The League of Women Voters of Hancock County held a voter forum for the race for Indiana’s sixth congressional district on Wednesday night at the H.J. Ricks Centre For The Arts in conjunction with the LWV branches of Johnson County, Henry County and Indianapolis and Woof Boom Radio.
Democrat Cinde Wirth and Libertarian James Sceniak were present at the forum. Republican candidate Jefferson Shreve was not present due to a prior commitment, however GOP candidates declined to participate in all three originally planned forums and the League said previously that Shreve did not notify them of that commitment until after the deadline and it would have changed the date to align with his schedule.
Sceniak won the coin toss and decided to have the final word of the forum, granting the opening word to Wirth. Questions were gathered by the league from voters around the county and in the audience. The forum was broadcast by Woof Boom on its Muncie station, WMUN 92.5 FM.
Throughout the night, Sceniak preached fiscal responsibility and a decrease in government spending while Wirth championed reproductive rights, governmental accountability and defense of democracy. The candidates’ answers related to the topics discussed at the forum were as follows, in order of when the first question was asked about each topic:
ELECTION SECURITY
Wirth highlighted the United States’ “distributed system” of election security in which individual states and counties handle elections, calling American elections extremely safe and secure. “It comes down to trusting our fellow citizens and our local counties that they are doing what they have been tasked to do.”
Sceniak said that we need to make sure not only that our elections are secure but that voters feel that security. He highlighted the importance of listening and responding to the concerns of citizens. “The best thing we can do is investigate concerns and listen to every single voter.”
SUPREME COURT ETHICS
Wirth said that SCOTUS should be held to the same ethical standard that congresspeople are. “No one is above ethics laws … whether you’re a congressperson, a justice, or a person on the street, ethics are important.”
Sceniak said that the three branches of our government were set up with checks and balances, saying that he would consider a potential Justice’s ethical history when voting on whether or not to approve their appointment (although members of the House of Representatives do not vote on those appointments, only Senators).
IMMIGRATION
“We are a nation of immigrants, and this past spring we had a bipartisan bill in congress that would begin to solve our immigration process,” Wirth said in support of the bill, which would have added additional funding to the border wall and border security. She went on to say that a subset of “extremists” turned the bill into a political football and killed it.
Sceniak said that the country needs to make the legal immigration process easier, also calling the U.S. a nation of immigrants. “The more we make it legal, the less illegal immigrants we have.”
HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY
Wirth said that healthcare needs to be more affordable regardless of employment status and that those two factors should be unbundled. “One of the difficulties we have is that our healthcare is tied to our employment.” She went on to praise the ACA for improving things on that front, saying that it needed to remain in place and say that more people should have the bargaining power that Medicare currently has. She also said that when healthcare and profit mix, “profit is not going to lose.”
Sceniak said that healthcare needs to be taken out of Washington and that “corrupt government interference” needed to be removed, saying that cost could be reduced by increasing competition. He wavered on the ACA, initially saying that it “didn’t actually make things more affordable, it just kicked the can down the road,” before later saying that it helped some people and hurt others.
GUN VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS
Wirth, a teacher, highlighted her experience with gun violence in schools. “I am a teacher, so I have had to shepherd students through the run, hide, fight drills.” She went on to say that aggressive security measures can make schools feel more like prisons. Wirth also said that “weapons of war” needed to be removed from American streets, noting that “that doesn’t mean removing anyone’s guns or what they need to hunt.”
“We can secure football games, we can secure malls, how do we have that same security for our kids,” Sceniak said. He went on to suggest measures such as three-door policies and metal detectors to keep firearms out of school buildings.
Wirth said she supported the bill. “When we put barriers up to people to vote, that goes against our constitution.”
Sceniak said he was unfamiliar with the specifics of the bill and would not commit either way without giving it a closer read, but said that making voting convenient and elections secure were not necessarily at odds with one another, highlighting examples such as sports betting in which identity and location can be verified securely online.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Wirth said that there is a bill currently on the floor of the House which she supports, highlighting the lifting of the cap on Social Security taxes for earners making over $400,000 per year. “Currently it’s not sustainable because we’re not taxing everyone appropriately.”
Sceniak said he supported an “opt-out” program which would allow people to opt out of Social Security entirely, not paying the additional tax and not receiving that money upon retirement, allowing them to individually invest that money. “If it keeps going at the rate it’s going, it will be no longer for the generations in the future.”
SHOULD THE EPA BE ABOLISHED, WHY OR WHY NOT
Wirth, who is a biologist and taught high school environmental science, said that “we can’t rely on companies and large businesses to police themselves when it comes to environmental issues.” She called the EPA “one of the most effective organizations” when it came to putting individuals over corporations.
“I think we can do better than the EPA is doing, I think we can incentivize people to take care of our environment,” Sceniak said. He did not directly say whether or not he would be in favor of abolishing the organization.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
“Our government has no business in our exam rooms, and legislators have no business in that role,” Wirth said. “Abortion is healthcare.” She went on to call the current situation in states such as Indiana with strict abortion bans “unconscionable, cruel and inhumane.”
Sceniak called himself pro-life, saying that “we need abortions to be safe, we need them to be private, and, most importantly, I want them to be rare.” He went on to say that making raising a family more affordable and providing better access to contraceptives would be ways to decrease the number of abortions that he would support.
STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS
“I think there are many ways we can look at loan forgiveness,” highlighting the high interest rates on loans and that she’d be interested in forgiving that interest.
“We need to ask, 18-year-olds, are they old enough to make these decisions as adults?” Sceniak said. He also criticized high interest rates on student loans, going on to call them “outrageous.”
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
“Part of our rental crisis is the gobbling up, so to speak, of rental properties by private equity companies that are exploiting the rental market for their own profit,” Wirth said. She went on to suggest targeted price controls in high-rent areas as a potential solution.
“It goes back to the economy,” Sceniak said. “The American Dream … is no longer alive for those in their 20s.” He went on to say that “making your money more valuable” would be key in housing affordability, returning to decreasing government spending and inflation as a solution.
ISRAEL
“Israel has every right to defend itself, but there comes a point where we need to remember, when we’re looking at things through a humanitarian lens, that there are people who are innocent victims,” Wirth said. “We should continue our support of Israel, but we need to keep in mind that there is a humanitarian aspect.”
“Israel is our ally, we need to take care of our allies, but I don’t believe we’ve pursued peaceful options enough,” Sceniak said. “The most important part is the casualties. We have children dying on both sides, and that is a tragedy.”
TERM LIMITS, AGE LIMITS
In a moment of agreement between the two, both Wirth and Sceniak said they were against age limits and that term limits should be decided by voters at the ballot box voting out ineffective representatives. Sceniak was more explicitly open to term limits while Wirth said that though she wasn’t against term limits, having lawmakers with experience navigating the bureaucracy of Washington was important.
IMPROVING VETERANS AFFAIRS
“There are issues everywhere from not enough physicians and not enough continuity,” Wirth said. “Continuity of care is critical when you’re working with veterans.” She went on to say that while there are funding issues, continuity and quality of cares were the biggest ones facing the system.
Sceniak said that the VA needed to be taken out of its role as a “middleman” between veterans and their healthcare, giving veterans more control. “It will make their care more timely and more convenient for them.”
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
“I think the EC is an antiquated system based on a society that no longer exists,” Wirth said. “It is no longer a representation of our country, our country’s values, or our country’s desires.”
“I believe it’s the best system we have and we need to leave it as is,” Sceniak said.
OVERCOMING CONGRESSIONAL GRIDLOCK/DYSFUNCTION:
Wirth said that there is no one currently in Congress that is holding people accountable for what they’re doing. She went on to highlight the “Problem Solvers Caucus” as positive example of overcoming stagnation.
Sceniak said that his status as a Libertarian would place him in a unique place as it related to partisan gridlock. “[Congress] has become two sides that won’t even look for what’s best for their constituents,” he said. “I’m not obligated to vote for one side, I can look at what’s best for Hoosiers.”
BALANCED BUDGET
Wirth said that she would need more information, but said that she would never advocate for a government shutdown, noting the impact on seniors, military members, and federal employees who go without pay during shutdowns.
Sceniak said that a balanced budget was possible as a long-term goal. “A balanced budget is what we need in Washington, but it would need to happen in increments, we can’t just get there overnight.”
EDUCATION
“Free, non-sectarian public education is the bedrock of our democracy,” Wirth said. She went on to highlight the important role that the federal Department of Education plays in protecting students with disabilities as well as funding schools through Title I and Title II.
“I do believe in public education, I just have a different perspective on where that should be ran through,” Sceniak said. He suggested returning complete control of education to the states.
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
In another moment of agreement, both highlighted the importance on focusing on what unites the country rather than divides it.
“I think that remaining friendly with people, recognizing that we are all human, that we all have thoughts and feelings, is one way we can ratchet down the temperature,” Wirth said. “In the end, we’re all Americans.”
“We need to focus not on what divides us, but what brings us together,” Sceniak said. “There’s many more issues that we agree on than what divide us.” He went on to say that events like this forum were important for bringing people together.
DEATH PENALTY
Once again, the two agreed, saying they were opposed to the practice.
“I think it is archaic and barbaric,” Wirth said.
“I think we can do better with our justice system, and there are times where our justice system is not 100% [correct],” Sceniak said. “We should not as a government be taking life.” He also noted that the death penalty is more expensive for taxpayers than life in prison.
TARRIFFS
Once again, the two candidates found common ground, saying that they were against tariffs.
“Tariffs don’t positively impact our economy at all,” Wirth said. “We’re going down a slippery slope toward isolationism, and that’s something that’s not good for our democracy ever.”
“I don’t think they will actually help the economy, we should promote a free … and competitive market across borders,” Sceniak said. He went on to note that he thought tariffs could be justified as a foreign policy tactic to peacefully end conflict, but did not believe that there were economic benefits to them.
