Card image cap

James Trakas' Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

Key

Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
Additional Information: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position, from their answers or Vote Smart's research.
Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

James Trakas has failed to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2018 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.

Ohio State Legislative Election 1998 National Political Awareness Test

The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.

a) Abortions should always be legally available.
b) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
X c) Abortions should be legal only when pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered.
d) Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered.
e) Abortions should always be illegal.
f) Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and parental notification requirements.
g) Prohibit the late-term abortion procedure known as "partial-birth" abortion.
h) Support "buffer zones" by requiring demonstrators to stay at least 15 feet away from abortion clinic doorways and driveways.
i) Other
No j) Should Ohio government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services?

Indicate the principles you support (if any) concerning affirmative action. State government agencies should take race and sex into account in the following sectors:

No a) College and university admissions
No b) Public employment
No c) State contracting
d) Other

Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime.

X a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
X b) Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
X c) End parole for repeat violent felons.
d) Expand the use of the death penalty for additional circumstances relating to murder.
X e) Oppose the death penalty.
X f) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
X g) Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
h) Increase state funds for programs which rehabilitate and educate inmates during and after their prison sentences.
i) Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
X j) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
X k) Strengthen penalties and sentences for sex offenders.
X l) Lower the limit defining drunk driving to .08 blood alcohol content.
X m) Prosecute juveniles who commit murder or other serious violent crimes as adults.
n) Other

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning the economy and employment.

X a) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
X b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
X c) Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
d) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
e) Expand legalized gambling to include riverboat casinos.
X f) Support the use of state funding for the construction of sports stadiums and arenas in Ohio.
g) Other

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

a) Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
X b) Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
X c) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
X d) Favor charter schools where independent groups receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
X e) Support sex education programs which stress abstinence.
f) Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices.
X g) Increase state funds for school construction and facility maintenance.
h) Increase state funds for hiring of additional teachers.
i) Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
j) Fund public school education in Ohio by increases in the state sales tax rather than by using local property taxes.
k) Support allocating more state education funding to Ohio's poorest districts and less to its wealthiest districts.
X l) Provide each school district a base level of state funds and allow local districts to supplement that amount.
m) Distribute state funds on an average cost per student basis, regardless of circumstances in each district.
X n) Require the use of state-wide achievement standards for all Ohio public schools.
o) Other

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

a) Require the use of cleaner burning fuels in order to prevent pollution.
X b) Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
X c) Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
d) Require the state to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
X e) Provide funding for recycling programs in Ohio.
X f) Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
X g) Suspend participation in unfunded, federally mandated environmental protection legislation.
X h) Restructure the electric utility industry to allow consumers to choose their power company.
i) Require each state department to take farmland preservation into consideration when making new policies.
j) Support mandatory vehicle emission and maintenance testing, known as E-check.
k) Support a stricter environmental review process for private development on small wetlands.
l) Support moratorium on industrial agriculture operations.
m) Other
n) State environmental regulations should not be stricter than federal law.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding government reform.a) Do you support the current law which limits the number of terms of the following Ohio officials?b) Do you support current limits on the following types of contributions to state legislative candidates?

Yes 1) State Senators and Representatives
Yes 2) Governor
No 1) Individual
No 2) PAC
No 3) Corporate
Yes c) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
No d) Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
No e) Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
Yes f) Would you vote to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring an annual balanced federal budget?
g) Other

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.

a) Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
b) Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
c) Maintain state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
d) Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
e) Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms by law-abiding citizens.
X f) Favor allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms.
g) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
h) Other

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues.

X a) Continue to allow small businesses to form Small Employer Health Care Alliances, which makes offering insurance coverage to employees more affordable.
b) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care, through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
c) Provide health care to uninsured children by expanding Medicaid.
X d) Continue to utilize managed care principles to help control Medicaid spending.
e) Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
X f) Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X g) Guaranteeing medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
X h) Provide state financial assistance to senior citizens who wish to remain at home as an alternative to a nursing home.
i) Other

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding social issues.

a) Increase state funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy.
b) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
c) Increase state funds to provide child care to children in low-income working families.
X d) Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
e) Favor banning smoking in public places.
X f) Increase the cigarette-buying age to 21.
g) Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
h) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
i) Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans and job training and placement.
j) Other
Undecided k) Do you believe that the Ohio government should include sexual orientation in Ohio's anti-discrimination laws?
No l) Do you believe that the Ohio government should recognize same-sex marriages?

Indicate the funding levels you will support for the following general categories. Select one level only.

Maintain Status a) Agriculture
Slightly Increase b) Education (K-12)
Greatly Increase c) Education (Higher)
Greatly Decrease d) Environment
Maintain Status e) Health care
Slightly Increase f) Law enforcement
Greatly Increase g) Transportation infrastructure (highways, roads, bridges)
Greatly Decrease h) Welfare
i) Other

Indicate the tax levels you will support. Select one level only.

Maintain Status a) Alcohol taxes
Eliminate b) Capital gains taxes
Maintain Status c) Cigarette taxes
Greatly Decrease d) Corporate taxes
Slightly Increase e) Gas taxes
Greatly Decrease f) Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
Greatly Decrease g) Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
Greatly Decrease h) Property taxes
Maintain Status i) Sales taxes
Yes k) Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
Estate Tax, Corporate Franchise Tax -- Eliminate

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.

X a) Maintain the current time limits on welfare benefits.
X b) Maintain the current mandatory work requirements for able-bodied recipients in order to receive benefits.
c) Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
X d) Provide tax incentives to businesses who hire welfare recipients.
e) Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
f) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
g) Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
h) Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
X i) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
X j) Other
Replace [i] above with significant tax incentives to charitable causes.
My two main legislative priorities will be to reduce the physical size of state government by combining the 28 executive departments into less than 15, and reduce tax and regulation on our citizens and employers. We must re-engineer government for the next century and can save millions of tax dollars.

Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.

arrow_upward