Dalton Haas (District 3)

Please provide some basic information about yourself.

Name Dalton Haas

Office Sought House of Delegates

City/Town Wheeling

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

Decriminalize non violent possession of marijuana arrests.

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?

I do not support the practice of civil asset forfeiture. I would work to ban this practice.

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?

I would work to make changes that a person cannot be incarcerated for a certain period of time before their trial.

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?

I believe that our state should work to find an alternative solution to reduce out-of-home placements for system-involved juveniles. This is a subject that I would more than willing to research more and to find a plausible answer for this problem.

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

I would like to look into the thought of making it easier for people to vote. With this, even though I would like to make it easier for people, we need to make sure that people are still being identified on who they are.

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 do not believe the state legislature should be implementing a certain religion in schools, however if a certain school system and or school wants to implement it on their own, the state should not intervene.

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?

I support the statewide law prohibiting discrimination. It does not matter if you disagree with the people of different sexual orientation and gender identities, they are still people and deserve a chance at life like anyone else.

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 the accepting of refugees in our state. Under the condition of making sure they are background checked and are working on the process of citizenship if not already.

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?

There is no stronger Pro-Life candidate in this race than me.