Valence Issues

Policies with broad support across party lines, grouped by problem area.

Healthcare Costs

How should we make healthcare affordable and accessible for all Americans?

Replace private insurance with a single government-run program covering everyone. Eliminate premiums, deductibles, and copays. Fund through taxes.

Public Option

Create a government-run insurance plan that competes with private insurers. People can choose it or keep private coverage. Expand affordability subsidies.

Price Regulation / Drug Negotiation

Let government negotiate drug prices. Regulate prices for procedures, hospital stays, and medical devices. Cap out-of-pocket costs.

Market-Based Reforms

Increase competition, transparency, and consumer choice. Let people shop for care. Expand health savings accounts. Reduce regulations that limit competition.

Strengthen and Expand the ACA

Build on what exists. Expand subsidies, close coverage gaps, add enforcement, and incrementally improve the Affordable Care Act.

Housing Affordability

How should we ensure Americans can afford safe, stable housing?

Rent Stabilization

Limit how much landlords can raise rent each year, protecting current tenants from rapid price increases.

Zoning Reform / Build More Housing

Reduce regulatory barriers to building housing, especially near jobs and transit. Allow denser construction (apartments, duplexes, ADUs) in more areas.

Public/Social Housing

Government directly builds, owns, or finances housing that remains permanently affordable, not subject to market fluctuations.

Rental Assistance / Vouchers

Government subsidizes rent payments directly, helping low-income families afford market-rate housing.

First-Time Buyer Assistance

Help people buy homes through down payment assistance, tax credits, or subsidized mortgages — building wealth through ownership.

Childcare & Family Support

How should we support families with young children?

Universal Pre-K

Provide free, high-quality pre-kindergarten education to all 3- and 4-year-olds, regardless of family income.

Child Tax Credits / Direct Payments

Give families direct cash through expanded child tax credits, letting parents decide how to use the money — whether for childcare, staying home, or other needs.

Childcare Subsidies

Government subsidizes the cost of licensed childcare for working families, reducing out-of-pocket expenses based on income.

Paid Family Leave

Guarantee paid time off for new parents and family caregivers, allowing bonding with newborns without losing income or jobs.

Support Home-Based & Informal Care

Recognize and support informal caregivers — family members, neighbors, home-based providers — rather than focusing only on formal childcare centers.

Democratic Reform

How should we make our democracy work better for everyone?

Ranked Choice Voting / Alternative Voting Systems

Change how we vote so people can rank candidates in order of preference, reducing spoiler effects and rewarding candidates with broad appeal.

Campaign Finance Reform

Reduce the influence of big money in politics through donation limits, disclosure requirements, public financing, or constitutional amendments to overturn Citizens United.

Independent Redistricting

Take the power to draw electoral districts away from partisan legislators and give it to independent commissions, reducing gerrymandering.

Expand Voting Access

Make it easier to vote through automatic registration, early voting, vote-by-mail, Election Day as a holiday, and removing barriers like strict ID requirements.

Election Integrity / Security

Ensure elections are secure and trustworthy through voter ID requirements, citizenship verification, audit trails, and limits on mail voting.

Economic Opportunity & Wages

How should we ensure that work pays enough to live a decent life?

Raise the Minimum Wage

Increase the federal (or state/local) minimum wage so that low-wage work pays enough to live on. Current federal minimum: $7.25/hour (unchanged since 2009).

Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

Boost the incomes of low-wage workers through a refundable tax credit that rewards work. The more you earn (up to a point), the bigger the credit.

Strengthen Labor Unions / Worker Power

Make it easier for workers to organize unions and bargain collectively. Restore worker power as a counterbalance to corporate power.

Job Training & Skills Development

Help workers gain skills that command higher wages. Invest in education, apprenticeships, and retraining for the jobs of the future.

Universal Basic Income (UBI)

Provide every adult a regular cash payment regardless of work status. Decouple basic economic security from employment.

Education Quality

How should we ensure every child gets a quality education?

Increase & Equalize Funding

Spend more on education and distribute it more fairly. Poor districts shouldn't have poor schools just because property taxes fund them.

School Choice (Charters, Vouchers, ESAs)

Let parents choose where their children go to school. Public money follows the student to traditional public, charter, private, or home school.

Raise Standards & Accountability

Set clear expectations for what students should learn, test whether they've learned it, and hold schools accountable for results.

Invest in Teachers

Improve education by attracting, supporting, and retaining great teachers. Teachers are the most important in-school factor in student outcomes.

Empower Parents / Curriculum Transparency

Give parents more say in what and how their children learn. Require transparency about curriculum, classroom materials, and school policies.