Lindsey Prather, candidate for NC House District 115

Name: Lindsey Prather

Political party: Democrat

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 34

Campaign website: www.pratherfornc.com

Occupation: Assistant director of Admissions at UNC Asheville

Education: BA in Sociology from UNC Asheville, NC Teaching License, MPA from Western Carolina

Have you run for elected office before? No

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I was a high school teacher for six years, including civics. I have served in various roles in the local Democratic Party, including as precinct chair, cluster leader, and on boards for the Democratic Women, Young Democrats and Teen Democrats.

What are the three issues that you see as most important to your district and what will you do to address them?

Education, the environment and cost of living. I support fully funding our public schools and investing in our teacher education programs. I support investing more in our state housing trust fund and raising the minimum wage. I support protecting our public lands and investing in resilience measures to address long-term issues like flooding and landslides.

At a time when costs are rising, state government has a surplus. How should it be used?

Funding our public schools, starting with universal Pre-K. Research has shown that investing in school personnel and investing early on in a child’s life yields the best returns.

Will you vote for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina?

Yes.

What has the legislature gotten right, and what has it gotten wrong, about public education in North Carolina?

In terms of things they’ve gotten right, the legislature brought back parts of the NC Teaching Fellows Program. But general funding is abysmal, the Leandro Plan is being ignored and we need to invest more in our rural school districts.

Should North Carolina change its abortion laws? How?

There should be fewer restrictions on abortion after 20 weeks.

Please add anything else voters should know about your position on the legality or availability of abortion in North Carolina.

Abortion is a medical procedure that should be addressed by the patient and doctor. Politicians are not physicians and should not write laws that have immeasurable, unintended consequences. I trust women to make decisions about their own bodies.

Should medical marijuana be legalized in North Carolina?

Yes.

What, if anything, should the legislature do to shape curriculum dealing with topics of race, sexuality and gender?

The legislature should leave curriculum decisions to professional educators.

Do you accept the results of the 2020 presidential election?

Yes.