Republican: El Paso County, CO
SENATE DISTRICT 11 CANDIDATE
DENNIS HISEY
Candidate Information
Senate District: 11
Campaign Website URL: www.DennisHisey.com
Email Address: DennisHisey2@gmail.com
Occupation/Vocation: Legislator
Resident of the El Paso County: 39 years
Experience
What experience (personal, professional, other) would you bring to your role as Senator that will benefit our state?
Growing up on a farm and being self-employed taught me the value and rewards of putting in a good day’s work to take care of your family. As a County Commissioner I learned how to manage large budgets and provide essential government services during lean times as I was Chair of the Board through much of the great recession where we downsized county staff by over 10%. As a Senator for these past three years, it is clear to me that the best thing government can do for its citizens is focus on core government functions. Government needs to get out of the way of workers trying to live the American Dream and parents instilling their values in their children.
Vision
What is your vision for being a Colorado State Senator?
My vision for the next 4 years is to have Colorado return to COMMOM SENSE LEADERSHIP. With a Republican majority in the State Senate, we will be able to stop the many bills that have been coming forward imposing the will of a liberal majority on our education system, often contradicting the values we teach our children at home. To stop the imposition of taxes disguised as fees to fund an out- of-control state budget. To stop legislation that has caused homes, energy, and even food prices to rise, disproportionally affecting the poor and elderly.
Election Reform
Do you believe that elections in Colorado should be conducted differently? Should voters in Colorado be required to verify their identity and residential status in the respective counties in which they vote? Are you in favor of a single-day, in-person voting system consisting of all-paper ballots? Why or why not?
Even with Colorado having some of the strictest protocols, voting procedures and post-election random audits there is much room for improvement. Single day polling place elections with valid government issued photo ID is critical in making sure only eligible voters cast ballots. Paper ballots are the most verifiable and can be very accurate as long as they are counted and rechecked by separate teams of tellers. 100% hand counting, given the length of a Colorado ballot would be a several months wait for us to know the certified outcome of the election. Given the impracticality of that, secure voting machines with no possibility of internet connection and robust random independent audits will provide trustworthy election results.
1st Amendment
What will you do as Colorado State Senator to protect our 1st Amendment rights to: the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, peaceably assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, all of which are becoming more difficult to exercise in America (and around the world)?
As a sitting state senator, I have fought and voted against many individual bills that have abridged our 1st Amendment rights intruding into our family lives. I have spoken out against executive orders, where I have no vote, but where the power of one man has deliberately and knowingly ignored the rights guaranteed in the 1st Amendment. I have signed onto bills that would limit the ability of any one person to wield that kind of power in the future. A state senator’s sphere of authority stops at the state line, some influence may extend beyond that as other states may copy good ideas, but we have very little influence in a global sense.
2nd Amendment
Do you believe that gun ownership is a civil right, and what are your positions in regards to red flag laws, magazine capacity bans, legislation that regulates gun storage, and permitless “Constitutional carry”?
I have voted against every attempt to curtail our constitutional right to keep and bear arms that has come in front of the senate during my service, including the red flag law and storage bills that intrude inside your home. I would welcome the opportunity to implement Constitutional Carry in Colorado.
Government Authority
Do you believe that the government has the legal power and authority to dictate what a person does with his or her body? If so, how?
I do not believe the government has the legal power or authority to control what a person does with their own body. However, when what a person does with or to their own body threatens the life and wellbeing of another person, of any age, that is when the authority of the government is required to step in to provide protection to the innocent or the threatened.
Education
As a State Senator, what will you do to improve the education of our K – 12 students? What is your position on parental authority in education, including school choice?
I am currently sponsoring HB22-1236 THE PARENTS BILL OF RIGHTS. This bill clearly states the parent is responsible for medical decisions of their child and the school cannot perform them without parental consent. Also, the parent has the right to direct the education of their child with the same moral values that are taught at home. Having utilized most of the school options available in Colorado with my own children, I care passionately about parents having choices. I will continue to support bills that put students first. I have supported several bills that would make money available to increase the pay of hard working high performing teachers.
School District Taxes
Do you believe that the Colorado legislature should make any adjustment to the level of taxes paid by residents in order to fund school district budgets? If so, how?
Colorado is very much a local control state, and every local school district has a board that, through the ballot box – for at least the last 30 years – set the rate homeowners pay. Those school boards work hopefully for the students but can only be removed by the voters. So, the legislature has no authority in those matters. However, we can pass legislation that would allow the money parents pay to follow the student should the parent choose to not use public school. We will need to change the majority party to make that happen.
National Popular Vote
What is your position on Colorado joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which would effectively eliminate the electoral college’s role in presidential elections in favor of a national popular vote?
I voted against joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and spoke against it on the floor. Tongue-in-Cheek I offered an amendment to the bill that as a cost saving measure, we would eliminate the presidential election in Colorado since we were agreeing to support whichever candidate California supported. The amendment was voted down as it should have been, but the point is that National Popular Vote takes away the voice of rural states. Something the founding fathers acknowledged – at the insistence of a few southern states.
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Christian voting
Voting is a simple, yet significant way to do something about public policy in our country. As people of faith, we will be held accountable for our actions, as well as our lack of action. (Luke 12:48)
Biblical worldview
By diligently learning, applying, and trusting God’s truths in every area of our lives, we can begin to develop a deep comprehensive faith that will stand against the unrelenting tide of our culture’s non-biblical ideas.
Vote your values
The issues of the day change. Political parties and platforms change. God’s Word never changes. The vote of every Christian should be based on the principles of Scripture and not persuasive personalities.
Electing righteous leaders
Bad governance and our loss of freedom is the direct result of the church’s failure to disciple. When the citizenry do not seek to be obedient to God’s Law, they vote in wicked and corrupt candidates, who then trample underfoot the God-given liberties of the people.