bases. Restrict the military to non-offensive defense of US territory. The US has no legal or moral authority for foreign military intervention. End all foreign military aid. Abolish the Selective Service System. Fund humanitarian foreign aid. Make ending world hunger a top priority. Israel has committed genocide against Gaza. I support war crimes tribunals, reparations to the people of Gaza, and nonviolent conflict resolution. The US must stop obstructing efforts by the United Nations to resolve international conflicts. End permanent membership and veto power on the UN Security Council. Elect a unicameral Congress by proportional representation to secure fair, inclusive multiparty representation in government. Abolish the US Senate and the Electoral College. End the imperial presidency. Adopt a parliamentary system. A prime minister with strictly limited authority would be selected by Congress, subject to removal by a majority vote of no confidence. \r\n\r\nImpeach and convict Trump, Vance, and their entire cabinet.\r\n\r\nEach generation should create its own constitution. Support a national initiative and referendum process, public campaign financing, campaign spending limits, and easy ballot access. Abolish ICE. Support “fair trade” policies and freedom of migration. No border wall. \r\n\r\nCreate a steady state economy based on environmental stability. Use pollution taxes to include environmental impacts in true cost pricing. Transition away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy to renewable energy sources. Protect public lands.\r\n\r\nMedicare for all. Enact a universal basic income. Forgive student loan debt and subsidize higher education.\r\n\r\nSubsidize family planning programs at all levels. Pass federal legislation to secure abortion rights.\r\n\r\nSupport the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I have always considered war to be a crime against humanity. I have advocated for the abolition of war and the development of nonviolent resistance strategies as an alternative to war since 1985. I first became interested in the Green Party when I read that Green Parties in Europe were advocating for transition away from armed military defense to nonviolent \"civilian-based defense\" or \"social defense.\" I have been an advocate for proportional representation voting systems for legislative elections to secure fair, inclusive multiparty representation in government since 1993. I support the development of a new, modern constitution to replace the constitution that slaveholders designed to preserve slavery. Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? People I look up to include abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., German Green Party co-founder Petra Kelly, South African President Nelson Mandela, and Palestinian nonviolent activist Mubarak Awad. What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official? Empathy and compassion What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade? Ecological overshoot will be the greatest challenge facing the human race. Human over-population and over-consumption has greatly exceeded the sustainable carrying capacity of the Earth. The greatest impact individuals can have in fighting climate change is choosing not to reproduce. A carbon-footprint study of people in the wealthier nations of North America, Europe and Japan concluded that having one less child would reduce carbon emissions 20.2 times as much as living car-free, 39.9 times as much as switching to renewable energy and 71.5 times as much as eating a plant-based diet. We are experiencing the sixth mass extinction of animal species due to human ecological impact. Humanity has killed off about 73% of the global wildlife population of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish since 1970. At the same time, world human population has increased from 3.7 billion in 1970 to 8.3 billion today. About 83% of all wildlife mammals have died off since the dawn of agriculture. Farmed poultry now accounts for 70% of birds worldwide. Mammal life is now 60% livestock, 36% people and 4% wildlife. Climate change is a consequence of ecological overshoot. Too many people consume and pollute too much. If the average person on Earth consumed as wastefully as the average resident of the United States does today, the Earth could not sustain a human population of more than 1.5 billion people. Meanwhile, 815 million people suffer from chronic hunger. The number of people that is “sustainable” depends upon the average standard of living. More people means more widespread poverty. Sustaining life on Earth means reducing both human birth rates and per capita ecological footprints. Transitioning to an environmentally sustainable economy is essential. But it’s also essential to recognize that life on Earth exists within narrow planetary boundaries. I’m concerned about the delusion that there is some technological fix that would enable a modern industrialized society of eight billion people or more to be sustainable in the long term. There isn’t. Today, it would be possible to eliminate world hunger in a world of eight billion people. Fifty years from now, topsoil erosion would probably make it impossible to feed eight billion people. Agriculture is the primary driver for the loss of biodiversity. Agriculture is the primary threat to about 86% of the identified species now at risk of extinction. Today, people and livestock have displaced 96% of the biomass of global wildlife mammal species. People account for 36% of global mammal biomass. Livestock accounts for 60%. Wildlife only accounts for 4% of global mammal biomass. The mass of plastic now outweighs the biomass of all animal life on Earth. The mass of human-made material is now greater than the biomass of all plant and animal life on Earth. Human beings are just one out of millions of species on Earth. We are part of an interdependent web of life. The Earth doesn’t belong to us. We just live here. If every person on Earth consumed as much as the average person in the United States does now, the Living Planet ecological footprint studies estimate that the Earth could not sustain a human population of more than one and a half billion people. William Rees, the originator of ecological footprint analysis, estimates that the Earth could sustain a maximum human population of somewhere between one and two billion people with a reasonable standard of living if people in wealthy industrialized reduce their per capita ecological footprints by about 75%. We have been in a state of ecological overshoot since about 1970. The ecosystem cannot sustain the environmental impact of human overpopulation and over-consumption. It’s not a question of one or the other. It’s both. People in wealthy, industrialized nations have a much higher environmental impact per capita. However, higher population numbers mean more widespread poverty and more economic equality. A livable, sustainable world would require both a rapid reduction in ecological footprints and reduced birth rates to get back to the human population levels of 100 or 200 years ago. Maintaining a global fertility rate of no more than 1.5 children per family for about 200 years would establish a bell curve to a potentially survivable future. Having fewer children is by far the most important choice that people can make for the environment, especially in wealthy, industrialized nations. Fifty years ago, the environmental movement widely recognized this reality. We have far more data available today to demonstrate this reality, but politically, it has become unacceptable to acknowledge reality. The best ways to address the current ecological crisis are to support public funding for family planning programs and voluntary birth control at all levels, support women’s rights, support better educational opportunities, especially for women, and to secure a strict separation between church and state. I suggest that pollution taxes would also be helpful for encouraging people to make more environmentally responsible choices as consumers. A universal basic income would offset the regressive nature of pollution taxes. What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? I remember the Iranian hostage crisis and the anti-Iranian xenophobia and bigotry that accompanied it. I didn't learn about the history of the US sponsoring a 1953 coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Iran, and the US government's support of the Shah's fascist dictatorship until several years later.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.\n\n\nGary Swing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Freethinker and adventurer. Frequent alternative party candidate. I have been on the ballot thirteen times as an alternative party candidate, dating back to 1996. Seven times with the Green Party, three times with the Unity Party of Colorado, and once each with the labels Boiling Frog Party, US Pacifist Party, and Natural Law Party. In 1996, I got 138,634 votes (5.5%) as a Green candidate for US Senate in Arizona. That was the highest percentage of the vote and the largest total number of votes cast for any Green Party candidate for any seat in the US Senate out of the last six general election cycles nationwide. Former State Co-Chair of the Green Party of Colorado and former Co-Chair of the Denver Region Greens. Former Vice Chair of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, which represented eight alternative political parties in lobbying for ballot acess reform. \"Triple Crown\" backpacker. Completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, Ouachita Trail, Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Ozark Highlands Trail, Lone Star Trail, and Denver Orbital Trail. Climbed all 637 Colorado summits over 13,000 feet and reached all 64 Colorado county highpoints. Completed the 173 designated hiking trails of the Boulder (Colorado) OSMP Trails Challenge. Spent six months trekking around New Zealand by myself. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Ecological overshoot threatens the sustainability of life on Earth. Since about 1970, the ecological impact from human overpopulation and over-consumption has exceeded the regenerative capacity of the Earth's biosphere. Homo sapiens are one out of millions of species. Human civilization has fundamentally altered the Earth's ecosystem. Plastic now outweighs all animal biomass on Earth. About 96% of Earth's biomass of wildlife mammal species has been displaced by people and livestock. Wildlife vertebrate biomass has decreased by about 73% since 1970.\r\nAn industrialized human civilization of eight billion people is unsustainable, regardless of how wealth is distributed. Everything we do has impact on the environment. Uphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. Abolish nuclear weapons. Reduce U.S. military budget by 90%. Close all foreign military bases. End foreign military aid. Fund humanitarian aid to end world hunger and secure drinking water worldwide. Abolish U.S. Senate. Elect Congress by open list proportional representation. Switch to a parliamentary system with weak chief executive selected by Congress. Support national initiative and referendum process, public campaign financing, campaign spending limits, ballot access reform, and verifiable ballots. Support “fair trade” policies, freedom of travel, and international work permits that are not tied to a specific employer. Abolish the CIA, ICE, NSA and Selective Service. Establish a universal basic income. Use carbon taxes to include environmental impacts in true cost pricing of new products. End corporate welfare. Medicare for all. Subsidize family planning programs. Support international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Stop subsidizing fossil fuels and nuclear energy. No oil from tar sands or shale oil development. Support conservation and energy efficiency. Convert to solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power. Decentralize energy production. Stop subsidizing petrochemical agriculture and animal farming. Apply cruelty laws to farmed animals. Promote permaculture, organic farming and urban agriculture. Legalize cannabis at the national level. Support equal rights for all. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Hybrid proportional representation elections to secure fair, inclusive multiparty representation in Congress and state legislatures. Abolishing the US Senate. Decentralizing political authority. Strictly limiting the authority of the chief executive. Replacing presidential elections with a parliamentary system which would enable a unicameral Congress to select a chief executive who can be removed from office at any time on a vote of no confidence. Protection of endangered species. Supporting public funding for voluntary birth control and family planning programs. Protecting abortion rights. Ending US military imperialism and eliminating foreign military aid. Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? I admire German Green Party founder Petra Kelly, abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass, nonviolent activists from India's independence movement including Mohandas Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, civil rights activists Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Junior, and Palestinian peace activist Mubarak Awad. Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy? Henry David Thoreau, \"On The Duty of Civil Disobedience\" (although it would be less grating without the gender biased language). Lysander Spooner, \"The Constitution of No Authority.\" What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official? Empathy What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder? Empathy What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time? I remember the Iran hostage crisis and the widespread xenophobia that accompanied it. I was 12 at the time. What is your favorite book? Why? \"Slave Nation: How Slavery United the Colonies and Sparked the American Revolution\" by Alfred W. Blumrosen and Ruth G. Blumrosen. This book reveals how the United States government was created and designed by affluent white male slaveholders to preserve their own wealth and power while excluding about 94 percent of the population from representation. If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be? The Fabulous Frog-Man What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution? Levels of ignorance and stupidity that remain unparalleled outside of the White House and the US Senate. Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics? Yes What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade? Ecological overshoot is the biggest challenge facing the world. We face converging ecological crises as the consequence of human overpopulation and overconsumption. There are more than eight billion people in the world today. The Living Planet Report ecological footprint study concluded that the Earth cannot sustain a population of more than 1.5 billion people at current levels of per capita consumption. We are in the midst of rapid extinction of wildlife vertebrate species resulting from human impact on the environment. People and livestock have displaced about 96% of wildlife mammal biomass on Earth. The mass of plastic outweighs the mass of all animal life on Earth. The mass of material manufactured by people now outweighs the mass of all plant and animal life on Earth. Human beings are just one of millions of species on Earth. We must decrease birth rates to gradually shrink the world’s human population to a sustainable level (probably no more than one billion) and transition to a steady state economy based on principles of environmental sustainability. Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives? I think representatives should be required to serve the full length of the prison terms that are appropriate sentences for the crimes they commit while in office. What are your thoughts on term limits? I support term limits for the US Supreme Court and for the President (or Prime Minister under a parliamentary system). I oppose term limits for members of the US House of Representatives. I support Hybrid Proportional Representation, which would enable at least 98% of voters to elect representatives of their choice. The US Senate is an inherently misrepresentative and archaic relic of slavery. It should be abolished. Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after? No Tell us your favorite joke. You can't keep secrets in the produce department because the corn has ears, the potatoes have eyes, and the beans talk. Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking? In practice, compromise is essential for policymaking. However, humanity is moving rapidly along a path that will inevitably lead to global ecological catastrophe on an unprecedented scale. People are unwilling and unprepared to deal with reality.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}, {"question": "Interview with 13 News Tucson", "answer_html": "<p>Swing highlighted the following themes in an interview with <i>13 News Tucson</i> on June 5, 2025. The questions from <i>13 News Tucson</i> are bolded and Swing's responses follow below.<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-29\"><a href=\"#cite_note-29\">[29]</a></sup>\n</p>\n<div style=\"height:400px;overflow:scroll;border:1px solid gray;margin:20px;padding:10px;\">\n<table data-nosnippet=\"\" style=\"border-collapse: collapse; border: none;background-color: transparent; auto; ;\">\n<tbody><tr>\n<td style=\"border:none; color:#B2B7F2;font-size:35px;font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 10px 3px;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"20\">“\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 4px 10px;\" valign=\"top\">\n<p><b>I’m looking at your shirt here, it has the mountains, it has the cacti, it has the bicyclist, it looks like you are proud to be a part of southern Arizona, proud to be part of CD7, so what does that look like? You representing. Let’s say you get that seat, right? You are sitting there, what does it look like, what are you fighting for, what are your day one objectives? And now do they differ from maybe your opponents?</b>\n</p><p><br/>\nI support the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. I oppose all foreign military aid and foreign military intervention. I support shutting down all foreign military bases. I support the abolition of nuclear weapons. More than 75% of Trump’s proposed budget is for the military and law enforcement. I support cutting that military budget by at least 90%. I support electing Congress by proportional representation. I propose to eliminate Presidential elections and replace them with a parliamentary system like most democratic countries use. Congress should select the chief executive with strictly limited authority. I support a national initiative and referendum system. I support an open border policy, with a reasonable process for legal asylum, legal residency, work permits, and citizenship. I support a single-payer healthcare system, Medicare for all. I support a universal basic income to lift families out of poverty. I support an environmentally sustainable economy, with true cost pricing to include environmental costs for goods and services. \n<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-quotedisclaimer_30-0\"><a href=\"#cite_note-quotedisclaimer-30\">[30]</a></sup>\n</p>\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 35px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: right; padding: 10px 1px;\" valign=\"bottom\" width=\"20\">”\n</td></tr>\n</tbody></table>\n</div>", "answer_text": "Swing highlighted the following themes in an interview with 13 News Tucson on June 5, 2025. The questions from 13 News Tucson are bolded and Swing's responses follow below. [29]\n“ I’m looking at your shirt here, it has the mountains, it has the cacti, it has the bicyclist, it looks like you are proud to be a part of southern Arizona, proud to be part of CD7, so what does that look like? You representing. Let’s say you get that seat, right? You are sitting there, what does it look like, what are you fighting for, what are your day one objectives? And now do they differ from maybe your opponents? I support the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. I oppose all foreign military aid and foreign military intervention. I support shutting down all foreign military bases. I support the abolition of nuclear weapons. More than 75% of Trump’s proposed budget is for the military and law enforcement. I support cutting that military budget by at least 90%. I support electing Congress by proportional representation. I propose to eliminate Presidential elections and replace them with a parliamentary system like most democratic countries use. Congress should select the chief executive with strictly limited authority. I support a national initiative and referendum system. I support an open border policy, with a reasonable process for legal asylum, legal residency, work permits, and citizenship. I support a single-payer healthcare system, Medicare for all. I support a universal basic income to lift families out of poverty. I support an environmentally sustainable economy, with true cost pricing to include environmental costs for goods and services. [30] ”"}, {"question": "State Senate", "answer_html": "<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Gary Swing completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading-bio-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tSecretary of the Unity Party of Colorado. Former State Co-Chair of the Green Party of Colorado. Former Vice Chair of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections. \r\n\"Triple Crown\" backpacker. Completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, Ouachita Trail, Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Ozark Highlands Trail, Denver Orbital Trail. Climbed all 637 Colorado summits over 13,000 feet and reached all 64 Colorado county highpoints. Completed the 173 designated hiking trails of the Boulder OSMP Trails Challenge.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading-key-message-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Colorado could serve as a model for introducing representative democracy to the United States if we elect our state legislature by hybrid proportional representation, as proposed by Best Democracy. Dissolve the state senate and increasing the number of representatives to 185. Seven members would be elected from each of 22 districts, using proportional single transferable voting. Voters would rank individual candidates in their order of preference. In order to win a district seat, a candidate would need 12.5% of the vote to be elected. The remaining 20% of seats would be elected from open party lists with a 3% election threshold. 98% of voters would be able to elect representatives of their choice with 8 or more parties seated in office.</li><li>I support a guaranteed basic income sufficient to lift people out of poverty. Typically, a guaranteed basic income gives people below the poverty line cash payments which they can use as they choose to meet their needs for housing, groceries, transportation, and debt repayment. This has been proposed at the national level. More than fifty city or county governments in at least eleven states have developed pilot programs for a guaranteed basic income since 2019, including Denver. Boulder County is launching such a program. This could be done at the state level.</li><li>In 2019, Democratic state legislators enacted a broad package of election system changes, the Colorado Votes Act. Section 19 of that bill vastly increased the number of petition signatures required for unaffiliated candidates and candidates of new parties to get on the ballot. No unaffiliated candidate has qualified for Colorado's ballot for statewide office since House Bill 1278 was enacted. All alternative party candidates on the ballot for statewide office since then have been candidates nominated by state party assembly by minor parties that were recognized in Colorado prior to the passage of the Democrats' independent candidate suppression legislation. Ballot access requirements should be greatly reduced for all candidates.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading1-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tProportional representation, ballot access reform, ecological overshoot, preservation of endangered species, animal welfare.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading2-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI admire German Green Party founder Petra Kelly, abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass, nonviolent activists from India's independence movement including Mohandas Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, civil rights activists Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Junior, and Palestinian peace activist Mubarak Awad.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading3-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIs there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tHenry David Thoreau, \"On The Duty of Civil Disobedience\" (although it would be less grating without the gender biased language).<br/><br/>\r\nLysander Spooner, \"The Constitution of No Authority.\"\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading4-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI don't believe that I could be a successful officeholder.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading5-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat legacy would you like to leave?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am deeply disgusted with and tired of electoral politics. I want to end my participation in it and just live my own life.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading6-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI remember the Iran hostage crisis and the widespread xenophobia that accompanied it.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading7-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIf you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe Fabulous Frog Man\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading8-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse8-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading8-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse8-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tPolitical authority should be decentralized, not concentrated in the hands of the executive.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading9-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse9-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading9-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse9-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tEcological overshoot is the greatest threat to the sustainability of life on Earth. Since about 1970, the ecological impact from human overpopulation and over-consumption has exceeded the regenerative capacity of the Earth's biosphere.<br/><br/>\n<p>Human beings are just one out of millions of species on Earth. The Earth doesn't belong to human beings. We just live here, as part of a biologically diverse web of life forms.<br/><br/>\r\nHuman industrial civilization has fundamentally altered the Earth's ecosystem. People and their livestock and pets and buildings and roads, and cars and trucks and ships and planes and industries and agriculture have replaced and destroyed natural habitats, wildlife species and native plant species in a way that is unsustainable. When I look around, I see an artificial landscape that people have created, terraforming the planet into something that is outside of the narrow ecological boundaries that sustain life on Earth. Human beings have filled the oceans with plastic, depleted topsoil and rainforests, and altered the climate.<br/><br/>\r\nAn industrialized human civilization of eight billion people is unsustainable, regardless of how wealth is distributed. Everything we do has impact on the environment. From an environmental perspective, ecological overshoot results from human overpopulation and over-consumption. Too many people consuming and polluting too much. Numbers of people multiplied by per Capita ecological footprints.<br/><br/>\r\nIn 1804, there were one billion people on Earth. Now there are eight billion. Ecological footprints have grown astronomically.<br/><br/>\n</p>\nThe Living Planet Report environmental sustainability study estimated that if the average person on Earth had as much ecological impact as the average person in the United States does now, the Earth could not sustain a human population of more than one and a half billion people.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading10-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse10-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading10-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse10-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tYes\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading11-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse11-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tAre you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading11-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse11-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tNo. I have played the role of a perennial alternative party candidate. I don't want to do it anymore. I'm ready to retire from participating in electoral politics.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading12-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse12-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tTell us your favorite joke.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading12-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse12-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tIf I had a nickel for every time I didn't understand what was going on, I would have no idea where all the nickels were coming from.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse13-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading13-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse13-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse13-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is the first bill you would introduce if elected?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading13-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse13-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tA proposed state constitutional amendment to elect the Colorado General Assembly by hybrid proportional representation.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse14-244372-2024-09-20\" id=\"heading14-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse14-244372-2024-09-20\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse14-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading14-244372-2024-09-20\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse14-244372-2024-09-20\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tYes, I support repealing petition signature geographic distribution requirements. I support repealing the single subject restriction. I would reduce the number of petition signatures required for a ballot initiative to one percent of the vote cast in the last general election for Secretary of State. I support the option of gathering petition signatures online as well as on paper petitions. The citizen initiative process should be available at the county level for all 64 Colorado counties, as well as the state level.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "Gary Swing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Secretary of the Unity Party of Colorado. Former State Co-Chair of the Green Party of Colorado. Former Vice Chair of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections. \r\n\"Triple Crown\" backpacker. Completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, Ouachita Trail, Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Ozark Highlands Trail, Denver Orbital Trail. Climbed all 637 Colorado summits over 13,000 feet and reached all 64 Colorado county highpoints. Completed the 173 designated hiking trails of the Boulder OSMP Trails Challenge. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Colorado could serve as a model for introducing representative democracy to the United States if we elect our state legislature by hybrid proportional representation, as proposed by Best Democracy. Dissolve the state senate and increasing the number of representatives to 185. Seven members would be elected from each of 22 districts, using proportional single transferable voting. Voters would rank individual candidates in their order of preference. In order to win a district seat, a candidate would need 12.5% of the vote to be elected. The remaining 20% of seats would be elected from open party lists with a 3% election threshold. 98% of voters would be able to elect representatives of their choice with 8 or more parties seated in office. I support a guaranteed basic income sufficient to lift people out of poverty. Typically, a guaranteed basic income gives people below the poverty line cash payments which they can use as they choose to meet their needs for housing, groceries, transportation, and debt repayment. This has been proposed at the national level. More than fifty city or county governments in at least eleven states have developed pilot programs for a guaranteed basic income since 2019, including Denver. Boulder County is launching such a program. This could be done at the state level. In 2019, Democratic state legislators enacted a broad package of election system changes, the Colorado Votes Act. Section 19 of that bill vastly increased the number of petition signatures required for unaffiliated candidates and candidates of new parties to get on the ballot. No unaffiliated candidate has qualified for Colorado's ballot for statewide office since House Bill 1278 was enacted. All alternative party candidates on the ballot for statewide office since then have been candidates nominated by state party assembly by minor parties that were recognized in Colorado prior to the passage of the Democrats' independent candidate suppression legislation. Ballot access requirements should be greatly reduced for all candidates. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Proportional representation, ballot access reform, ecological overshoot, preservation of endangered species, animal welfare. Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? I admire German Green Party founder Petra Kelly, abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass, nonviolent activists from India's independence movement including Mohandas Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, civil rights activists Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Junior, and Palestinian peace activist Mubarak Awad. Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy? Henry David Thoreau, \"On The Duty of Civil Disobedience\" (although it would be less grating without the gender biased language). Lysander Spooner, \"The Constitution of No Authority.\" What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder? I don't believe that I could be a successful officeholder. What legacy would you like to leave? I am deeply disgusted with and tired of electoral politics. I want to end my participation in it and just live my own life. What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time? I remember the Iran hostage crisis and the widespread xenophobia that accompanied it. If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be? The Fabulous Frog Man What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature? Political authority should be decentralized, not concentrated in the hands of the executive. What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade? Ecological overshoot is the greatest threat to the sustainability of life on Earth. Since about 1970, the ecological impact from human overpopulation and over-consumption has exceeded the regenerative capacity of the Earth's biosphere. Human beings are just one out of millions of species on Earth. The Earth doesn't belong to human beings. We just live here, as part of a biologically diverse web of life forms. Human industrial civilization has fundamentally altered the Earth's ecosystem. People and their livestock and pets and buildings and roads, and cars and trucks and ships and planes and industries and agriculture have replaced and destroyed natural habitats, wildlife species and native plant species in a way that is unsustainable. When I look around, I see an artificial landscape that people have created, terraforming the planet into something that is outside of the narrow ecological boundaries that sustain life on Earth. Human beings have filled the oceans with plastic, depleted topsoil and rainforests, and altered the climate. An industrialized human civilization of eight billion people is unsustainable, regardless of how wealth is distributed. Everything we do has impact on the environment. From an environmental perspective, ecological overshoot results from human overpopulation and over-consumption. Too many people consuming and polluting too much. Numbers of people multiplied by per Capita ecological footprints. In 1804, there were one billion people on Earth. Now there are eight billion. Ecological footprints have grown astronomically. The Living Planet Report environmental sustainability study estimated that if the average person on Earth had as much ecological impact as the average person in the United States does now, the Earth could not sustain a human population of more than one and a half billion people. Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics? Yes Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future? No. I have played the role of a perennial alternative party candidate. I don't want to do it anymore. I'm ready to retire from participating in electoral politics. Tell us your favorite joke. If I had a nickel for every time I didn't understand what was going on, I would have no idea where all the nickels were coming from. What is the first bill you would introduce if elected? A proposed state constitutional amendment to elect the Colorado General Assembly by hybrid proportional representation. Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider? Yes, I support repealing petition signature geographic distribution requirements. I support repealing the single subject restriction. I would reduce the number of petition signatures required for a ballot initiative to one percent of the vote cast in the last general election for Secretary of State. I support the option of gathering petition signatures online as well as on paper petitions. The citizen initiative process should be available at the county level for all 64 Colorado counties, as well as the state level.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}, {"question": "U.S. House", "answer_html": "<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Gary Swing completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-180763-2023-03-25\" id=\"heading-bio-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-180763-2023-03-25\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-180763-2023-03-25\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI'm just this guy, you know?\r\n<p>Freethinker and adventurer. Long distance backpacker &amp; mountaineer. Hiked the Appalachian Trail twice, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, Ouachita Trail, Ozark Highlands Trail, Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Lone Star Trail, and New Zealand's Te Araroa Trail. Summited 375 mountains in Colorado's Third Congressional District so far, all 637 Colorado mountains over 13,000 feet, all 64 Colorado county highpoints. \r\n</p>\nFormer Green Party activist. Spokesperson for the election reform group Best Democracy. Former Vice Chair of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, which represented eight minor parties lobbying for ballot acess reform. Pacifist, vegetarian, childfree by choice.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-180763-2023-03-25\" id=\"heading-key-message-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-180763-2023-03-25\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-180763-2023-03-25\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Uphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. Since the end of World War Two, US military imperialism has been responsible for the deaths of an estimated twenty to thirty million people in 37 nations. End US foreign military interventions. Restrict the mlitary to non-offensive defense of US territory. Shut down foreign miitary bases. End foreign military aid. Abolish nuclear weapons. Create a nonviolent, humanitarian foreign policy. Develop a global food security program designed to end world hunger and ensure that people have access to safe drinking water.</li><li>Since 1970, the Earth’s human population has grown from 3.6 billion people to more than 8 billion people, while the population of wildlife vertebrate species has decreased by about 69 percent. William Rees, the originator of ecological footprint analysis, estimates that the maximum sustainable human population would be no more than one to two billion people - if residents of wealthy nations reduce their individual ecofootprints to no more than 25% of their current size. I support a steady state economy based on environmental sustainability. Carbon taxes should include environmental impacts in true cost pricing. I support family planning programs, sex education, and voluntary birth control. Abortion should be legal, accessible, and safe.</li><li>Thomas Jefferson believed that future generations could not be bound by the systems designed by their ancestors. He argued that every generation should write its own constitution, once every nineteen years. I agree that a new constitutional convention should be held at least once every twenty years. Our system of government should be redesigned to secure fair representation for a politically diverse population. I propose to abolish the inherently misrepresentative US Senate, eliminate the Electoral College, strictly limit the power of the President, and decentralize authority in the hands of a Congress that is elected by hybrid proportional representation (as proposed by the election reform group Best Democracy).</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-180763-2023-03-25\" id=\"heading1-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-180763-2023-03-25\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-180763-2023-03-25\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tHuman beings aren't the only species on Earth. We just act like it.<br/><br/>\n<p>Homo sapiens are just one of an estimated 8.7 million species of life on Earth. Yet, in modern times, human beings have substantially transformed this planet to create an artificial and toxic environment. Human beings are part of an interdependent web of life. We need to move away from an anthropocentric point of view and preserve habitat for other species to coexist with us.<br/><br/><br/>\r\nLife on Earth exists within narrow ecological parameters that are disrupted by the impact of human overpopulation and overconsumption. Ten thousand years ago, human beings accounted for less than one percent of the biomass of mammal life on Earth. Today, people account for about 32 percent of the Earth’s biomass of animal species. Livestock accounts for about 64% of mammal biomass. Cattle alone represent about 35% of all mammal biomass. Wildlife species (primarily deer) account for only about four percent of mammal biomass.<br/><br/>\r\nPlastics now have greater mass than all animal life on Earth.<br/><br/>\r\nThings constructed by people, including buildings, roads, and vehicles have more mass than all plant and animal life on Earth.<br/><br/>\n</p>\nI oppose livestock grazing on public lands. Federal subsidies for animal agriculture should be eliminated. Animal cruelty laws should be extended to farmed animals.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-180763-2023-03-25\" id=\"heading2-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-180763-2023-03-25\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat are your thoughts on term limits?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-180763-2023-03-25\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-180763-2023-03-25\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI oppose term limits. Members of Congress should be required to serve the full length of the prison terms that are appropriate for the crimes they commit while in office.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Gary Swing completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading-bio-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am a former National Advisory Board member of the Center for Voting and Democracy, which is now called FairVote. I was the Vice Chairman of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, which lobbied for two bills enacted by Colorado's state legislature in 1995 and 1997. The first bill reduced petition signature requirements for independent candidates to get on the ballot. The second bill created a process for minor parties to qualify for the right to nominate candidates by party assembly. In 2003, I lobbied for another bill that opened up Colorado's primary elections to minor parties. In 2019, I lobbied against a bill that has greatly increased petition signature requirements for independent candidates.\r\n<p>I was on the ballot seven times as a Green Party candidate between 1996 and 2018. In 2016, I received more votes and a higher percentage of the vote than any other Green Party candidate for US Senate in the country has in the past ten years (5.5%, 138,634 votes). In 2018, I won the third highest percentage of the vote cast for any Green Party candidate for US Representative in the country (14.2%).\r\n</p><p>In 2020, I was a Unity Party nominee for US Representative.\r\n</p><p>I have a BA in Political Science and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado.\r\n</p>\nIn 2007, I finished climbing Colorado's 637 mountains over 13,000 feet. Since then, I hiked the \"Triple Crown\" -- the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading-key-message-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>I advocate proportional representation voting methods to secure fair, inclusive representation of a politically diverse population in elections for legislative offices. Everyone should have the right to fair and equitable representation in government. Ninety-four nations use some form of proportional representation to secure fair, inclusive multi-party representation in government. Electing Colorado's state legislature by an open party list system of proportional representation with a 3% threshold for representation would enable 98% of voters to elect representatives of their choice. It would likely increase the number of parties in the legislature from two to eight or more. I support the group Best Democracy: www.bestdemocracy.org</li><li>I propose that Colorado ballot access laws be revised to set the following thresholds for independent candidates or party primaries: Presidential tickets: $1,000 filing fee or 1,000 petition signatures. Statewide offices: $500 filing fee or 500 petition signatures. Congressional districts: $200 filing fee or 200 petition signatures. State legislators: $100 filing fee or 100 petition signatures. County offices: $100 filing fee or the lesser of 100 petition signatures or 1% of the most recent total vote cast for county clerk and recorder.</li><li>Colorado's state constitution granted citizens the right to initiate their own legislation and state constitutional amendments. Year after year, establishment politicians have sought to gut the citizen initiative process by adding more restrictions, making it more difficult to qualify for the ballot, and more difficult to approve citizen initiatives. I support repealing these restrictions on the citizen initiative process and reducing petition signature requirements for state citizen initiatives to one percent of the total vote cast in the most recent election for Secretary of State. I support online petitioning as an alternative to paper petitions. I would also support a national initiative and referendum process.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading1-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAmerican politics has always been heavily dominated by wealthy, conservative white men. I am concerned with creating a political system that gives fair representation to everyone, especially women and people of color.<br/><br/>\n<p>The US government was created and designed in secret by a handful of wealthy white men -- predominantly slaveholders -- who sought to preserve their own wealth and power. The system they designed initially excluded 94% of the population from the right to representation, in a nation where 18% of the population was enslaved.<br/><br/>\r\nThe United States still operates under an archaic system of government that was designed to preserve slavery. <br/><br/>\r\nI agree with Thomas Jefferson's argument that future generations cannot be bound by the prejudices of their barbarous ancestors. Every generation should create its own constitution. The United States is more than 200 years overdue for a new constitutional convention.<br/><br/>\r\nThe US Senate and the Electoral College are misrepresentative relics of slavery. They should be abolished. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nAt the national level, I support the adoption of an open party list system for the election of a unicameral Congress. I support a national initiative and referendum process to give people the right to vote directly on policy, not just on politicians. I support term limits for Supreme Court justices. A new Constitutional Convention should be held at least once every twenty years.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading2-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tNelson Mandela is the political leader I admire most. He spent many years in prison for his principled, outspoken opposition to apartheid before he became the President of South Africa. As the President of South Africa, he led a nation that adopted a system of proportional representation that empowers 98% of the population to elect representatives on their choice. Fourteen political parties now hold seats in South Africa's National Assembly. <br/><br/>\n<p>In the United States, we live in a nation that was built on a foundation of slavery, genocide, and racism. <br/><br/>\r\nI see Nelson Mandela as a leader for peace and justice who sought to overcome institutionalized racism that was comparable to the history of racial injustice and oppression in the United States.<br/><br/>\r\nThe pre-amble of South Africa's constitution of 1996 incorporates the term \"Unity in Diversity\" as a central tenet of post-apartheid South Africa. <br/><br/>\r\nThe slogan \"Unity in Diversity\" has been used by a variety of religious and political groups as an expression of harmony and celebration of multiculturalism based on an understanding that our differences enrich human interactions.<br/><br/><br/>\r\nQuotes from Nelson Mandela:<br/><br/>\r\n\"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.\"<br/><br/>\r\n\"It is necessary to heal the wounds of the past If you are going to build your country and to have unity. I am working with people who fought me very bitterly before the elections. It was my responsibility as the man who is leading the majority party, my responsibility to heal the wounds of the past and to work with people who were my opponents.\"<br/><br/>\n</p>\n\"Bridge the chasm, use tolerance and compassion, be inclusive, not exclusive, build dignity and pride, encourage freedom of expression, to create a civil society for unity and peace.\"\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading3-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIs there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe purpose of my candidacy is to be an advocate for proportional representation voting systems to secure fair, inclusive representation for a politically diverse population.<br/><br/>\n<p>The Urbanist published this commentary I wrote about proportional representation:<br/>\r\nhttps://www.theurbanist.org/2022/04/07/u-s-voting-systems-should-and-can-better-reflect-diversity-in-representation/<br/><br/>\r\nThis is the text of a speech I gave about party list systems of proportional representation: https://www.bestdemocracy.org/proportional-representation/party-list.html<br/><br/>\r\nI recommend the election reform group Best Democracy for more information about proportional voting systems: https://www.bestdemocracy.org<br/><br/>\n</p>\nFairVote hosts the Proportional Representation Library: https://www.fairvote.org/proportional_representation_library#beginning_readings\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading4-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe first historical event that made an impression on me was the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. The Gloucester County Times published a daily feature about how many days the hostage crisis had continued. I remember a climate of hatred and xenophobia targeting Iranians, but I don't recall ever having met anyone from Iran at the time. A local restaurant had a big sign on its roof that said \"Iranians Go Home!\" <br/><br/>\r\nSeveral years later, I learned that the CIA had sponsored a military coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953 to install a brutal fascist dictatorship that was subsequently armed and funded by the US government.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading5-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was your very first job? How long did you have it?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tMy first job was delivering newspapers for the Gloucester County Times, in Woodbury, New Jersey. I had the job from the age of 12 to the age of 15. In addition to delivering newspapers on my bicycle, I also wrote frequent letters to the editor of the newspaper during my teen years.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading6-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIf you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe Fabulous Frog-Man from Marvel Comics<br/><br/>\r\nEugene Patilio is an aspiring superhero from Marvel Comics who has no superpowers. He has a frog costume that he got from his father, an unsuccessful criminal named Leapfrog. The costume has spring loaded boots that allow the wearer to jump long distances. Eugene Patilio, in the guise of the Fabulous Frog-Man, somehow manages to defeat villains by clumsily bouncing into them.<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-130626-2022-05-04\" id=\"heading7-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-130626-2022-05-04\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-130626-2022-05-04\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-130626-2022-05-04\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tYes. This is an administrative office that is responsible for overseeing state elections. It also has responsibilities for licensing of businesses and non-profit organizations.<br/><br/>\n<p>The purpose of my candidacy is to stand as an advocate for proportional representation voting systems.<br/><br/>\r\nI recognize the practical reality that the existing winner take all voting system produces a two party system. The winner of this election will be either the Democratic or Republican nominee (probably the Democratic incumbent). As the nominee of the Unity Party, I understand that I will not be elected to this office. I intend to have a zero dollar candidacy. I don't ask anyone to vote for me. I encourage people to vote their conscience, if they choose to participate in electoral politics. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nThe Republican Party has three candidates for Secretary of State on its primary ballot. Former Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson is the only qualified candidate in the Republican primary for this office. She has the practical experience to do the work of this office. Her campaign messaging gives the impression that she intends to carry out the responsibilities of the Secretary of State's Office in a professional, non-partisan manner. I encourage people who vote in the Republican primary to cast their ballot for Pam Anderson.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Gary Swing completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-82261-2020-09-09\" id=\"heading-bio-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-82261-2020-09-09\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-82261-2020-09-09\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tUphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. Abolish nuclear weapons. Reduce US military budget by 90%. Close all foreign military bases. End foreign military aid. Fund humanitarian aid to end world hunger and secure drinking water worldwide. Abolish US Senate. Elect Congress by open list proportional representation. Switch to a parliamentary system with weak chief executive selected by Congress. Support national initiative and referendum process, public campaign financing, campaign spending limits, ballot access reform, and verifiable ballots. Support \"fair trade\" policies, freedom of travel, and international work permits that are not tied to a specific employer. Abolish the CIA, ICE, NSA and Selective Service. Establish a guaranteed minimum income. Use carbon taxes to include environmental impacts in true cost pricing of new products. End corporate welfare. Medicare for all. Subsidize family planning programs. Support international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Stop subsidizing fossil fuels and nuclear energy. No oil from tar sands or shale oil development. Support conservation and energy efficiency. Convert to solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power. Decentralize energy production. Stop subsidizing petrochemical agriculture and animal farming. Apply cruelty laws to farmed animals. Promote permaculture, organic farming and urban agriculture. Legalize cannabis. Support equal rights for all.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-82261-2020-09-09\" id=\"heading-key-message-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-82261-2020-09-09\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-82261-2020-09-09\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>End U.S. military imperialism and adopt a nonviolent, humanitarian foreign based on respect for human rights and political self-determination.</li><li>Secure fair representation for a politically diverse electorate by using an open party list system of proportional representation to elect a unicameral Congress.</li><li>A new Constitutional Convention should be held at least once every twenty years so that each generation can design its own system of government.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-82261-2020-09-09\" id=\"heading1-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-82261-2020-09-09\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-82261-2020-09-09\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tProportional representation for legislative elections, human rights, environmental policy, mass extinction of animal species.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-82261-2020-09-09\" id=\"heading2-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-82261-2020-09-09\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat are your thoughts on term limits?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-82261-2020-09-09\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-82261-2020-09-09\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI oppose term limits for politicians. They should required to serve the full length of the appropriate sentences for the crimes they commit while in office. \t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "Gary Swing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. I'm just this guy, you know? Freethinker and adventurer. Long distance backpacker & mountaineer. Hiked the Appalachian Trail twice, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, Ouachita Trail, Ozark Highlands Trail, Alabama Pinhoti Trail, Lone Star Trail, and New Zealand's Te Araroa Trail. Summited 375 mountains in Colorado's Third Congressional District so far, all 637 Colorado mountains over 13,000 feet, all 64 Colorado county highpoints. Former Green Party activist. Spokesperson for the election reform group Best Democracy. Former Vice Chair of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, which represented eight minor parties lobbying for ballot acess reform. Pacifist, vegetarian, childfree by choice. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Uphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. Since the end of World War Two, US military imperialism has been responsible for the deaths of an estimated twenty to thirty million people in 37 nations. End US foreign military interventions. Restrict the mlitary to non-offensive defense of US territory. Shut down foreign miitary bases. End foreign military aid. Abolish nuclear weapons. Create a nonviolent, humanitarian foreign policy. Develop a global food security program designed to end world hunger and ensure that people have access to safe drinking water. Since 1970, the Earth’s human population has grown from 3.6 billion people to more than 8 billion people, while the population of wildlife vertebrate species has decreased by about 69 percent. William Rees, the originator of ecological footprint analysis, estimates that the maximum sustainable human population would be no more than one to two billion people - if residents of wealthy nations reduce their individual ecofootprints to no more than 25% of their current size. I support a steady state economy based on environmental sustainability. Carbon taxes should include environmental impacts in true cost pricing. I support family planning programs, sex education, and voluntary birth control. Abortion should be legal, accessible, and safe. Thomas Jefferson believed that future generations could not be bound by the systems designed by their ancestors. He argued that every generation should write its own constitution, once every nineteen years. I agree that a new constitutional convention should be held at least once every twenty years. Our system of government should be redesigned to secure fair representation for a politically diverse population. I propose to abolish the inherently misrepresentative US Senate, eliminate the Electoral College, strictly limit the power of the President, and decentralize authority in the hands of a Congress that is elected by hybrid proportional representation (as proposed by the election reform group Best Democracy). What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Human beings aren't the only species on Earth. We just act like it. Homo sapiens are just one of an estimated 8.7 million species of life on Earth. Yet, in modern times, human beings have substantially transformed this planet to create an artificial and toxic environment. Human beings are part of an interdependent web of life. We need to move away from an anthropocentric point of view and preserve habitat for other species to coexist with us. Life on Earth exists within narrow ecological parameters that are disrupted by the impact of human overpopulation and overconsumption. Ten thousand years ago, human beings accounted for less than one percent of the biomass of mammal life on Earth. Today, people account for about 32 percent of the Earth’s biomass of animal species. Livestock accounts for about 64% of mammal biomass. Cattle alone represent about 35% of all mammal biomass. Wildlife species (primarily deer) account for only about four percent of mammal biomass. Plastics now have greater mass than all animal life on Earth. Things constructed by people, including buildings, roads, and vehicles have more mass than all plant and animal life on Earth. I oppose livestock grazing on public lands. Federal subsidies for animal agriculture should be eliminated. Animal cruelty laws should be extended to farmed animals. What are your thoughts on term limits? I oppose term limits. Members of Congress should be required to serve the full length of the prison terms that are appropriate for the crimes they commit while in office.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.\n\n\nGary Swing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. I am a former National Advisory Board member of the Center for Voting and Democracy, which is now called FairVote. I was the Vice Chairman of the Colorado Coalition for Fair and Open Elections, which lobbied for two bills enacted by Colorado's state legislature in 1995 and 1997. The first bill reduced petition signature requirements for independent candidates to get on the ballot. The second bill created a process for minor parties to qualify for the right to nominate candidates by party assembly. In 2003, I lobbied for another bill that opened up Colorado's primary elections to minor parties. In 2019, I lobbied against a bill that has greatly increased petition signature requirements for independent candidates. I was on the ballot seven times as a Green Party candidate between 1996 and 2018. In 2016, I received more votes and a higher percentage of the vote than any other Green Party candidate for US Senate in the country has in the past ten years (5.5%, 138,634 votes). In 2018, I won the third highest percentage of the vote cast for any Green Party candidate for US Representative in the country (14.2%). In 2020, I was a Unity Party nominee for US Representative. I have a BA in Political Science and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado. In 2007, I finished climbing Colorado's 637 mountains over 13,000 feet. Since then, I hiked the \"Triple Crown\" -- the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? I advocate proportional representation voting methods to secure fair, inclusive representation of a politically diverse population in elections for legislative offices. Everyone should have the right to fair and equitable representation in government. Ninety-four nations use some form of proportional representation to secure fair, inclusive multi-party representation in government. Electing Colorado's state legislature by an open party list system of proportional representation with a 3% threshold for representation would enable 98% of voters to elect representatives of their choice. It would likely increase the number of parties in the legislature from two to eight or more. I support the group Best Democracy: www.bestdemocracy.org I propose that Colorado ballot access laws be revised to set the following thresholds for independent candidates or party primaries: Presidential tickets: $1,000 filing fee or 1,000 petition signatures. Statewide offices: $500 filing fee or 500 petition signatures. Congressional districts: $200 filing fee or 200 petition signatures. State legislators: $100 filing fee or 100 petition signatures. County offices: $100 filing fee or the lesser of 100 petition signatures or 1% of the most recent total vote cast for county clerk and recorder. Colorado's state constitution granted citizens the right to initiate their own legislation and state constitutional amendments. Year after year, establishment politicians have sought to gut the citizen initiative process by adding more restrictions, making it more difficult to qualify for the ballot, and more difficult to approve citizen initiatives. I support repealing these restrictions on the citizen initiative process and reducing petition signature requirements for state citizen initiatives to one percent of the total vote cast in the most recent election for Secretary of State. I support online petitioning as an alternative to paper petitions. I would also support a national initiative and referendum process. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? American politics has always been heavily dominated by wealthy, conservative white men. I am concerned with creating a political system that gives fair representation to everyone, especially women and people of color. The US government was created and designed in secret by a handful of wealthy white men -- predominantly slaveholders -- who sought to preserve their own wealth and power. The system they designed initially excluded 94% of the population from the right to representation, in a nation where 18% of the population was enslaved. The United States still operates under an archaic system of government that was designed to preserve slavery. I agree with Thomas Jefferson's argument that future generations cannot be bound by the prejudices of their barbarous ancestors. Every generation should create its own constitution. The United States is more than 200 years overdue for a new constitutional convention. The US Senate and the Electoral College are misrepresentative relics of slavery. They should be abolished. At the national level, I support the adoption of an open party list system for the election of a unicameral Congress. I support a national initiative and referendum process to give people the right to vote directly on policy, not just on politicians. I support term limits for Supreme Court justices. A new Constitutional Convention should be held at least once every twenty years. Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? Nelson Mandela is the political leader I admire most. He spent many years in prison for his principled, outspoken opposition to apartheid before he became the President of South Africa. As the President of South Africa, he led a nation that adopted a system of proportional representation that empowers 98% of the population to elect representatives on their choice. Fourteen political parties now hold seats in South Africa's National Assembly. In the United States, we live in a nation that was built on a foundation of slavery, genocide, and racism. I see Nelson Mandela as a leader for peace and justice who sought to overcome institutionalized racism that was comparable to the history of racial injustice and oppression in the United States. The pre-amble of South Africa's constitution of 1996 incorporates the term \"Unity in Diversity\" as a central tenet of post-apartheid South Africa. The slogan \"Unity in Diversity\" has been used by a variety of religious and political groups as an expression of harmony and celebration of multiculturalism based on an understanding that our differences enrich human interactions. Quotes from Nelson Mandela: \"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.\" \"It is necessary to heal the wounds of the past If you are going to build your country and to have unity. I am working with people who fought me very bitterly before the elections. It was my responsibility as the man who is leading the majority party, my responsibility to heal the wounds of the past and to work with people who were my opponents.\" \"Bridge the chasm, use tolerance and compassion, be inclusive, not exclusive, build dignity and pride, encourage freedom of expression, to create a civil society for unity and peace.\" Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy? The purpose of my candidacy is to be an advocate for proportional representation voting systems to secure fair, inclusive representation for a politically diverse population. The Urbanist published this commentary I wrote about proportional representation: https://www.theurbanist.org/2022/04/07/u-s-voting-systems-should-and-can-better-reflect-diversity-in-representation/ This is the text of a speech I gave about party list systems of proportional representation: https://www.bestdemocracy.org/proportional-representation/party-list.html I recommend the election reform group Best Democracy for more information about proportional voting systems: https://www.bestdemocracy.org FairVote hosts the Proportional Representation Library: https://www.fairvote.org/proportional_representation_library#beginning_readings What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time? The first historical event that made an impression on me was the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. The Gloucester County Times published a daily feature about how many days the hostage crisis had continued. I remember a climate of hatred and xenophobia targeting Iranians, but I don't recall ever having met anyone from Iran at the time. A local restaurant had a big sign on its roof that said \"Iranians Go Home!\" Several years later, I learned that the CIA had sponsored a military coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953 to install a brutal fascist dictatorship that was subsequently armed and funded by the US government. What was your very first job? How long did you have it? My first job was delivering newspapers for the Gloucester County Times, in Woodbury, New Jersey. I had the job from the age of 12 to the age of 15. In addition to delivering newspapers on my bicycle, I also wrote frequent letters to the editor of the newspaper during my teen years. If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be? The Fabulous Frog-Man from Marvel Comics Eugene Patilio is an aspiring superhero from Marvel Comics who has no superpowers. He has a frog costume that he got from his father, an unsuccessful criminal named Leapfrog. The costume has spring loaded boots that allow the wearer to jump long distances. Eugene Patilio, in the guise of the Fabulous Frog-Man, somehow manages to defeat villains by clumsily bouncing into them. Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics? Yes. This is an administrative office that is responsible for overseeing state elections. It also has responsibilities for licensing of businesses and non-profit organizations. The purpose of my candidacy is to stand as an advocate for proportional representation voting systems. I recognize the practical reality that the existing winner take all voting system produces a two party system. The winner of this election will be either the Democratic or Republican nominee (probably the Democratic incumbent). As the nominee of the Unity Party, I understand that I will not be elected to this office. I intend to have a zero dollar candidacy. I don't ask anyone to vote for me. I encourage people to vote their conscience, if they choose to participate in electoral politics. The Republican Party has three candidates for Secretary of State on its primary ballot. Former Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson is the only qualified candidate in the Republican primary for this office. She has the practical experience to do the work of this office. Her campaign messaging gives the impression that she intends to carry out the responsibilities of the Secretary of State's Office in a professional, non-partisan manner. I encourage people who vote in the Republican primary to cast their ballot for Pam Anderson.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.\n\n\nGary Swing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Swing's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Uphold the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war. Abolish nuclear weapons. Reduce US military budget by 90%. Close all foreign military bases. End foreign military aid. Fund humanitarian aid to end world hunger and secure drinking water worldwide. Abolish US Senate. Elect Congress by open list proportional representation. Switch to a parliamentary system with weak chief executive selected by Congress. Support national initiative and referendum process, public campaign financing, campaign spending limits, ballot access reform, and verifiable ballots. Support \"fair trade\" policies, freedom of travel, and international work permits that are not tied to a specific employer. Abolish the CIA, ICE, NSA and Selective Service. Establish a guaranteed minimum income. Use carbon taxes to include environmental impacts in true cost pricing of new products. End corporate welfare. Medicare for all. Subsidize family planning programs. Support international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Stop subsidizing fossil fuels and nuclear energy. No oil from tar sands or shale oil development. Support conservation and energy efficiency. Convert to solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power. Decentralize energy production. Stop subsidizing petrochemical agriculture and animal farming. Apply cruelty laws to farmed animals. Promote permaculture, organic farming and urban agriculture. Legalize cannabis. Support equal rights for all. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? End U.S. military imperialism and adopt a nonviolent, humanitarian foreign based on respect for human rights and political self-determination. Secure fair representation for a politically diverse electorate by using an open party list system of proportional representation to elect a unicameral Congress. A new Constitutional Convention should be held at least once every twenty years so that each generation can design its own system of government. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Proportional representation for legislative elections, human rights, environmental policy, mass extinction of animal species. What are your thoughts on term limits? I oppose term limits for politicians. They should required to serve the full length of the appropriate sentences for the crimes they commit while in office.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}]