Decades of government policies have forced children to attend schools according to where they live and segregated districts according to neighborhoods, income, and race. Property tax-based funding leaves the economically disadvantaged stuck in worsening schools without a way to seek new opportunities. I believe parents must have the choice to send their children to the schools that fit them best. I will fight to introduce an array of educational options for parents so they have an equal chance to find the system that works for them, regardless of their means or background.
When it comes to your child’s education, one size does not fit all. Virginia’s Standards of Learning had great intentions but our curriculum has become a series of fact-based tests that discourage critical and independent thinking. Richmond and Washington, D.C. need a much smaller role in determining “how” and “what” your child learns and I’ll do my best to make these changes.
College used to mean much more than it does today and though plenty of professions require this higher education, many great careers do not. There is a stigma of alternative career development that must change and I believe every child should leave high school with a basic level of competency in at least one “skill.” These may include traditional “hard” skills or things such as coding, information technology, or even the culinary arts. Such a baseline would raise the bar for our labor force and ensure that every graduate leaves with an avenue for economic independence while elevating the Commonwealth along the way.
No area of Government interferes with independence more than the criminal justice system and you won’t find a stronger advocate for an overhaul than me. It can impact anyone on any given day but it regularly consumes the poor, uneducated, those with mental illness, and the addicted. It can seize your cash without charging you with a crime, hold you in pretrial detention for months simply because you cannot afford bail, and it can ultimately end your life even while continuing to exonerate people for wrongful incarceration. Shouldn’t we spend more time making sure the system runs properly so everyone gets a fair shake and can move forward after they’ve paid for their actions?
Virginia over-incarcerates for non-violent crimes and punishes in ways that don’t lower recidivism. I would introduce measures to provide reentry programs with skill development and job placement, automatically expunge records after a finding of “not guilty,” end cash bail, eliminate mandatory minimums, cannabis prohibition, and capital punishment, require in-camera interrogations for felony investigations, and expand the use of body-worn cameras and mental health dockets. It’s time for the birthplace of American Independence to finally become smart on crime and a home for second-chance liberation.
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a perfect example of corporate manipulation of Government power and it must be stopped. The seizure of private land in the name of a for-profit, publicly traded corporation is not what Virginia stands for and I’ve always been against it. Eminent domain should never be used for corporate gain and Dominion Energy shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind the “public utility” argument when its project does nothing on behalf of Virginians.
It’s time for Dominion to serve the public interest if it wants to continue as a public utility, otherwise, its stranglehold on the market must change so that innovative, alternative competition can thrive in a free market.
Finally, a true public utility shouldn’t be able to make campaign contributions to the same legislators that directly oversee and confirm members of its rate-setting State Corporation Commission. I will fight to put an end to public-utility campaign financing.
Virginia just gave a half-billion dollars in preferential tax treatment to Amazon so it would build and “provide jobs” in one of the most affluent areas of the United States with relatively low unemployment.
Meanwhile, those dollars leave the coffers of rural Virginians whose jobs are disappearing, infrastructure is eroding, and whose small businesses face ever-increasing barriers of entry. Though I’m excited to see business growth in the Commonwealth, every business should receive equal treatment rather than the picking of winners and losers.
I’m fundamentally against the State’s subsidization of private corporations in this fashion just as much as I’m against the overregulation of our economy. Corporations have used their influence on legislators to determine what laws are written and when they’re introduced. Even when some regulations hurt their bottom line, they can afford to take the hit because they eliminate their competition along the way.
Virginia is no longer a capitalist economy but a cronyist system and I will fight to bring it to an end while in office. It’s time to get the Government out of the way, cut the “red tape,” and allow everyone to have easier access to the free markets for success and economic independence.
Portions of rural Virginia are falling behind without broadband access and I’m committed to finding innovative sources of revenue to allow for expansion without tax increases. Virginia is the birthplace of the original Bill of Rights and its time for the Commonwealth to take the lead again in a digital era where your private information and data is bought and sold as a commodity without your input or recourse.
Privacy is your property and it’s time for Virginia to defend it the way you deserve. I will fight to pass a Data-Privacy Bill of Rights that allows users to know exactly what is being stored and provides, at a minimum, the ability to have these records returned upon request.
My name is Elliott Harding, I’m running as an Independent for State Senate in Virginia’s 25th District, and here is my story.
I was born and raised in Charlottesville, a place known for sparking a streak of independence in more than a few people over time. I know it for my memories with friends, family, classmates, teammates, and the rich culture of Central Virginia. It will always be “home” and a community I’ll defend.
I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and was then blessed to attend law school at Washington & Lee University. During my three years in Lexington and Rockbridge County, I fell in love with the beauty and character of the western 25th District as well as that of my wife, Elaine. Life experience instilled me with a passion for advocating on behalf of the oppressed, most of whom I found to suffer from an imbalance between Government and their independence. That’s why I chose a career in criminal justice and civil rights litigation and it’s something I enjoy doing every day.
I then returned to Albemarle County, received an appointment to the Region Ten Community Services Board, and became politically active due in part to my exposure to how much suffering bad policies can cause, even when they come from good intentions. Over the last five years, I’ve taken every opportunity afforded to craft and advance sound, apolitical policy at the local, State, and Federal level with the hope of helping people along the way.
Getting things done no longer seems to matter to those in office. Our system has become political theater and purely partisan, meant to pit one against the other in the name of power rather than advancing a set of principles on behalf of the People. Blind allegiance or disdain for a particular political party, corporate influence on lawmakers, and career politicians trying to stay in power. Each tries to turn us against each other for distraction and exhaustion while growing their control, influence, and exploitation along the way.
Enough. Is. Enough.
This is why I’m running, and this is why I’m running as an Independent in my home, the birthplace of American Independence. I hope you’ll join me, avoid the lure of partisanship, and consider what we can do together as brothers and sisters to disrupt the status quo of Richmond while offering real solutions along the way.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail!
Sincerely,
Elliott