Election: US House of Representatives District 8

U.S. House of Representatives, District 8 includes Chestnuthill and Polk townships in Monroe County.

The following Information is supplied by the Monroe County League of Women Voters.

Matt Cartwright

Democrat

Address: Scranton

Online: http://www.cartwrightcongress.com, twitter.com/CartwrightPA, http://www.facebook.com/cartwrightpa.

Education: Hamilton College, Bachelor of Arts in History University of Pennsylvania, Juris Doctorate

Qualifications: Currently serving in third term in the U.S. House. Member, House Committee on Appropriations and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. During my time in Congress, I’ve introduced more bipartisan bills than any other member of my party.

What are your top three priorities in office?

Number one priority is to bring additional good-paying, family-sustaining jobs to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Number two is providing health and retirement security for seniors and veterans. Three is to make health care also affordable for working families, which includes bring down the price of prescription drugs.

If elected, what will you do to ensure that the voting rights of all Americans are protected and that our elections are accessible and secure from internal and external threats?

As a congressman, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect the integrity of our nation’s political process. Our democracy depends on every citizen having an equal voice. That’s why this Congress I reintroduced the Time Off to Vote Act. My bill would require employers to grant workers at least two hours of paid leave to vote in federal elections.

I also introduced the OPEN Act which would improve transparency in elections by requiring corporations to disclose political expenditures to its shareholders. I am also a proud co-sponsor of the Voting Rights Amendment Act. This bill would strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by restoring the ability of the federal government to ensure states and localities are not passing voter suppression laws which illegally disenfranchise our voters. As long as I am in Congress I will work to protect voting rights and the integrity of our elections.

John Chrin

Republican

Address: Palmer Township

Online: http://johnchrin.com, twitter.com/JohnChrin, http://www.facebook.com/johnchrinforcongress.

Education: Lehigh University, BS/BA with honors in economics and industrial engineering; Columbia University, MBA

Qualifications: Born and raised in Northeast Pennsylvania; former managing director at JPMorgan Chase, former global financial services executive-in-residence at Lehigh; partner, Circle Wealth Management

What are your top three priorities in office?

Economic Growth — My background is in business, not politics. I grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania and spent my life working around the country. We have an opportunity to attract new employers and industries to NEPA with leaders from the private sector who know how business works and can advocate for the middle class.

Immigration — We need to secure our borders and put in place an immigration policy which works, will be enforced, is fair and prioritizes our national goals. The flow of illegal immigrants and contraband such as weapons and drugs across our southern border must be stopped. Sanctuary cities encourage people to come to this country and threaten the safety of law-abiding citizens.

Infrastructure — Modern infrastructure is necessary to drive economic development and enhance our citizens’ quality of life. We must work to rebuild our nation’s roads, bridges and airports. Bringing high-speed internet to rural areas like NEPA will be a top priority of mine in Congress

If elected, what will you do to ensure that the voting rights of all Americans are protected and that our elections are accessible and secure from internal and external threats?

The growing incidence of cyberwarfare between nations and terrorists is a threat to election integrity and our national security. Americans deserve to know that our country is prepared for the future of warfare. It’s another reminder that the rapid sophistication of the digital world has left policy makers unable to keep up. Transparency is a fundamental value of American democracy and it should be applied in this case.

We must protect our democracy from third party manipulation. We should make a commitment for the federal government to help the states modernize their voting infrastructure. The violation of millions of Americans’ privacy rights on Facebook is unacceptable. The advent of social media and artificial intelligence has created an opportunity for an individual’s data to be monetized. The government should consider making sure that Americans’ data is handled with the same strict privacy standards whether it is financial, medical or social.