2024 VoteDelaware Questionnaire Responses: Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay

1. The Education Equity Ombudsperson program was established to assist families remedy inequities in Delaware Schools. Will you continue to maintain the current annual funding of 1 million or increase the budget to support students statewide facing inequitable treatment?

YES

2. A recent independent report commissioned by the State of Delaware found that public schools across the state are underfunded by $600 million dollars and recommended increased per-pupil funding, transparency, and the flexibility to allocate resources. If elected what concrete steps would you propose to take to ensure districts close the funding deficit to provide a constitutionally adequate education?

We know that Delaware’s education funding system is past a critical decision-point. The current education funding formula, created during the Eisenhower Administration, is complex and clearly not meeting the needs of students, educators, or families. 

4. There are currently an estimated 5,000 undocumented children in Delaware living without access to basic healthcare services. This past session, the General Assembly failed to pass the “Cover All Children Act” which would have been a critical first step in developing a medical coverage program for children in Delaware who are not otherwise covered, including kids who are undocumented. Will you support legislation like the “Cover All Children Act” that ensures undocumented children are protected and cared for?  

YES
As the co-chair of the legislative Kids Caucus and a mom of two elementary school-aged daughters, I strongly support ensuring healthcare coverage for all children in Delaware- regardless of their immigration status. I was proud to be a co-sponsor of the “Cover All Kids Act” in 2022 and 2023 – immigration status shouldn’t dictate access to healthcare, and it is our duty to ensure all of Delaware’s children are set up for healthy lives.
 

5. Over the past few decades, many immigrants have chosen to make Delaware their home and have become vital members of our communities. Will you support increasing translation and interpretation services in government agency buildings and in public schools to help immigrants navigate the systems we all use? 

YES
I will promote the use of technology to facilitate communication and collaboration and reduce language barriers in accessing education, healthcare, and public assistance. Translation and interpretation services are just the beginning of what we can implement to promote access.

6. Currently, agricultural and domestic workers are exempt from state labor protections which means that workers in those fields, many of whom are immigrants and work dangerous jobs, are left with few ways to protect themselves. Will you support the removal of this exemption, so that all workers, regardless of their job, have the same protections? 

YES

8. Black maternal mortality rates continue to increase in Delaware, with the gap in healthcare disparities widening. Will you support the creation of a Reproductive Healthcare Equity Fund that would support the additional costs of accessing reproductive healthcare for uninsured or underinsured people and fund the recruitment and expansion of the number of healthcare providers, including doula providers, in the state? 

YES
I do support the creation of a Reproductive Health Equity Fund to ensure we as a state commit to eliminating any barriers to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare for all Delawareans. For me, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court ruling which overturned the longstanding legal precedent of Roe v. Wade was a reminder of how critical it is for us to continue to work in Delaware on all fronts to protect and expand access to abortion services, yes, but also maternal mental healthcare, pre- and post-natal services including doula support, and contraception access.

9. Delaware’s Clean Slate Act is set to become effective in August 2024. Will you ensure the more than 290,000 eligible records are cleared within your first 3 months in office?  

YES
When important legislation passes the General Assembly and is signed into law, it is a time for celebration, but it is also only the start of the work. It is the responsibility of the Executive Branch to ensure that legislative directives are carried out, adequately funded, and managed in a way that best serves the population of our state. As the Lieutenant Governor, I would work with the State Bureau of Identification (SBI), the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System (DELJIS), the Courts and other agencies to effectively implement Delaware’s Clean Slate Act. With the role of Lieutenant Governor comes the privilege of serving as the Chair of the Board of Pardons. As Chair, I would work alongside elected leaders and advocates to promote information about automatic expungements and opportunities to apply for pardons and similar relief.

10. Delaware’s probation system is broken. It does not provide the resources and support needed for successful reentry, while allowing for overly harsh punishment for minor infractions. Will you support legislation tailoring probation conditions to the needs and circumstances of the individual and restricting the use of incarceration when no new crime has been committed?  

YES
I believe that we need to reimagine how our probation system can best serve justice-involved people, while protecting victims and promoting public safety. The purpose of probation should not be retributive, and instead should have the goal of facilitating reentry after incarceration and continuing the rehabilitation that begins in corrections facilities. Delaware won’t reduce recidivism by continuing to penalize even the most minor violations. And we cannot continue to operate under the same probationary system that has led to stark racial inequalities in enforcement and supervision. Probation cannot be forgotten in our overarching goals to reform the criminal justice system.

11. It is well documented that older incarcerated adults are less likely to commit new crimes if released. Will you support legislation that would expand compassionate release for older incarcerated adults? 

YES
Yes, I would support legislation expanding compassionate release for older incarcerated adults.
 
This aging population, which studies have shown is unlikely to reoffend if released through this type of program, is often incarcerated as a result of antiquated drug laws and mandatory minimum statutes, which disproportionately impacted minority communities. Compassionate release is a program that acknowledges the dignity of aging incarcerated persons who have paid their debt to society, been rehabilitated, and are not a threat to the community.

In consultation with stakeholders, including both the Department of Correction and community advocates, I believe that it is possible and necessary to build a compassionate release program that recognizes the rehabilitation of our aging incarcerated population while also ensuring public safety and continuity of care for those released under any such program. 

12. Michigan is poised to be the first state in the country to apply its automatic voter registration to citizens returning from incarceration. Automatically registering these citizens to vote makes communities safer and can increase voter participation in historically disenfranchised communities. Will you direct the Commissioner of Elections to implement an automatic voter registration program under existing law for citizens returning from incarceration in Delaware?

YES
All returning citizens should be able to participate in our democracy. Disenfranchisement is antithetical to the principles of fairness, justice and equality. As a voting rights advocate, I sponsored and passed automatic voter registration (Senate Bill 5) which has increased new registrations by 26.1% at the Delaware DMV. This one simple change in process has had an outsized effect on voter registration and will continue to ensure that Delawareans have access to the polls.

13. Delaware law does not disenfranchise people incarcerated for misdemeanors and people incarcerated while awaiting trial. However, these voters are not offered an in-person opportunity to vote. Due to the difficulties of requesting and submitting absentee ballots while incarcerated, only 4 ballots were received from eligible incarcerated voters in 2022. Will you support adopting in-person voting opportunities for eligible, incarcerated voters?

YES
I will always advocate for eligible voters to have safe and accessible options for voting.