Democratic Democratic Republican Republican Otter Party

Platform Evidence platform Evidence

Abortion Abortion We believe Abortion the unborn child We believe that
should be legal that every woman should be has a fundamental abortion is a
in the U.S. and should have illegal in the right to life which private matter, and
should be access tosafe U.S. cannot be infringed. should be left up
affordable and legal We support a to the individual.
abortion human life
regardless of amendment to the
where she lives, Constitution and
how much money legislation to make
she makes, or clear that the
how she is Fourteenth
insured. page 33 Amendments
protections apply to
children before
birth. page 13
Capital Capital We will abolish Capital The We believe that
Punishment Punishment the death penalty, Punishment is constitutionality of capital punishment
should be which has proven against the 5th the death penalty is should be legal
illegal in the to be a cruel and amendment. firmly settled by its federally, but
U.S. unusual form of explicit mention in should only be
punishment the Fifth used for violent
The application Amendment. With criminals.
of the death the murder rate
penalty is soaring in our great
arbitrary and cities, we condemn
unjustIt does the Supreme
not deter crime. Courts erosion of
And, the right of the
exonerations people to enact
show a dangerous capital punishment
lack of reliability in their states.
for what is an Page: 40
irreversible
punishment.
page 15
Cost of College Every student we see wide College should The federal The Otter Party
Edu. deserves to disparities in be made more government should believes that the
have an educational affordable, but not be in the cost of college
affordable outcomes across its not the business of should not be free
debt-free racial and governments originating student but should be
college socioeconomic place. loans. In order to affordable. As a
education. lines. A college bring down college nation we cannot
degree or another costs and give allow the economy
form of post- students access to a stop an individual
secondary multitude of from getting a
education is financing options, higher education,
increasingly private sector while at the same
required for jobs participation in time we cannot
that pay a student financing allow the system
 middle-class should be restored. to be abused.
wage, but
graduation rates
have stagnated
for low-income
students. And the
high cost of
college has
required too
many Americans
to take out
staggering
student loans or
put a degree out
of reach entirely.
Page 27

Global Climate Climate change Fifteen of the 16 Climate Climate change is Climate change is
Change is real and is a hottest years on change is not far from this a major problem
threat to the record have an important nations most and we need to
world and our occurred this issue. pressing national come together and
nation. century2016 is security issue. This save the planet.
on track to break is the triumph of We cannot be free
global extremism over if we dont have
temperature common sense, and an Earth to be free
records once Congress must stop on.
more. Cities from it.
Miami to Page: 20
Baltimore are
already
threatened by
rising seas.
California and
the West have
suffered years of
brutal drought.
Alaska has been
scorched by
wildfire. New
York has been
battered by
superstorms, and
Texas swamped
by flash floods.
Page 24

Gun Control Democrats With 33,000 In strong favor We uphold the We believe that the
believe in Americans dying of the 2nd right of individuals 2nd amendment
putting stricter every year too amendment. to keep and bear should be strongly
laws on gun many families in arms, a natural protected.
ownership and America have inalienable right
closing suffered from gun that predates the
 dangerous violence. Constitution and is
loopholes. Page 35 secured by the
Second
Amendment.
Lawful gun
ownership enables
Americans to
exercise their God-
given right of self-
defense for the
safety of their
homes, their loved
ones, and their
communities.
Page: 12
Legalization of There should the federal Not in favor of The progress made We believe
Marijuana be less government to the legalization over the last three marijuana should
restrictions on remove of Marijuana, decades against be completely
marijuana. marijuana from but drug abuse is legal. Marijuana
the list of acknowledge eroding, whether should be
Schedule 1 that its for cultural reasons regulated as it
federal controlled becoming legal or for lack of were equivalent to
substances and to more places. national leadership. alcohol.
appropriately In many
regulate it...And jurisdictions,
we recognize our marijuana is
current marijuana virtually legalized
laws have had an despite its illegality
unacceptable under federal law.
disparate impact Page: 40
in terms of arrest
rates for African
Americans that
far outstrip arrest
rates for whites
Page 14
Police and Racial Police training Democrats are Republicans The next president We believe there
Minorities should be committed to recognize a must restore the are problems
reformed, it is reforming our disconnect publics trust in law between the police
problematic criminal justice between law enforcement and and minorities in
and needs to be system and enforcement civil order by first some places but
fixed in ending mass and the public, adhering to the rule not all. As a nation
relation to incarceration. and want to fix of law himself we need to rebuild
racial Something is it. Does not Two grave the trust of the
minorities. profoundly mention problems relationship
wrong when minorities. undermine the rule between the public
almost a quarter of law on the and law
of the worlds federal level: Over- enforcement.
prison population criminalization and
is in the United over-
14 States, even federalization.
though our Page: 39
 country has less
than five percent
of the worlds
population.
Page 13-14
Religious Democrats will We need to Republicans We reaffirm the We believe the 1st
Freedom fight to protect promote civility strongly Constitutions amendment should
religious and speak out support the 1st fundamental be strongly
freedoms. against bigotry amendment. principles: limited protected.
and other forms government, Especially when
of intolerance separation of its the people
that have entered powers, individual speaking against
our political liberty, and the rule the government.
discourse. It is of law. We The government
unacceptable to denounce bigotry, cant fix problems
target, defame, or racism, anti- that they dont
exclude anyone Semitism, ethnic know exisr
because of their prejudice, and
race, ethnicity, religious
national origin, intolerance.
language, Therefore, we
religion, gender, oppose
age, sexual discrimination
orientation, based on race, sex,
gender identity, religion, creed,
or disability. disability, or
Page 16 national origin
Page: 9
Deficit Spending Democrats do Democrats Republicans Our national debt We believe the
not want to add understand believe that the is a burden on our national debt is a
to the national responsible fiscal national debt is economy and big problem,
debt, but stewardship is a threat to families. The huge because thats
understand key to American Americans. increase in the what nations start
when its democracy and to national debt wars over$$$
necessary. the countrys demanded by and
long-term incurred during the
economic current
prosperityWe Administration has
will also ensure placed a significant
that new burden on future
spending and tax generations. We
cuts are offset so must impose firm
that they do not caps on future debt,
add to the accelerate the
nations debt over repayment of the
time. trillions we now
Page: 23 owe in order to
reaffirm our
principles of
responsible and
limited
government,
 Page: 8

Federal Military Democrats We must Republicans Congress and the We believe that we
and Defense support smart prioritize military believe we Administration need to spend
Spending and innovative readiness by should only should work money on safety,
military making sure our spend the together to approve but also spend
spending, Active, Reserve, money if we military spending at safely.
and National have to. the level necessary
Guard to defend our
components country. We must
remain the best not be encumbered
trained and by decades old,
equipped in the legacy procurement
world. We will processes.
seek a more agile Page: 42
and flexible force
and rid the
military of
outdated Cold
War-era
systems.
Page: 36