Nikki Ardman - 38th District | ACLU West Virginia

Please provide some basic information about yourself.

Name Nikki Ardman

Office Sought House of Delegates 38th

City/Town Charleston

From 1980 to 2016 the West Virginia state prison population has increased by 470%. What, if anything, would you change to reverse this trend?

Decriminalizing marijuana is a good step. Also, revisiting cases of inmates who committed non-violent and victimless crimes for the possibility of reducing their sentence.

Civil asset forfeiture is a process where police can seize any property "related" to criminal activity and later can file a civil case to forfeit the property to either be used or auctioned for money which is shared between the police department and local prosecutor. This can happen regardless of whether there is a criminal conviction or even criminal charges brought against a person.Proponents say this is a useful tool for taking ill-gotten gains from criminals and funding police work, and that legal protections adequately prevent abuse of the system.Critics say the system amounts to theft, that many people cannot afford the legal costs to challenge a forfeiture action, and that it creates a perverse incentive for police.Do you support or oppose the practice of civil asset forfeiture? What, if any, reforms would you make to the practice?

While I don't want those gains to waste away, they would better-support society at large if they're funneled into programs that actually uplift individuals within their respective communities. Some examples would be recovery programs, mentoring programs, job training, and housing development.

More than half the population of West Virginia's regional jails are pre-trial. That means they haven't been found guilty of any crime yet. Most are there because they could not afford bail, though some are there because they were denied a chance to post bail. What changes, if any would you make to our pretrial and/or bail system to balance concerns about safety and court efficiency with ensuring we are not incarcerating people without due process?

The absence of due process within a reasonable time-frame should be limited. That is, if bail cannot be made, and trial is delayed, after a set amount of time, inmates should be released until trial can be set. "Innocent until proven guilty" is not only a philosophy, but it's the law of the land. Prove guilt or let them go, lest we allow our system of governing to lose credibility.

In 2015 West Virginia passed significant reforms to the juvenile justice system. Despite these reforms, the State still utilizes out of home placement at a high rate for system-involved youth. What, if anything, should West Virginia do to reduce out-of-home placements for system-involved juveniles?

Juveniles are children, and their environments have a bigger impact on them that requires intensive treatment. With that said, improving their environments need our full attention. Support programs, such as those offered to grandfamilies, can be expanded to include parents who are struggling to provide adequate and wholesome environments for their children.

West Virginia has a very low voter participation rate. What changes, if any, would you make to increase voter participation?

I've juggled this through every measure in my mind, but I feel that none of it will work without our concerted effort to return more integrity to our public offices. The people have lost faith in their government; it's our responsibility to prove ourselves as public servants. If we supply authenticity, they will vote.

Over the past few years, there has been legislation aimed at requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools, allowing a Bible-based elective, or faith-based drug prevention electives. What is your stance on incorporating religion into the public schools?

I'm reluctant to get behind these movements, mostly because I believe in freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. However, I'll make not here about the successes of religious-based programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. As a Christian Universalist, myself, I would permit that all religions be taught in public schools as an elective, by instructors who are highly qualified to teach about them. History teachers with a background in theology, as well as regions of the world, would be best-suited to teach those elective courses. No ONE religion should be emphasized to the exclusion of others.

At least 20 states have passed laws prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. 13 West Virginia municipalities have similar protections. Do you support or oppose a statewide law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in West Virginia? Why?

Of course! Answering why is quite layered, but I can't imagine any form of discrimination would be good for our state as a whole. While it may afford a comfortable homogeneous lifestyle for those who would discriminate, the effects are devastating to the victims of discrimination. That devastation leads to a multitude of problems for groups that are most-likely to be targets of discrimination. Keeping people down raises nobody up, despite their delusions about their superiority. When every individual does well, their communities follow suit, our state improves and becomes more welcoming to ALL, and ultimately our country thrives with the added improvement of the lives who sustain it.

In December 2019, Governor Justice announced that West Virginia would continue accepting refugees. Do you support or oppose accepting refugees in West Virginia? Under what conditions? Why?

I support accepting refugees into our country and our state. Our state is full of strong and compassionate people, and it seems that we become even stronger when we see a need and organize to satisfy it. We're strongest when we're helping each other.

Q10

Over the past few years, some states have continued to erode protections and access to abortion care. Other states have done the opposite and codified abortion rights that had previously been defined by courts. Do you favor further restrictions to abortion, expanding or codifying abortion rights, or taking no action on abortion?

Abortion is a medical procedure that I have never received, nor do I know how to perform. This is a woman's medical business between herself and her doctor. We need not abandon HIPAA laws for the sake of judgement and control. Women deserve to decide whether this procedure is right for their circumstances, for their lives, for their socioeconomic status, for their right to life as they see fit, liberty in our free country, and their pursuit of happiness.