Making it to class on time, spending less than $30 in a night at Kilroy’s, binge watching the latest season of Family Guy on Netflix – these are the types of things many students at IU preoccupy themselves with on a day to day basis. But for IU Senior, Drew Ash, each passing day is a new opportunity to get one step closer to his goal of representing Indiana’s 61st state house district in the Indiana House of Representatives.
Being only a senior in college, some people may think that Ash lacks the experience necessary to be successful if elected to public office. However, Ash and many of his supports take a different stance and believe that the current two-party political system is broken. Running as an independent, Ash believes that the polarizing views created by the two-party system have by and large failed, and what the political system really needs is candidates who are able to offer a fresh set of ideas to take on today’s most difficult challenges.
With prior experience working for similar political campaigns looking to shake up politics – such as his experience volunteering for Bernie Sanders’s campaign – and as a policy analysis and environmental management major in IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Ash believes he has the training and passion to be effective once elected to office.
Conversely, Ash’s opponent, Matt Pierce, has held office since 2002 and has run unopposed since 2010 – something that Ash has been determined to change since first starting his campaign early in his Junior year at Indiana University. Ash’s first hurdle and test of commitment towards achieving this goal was getting a spot on the ballot. Through a self-led movement that included going door to door to hear the concerns of Hoosiers first-hand, Ash was able to easily surpass the 800 petition signatures needed to get on the ballot. Additionally, Ash has also been committed to ensuring that IU students get the opportunity to have their voices heard by helping his fellow students register to vote. Throughout his campaign, Ash has created a campaign website, gained support through his campaign Facebook page, and even faced-off against his opponent in live debates – all while maintaining his pledge to only accept contributions from individual donors.
Throughout Ash’s platform is a message of protecting middle-class Hoosiers as he’s seeking to:
- enact legislation that will challenge Citizens United v. FEC (a supreme court ruling which has opened the door for corporations to make large campaign donations),
- raise minimum wage from $7.25 to at least $12.00/hour,
- repeal “Right-to-Work” legislation that makes it harder for employees to unionize,
- and reconstruct income taxes to become more reflective of Hoosier residents’ ability to pay
Likewise, Ash also feels strongly about protecting the environment, reforming K-12 education, making college education more affordable, enacting common sense gun control laws, and even legalizing and regulating the use of marijuana by Hoosiers age 21 years and older. His biggest goal, perhaps, is ridding the political system of big money, something that he’s attempted to do through his own example, refusing to take out-of-state, corporate, or union contributions.
Ash may be a political outsider - one who hasn’t become intertwined in the current political system - but maybe that’s just what Hoosiers need.
For more information, including Ash's position on key issues, campaign news, and links to donate/volunteer, visit http://www.voteash2016.com .
And of course, don’t forget to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 8th, 2016.
