Here’s why we enthusiastically endorse Raya Arbiol for LD12 Assembly:
The “County Line” in primary election ballots: Being placed in a preferential ballot position unfairly benefits some candidates and disadvantages others. Recognizing the outsize influence of the “county line” primary election ballots on the outcomes of elections, and the considerable voter confusion that they cause, I will support changing the NJ primary ballot to an “Office Bloc” design as is used in every other state and in some counties in NJ (see http://ggcnj.org/resolution for more information).
Comment: This promotes individuality and gives a fair shot to every candidate.
Ballot Order: Following best practices in 16 states, I will support implementing a rotational ballot order system that ensures to the greatest extent possible that no candidate is advantaged over other candidates on the basis of their ballot placement by enabling all candidates running for the same office to receive first and subsequent ballot positions an equal number of times (see http://ggcnj.org/resolution for more details).
Comment: Ballot placement have a direct impact on votes. This proposal will ensure fairness.
Voter access: I support adopting parts of H.R.1 in New Jersey in order to increase voter participation, ensure access to the ballot box, and strengthen elections, including specifically same day registration, early voting and a paper trail for machine voting that enables verification.
Comment: This is a significant piece of legislation which will make voting easier and more accessible for all. The more people participating in the process the better it reflects the true choice of the majority.
Ethics reform: I support ethics reforms that would require broader disclosure of financial information and the release of income taxes by candidates for county-level and state-level public office, as a means of transparency.
Comment: Transparency for all public officials is a best practice to earn and keep the trust of the people they are serving.
Campaign funding: I support the public funding of campaigns for all state-level elected offices (i.e., the state legislature and gubernatorial elections).
Comment: Campaigns have become so expensive and inaccessible for most who genuinely want to serve their communities. Elections and campaign should not only be manipulated by those who are wealthy and influential.
Redistricting: I support placing a nonpartisan commission in charge of the legislative redistricting process.
Comment: Gerrymandering is quite an issue in our state. I firmly believe that redistricting should be led and run by non-partisan individuals and or organizations.
Public Advocate: I support passing legislation to reinstate the statewide Office of the Public Advocate that was eliminated in 2010.
Comment: In recent years, there has been a missing part in public service – the public. The public should be driven by the people thus reinstating the Office of the Public Advocate is a great way to bring back the public in public service.
Posting of bills: I support requiring bills to be posted a minimum of 72hrs prior to voting in the legislature, to allow legislators to read bills thoroughly and obtain feedback from the public.
Comment: These bills affect not only the few in our community but all members of our community. Legislators must have adequate time to read and review these bills to enable them to make a sound decision on behalf of the people they represent.
Legislative meetings: I support making all committee meetings accessible to the public for attendance and testimony by online means (e.g., via zoom) and streaming of voting sessions even after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, to increase availability and transparency of government.
Comment: The public should be a part of these meetings thus making it accessible to them is pertinent in the practice of true transparency and genuine democracy.
Full time legislature: I support making the state legislature full-time and prohibiting the simultaneous holding of other paid positions, so as to eliminate conflicts of interest and sources of influence and pressure on state legislators.
Comment: State legislation deserves a full and undivided attention. Making the state legislature full-time and prohibiting the simultaneous holding of other paid positions with conflict of interest should be adopted by our state.
More information about Raya Arbiol:
Email: rayaarbiol@gmail.com
Party affiliation: Democratic party
Date of Birth: 11/25/1983
Current Occupation: Small Business Owner
Education: WALDEN UNIVERSITY, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Doctor of Business Administration – Global Supply Chain, Present
UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Master of Business Administration – Operations Management, May 2017
Certificate in Supply Chain Management, August 2017
RUTGERS BUSINESS SCHOOL, Piscataway, New Jersey
Certificate in Supply Chain in a Digitized Network, April 2017
DREXEL UNIVERSITY, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Masters of Science in Information Systems (21/45 Credits), 2013-2014
MIDDLESEX COUNTY COLLEGE, Edison, New Jersey
Associate in Applied Science Major in Health Science (High Honors), May 2011
Certificate in Management, December 2011
Certificate in Project Management, May 2012
LINCOLN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, Edison, New Jersey
Certificate in Medical Assisting (Most Outstanding Student Award), August 2008
US NAVAL HOSPITAL CORPS SCHOOL, Great Lakes, Illinois
Hospital Corpsman Training (Top of the Class), June 2007
ADAMSON UNIVERSITY, Manila, Philippines
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (Magna Cum Laude), March 2004
Public/party service: POLITICAL TRAINING & EXPERIENCES
• New American Leaders (NAL) Ready to Lead (Southeast Region), May ‘21
• Emerge America National Bootcamp (Washington DC), March ‘19
• Progressive Change Campaign Committee National Candidate Training (Philadelphia, PA), April ‘19
• Emerge New Jersey (Woodbridge, NJ), January – June ‘18
• Center for American Women and Politics – Ready to Run (New Brunswick, NJ), March ‘18
• New Jersey Democratic Committee State Committee Candidate Training, May ‘18
• NJDCSC Building Our Future Program, June – July ‘18
• Pennsylvania Coordinated Summer Fellow Program – Hillary for America, June – September ‘16
You must be logged in to post a comment.