Chaunte Gilmore

Biography

Chaunte Gilmore is running for House District 100. She believes in keeping public dollars in public schools and protecting local control. Gimore will work to expand access to behavioral & mental health care, substance abuse care, and suicide prevention resources for communities across the state, especially for young people and our veterans. Food security and creating more affordable housing are key to a healthier community as well. She will also fight back against government overreach to protect the right to access reproductive healthcare for every person. She believes in raising the minimum wage to a living a wage that keeps up with inflation. She supports parental leave for mothers, fathers, and caretakers. 

Gilmore also advocates for investing in education funding for a diverse workforce. Oklahoma must also protect the rights of expression in the workplace for religious minorities, our LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized communities. In an effort to curb mass-incarceration, she believes we must be proactive in solving the root causes of crime and rehabilitate non-violent offenders. That means expanding pretrial diversion programs, ending cash bail to avoid turning county jails into make-shift debtors prisons and funding community programs and resources. She also supports veterans and says that from physical to mental health, employment, and housing, our Veterans need and deserve our support. Additionally, she believes that with the help of clean energy, public works projects, and green jobs, we can ensure a higher quality of life for generations to come.

Survey Issues

1.What do you feel should be the government’s role in public health and welfare?

As a physical therapist assistant, I believe that healthcare is a human right. If elected, I will work to expand access to behavioral & mental health care, substance abuse care, and suicide prevention resources for communities across the state, especially for young people and our veterans. Food security and creating more affordable housing are key to a healthier community as well. I will also fight back against government overreach to protect the right to access reproductive healthcare for every person. I believe the role of the government should be to ensure that services are streamlined, accessible, and that patients have access to equitable healthcare in a timely manner. It’s also their responsibility to implement and coordinate with local healthcare organizations/community based health programs the early intervention of healthy behaviors/lifestyles. In addition to addressing social determinants of health (i.e. employment, quality housing, and education). If elected, I look forward to strengthening our public health and well-being. 

2. What are your views on individuals being able to safely and securely access sensitive medical procedures in privacy and without state control? 

As a practicing healthcare worker, I understand how imperative it is to keep medical decisions between a patient and their doctor. Banning abortion, gender-affirming care, and other medical procedures is government overreach – plain and simple. I believe all Oklahomans are able to make their own medical decisions without intervention from the state legislature. 

3. What changes would you make to ensure every Oklahoman has the chance to participate meaningfully in the electoral process? 

We know Oklahoma has one of the lowest voter participation rates in the nation. After listening to thousands of her neighbors on their front porches, I understand Oklahomans aren’t apathetic – they’re experiencing many barriers to voting like work conflicts, lack of transportation, and busy lives that don’t fit into our current voting system. Expanding the early vote period, incentivizing electoral competition, and increasing awareness of the Oklahoma Voter Portal resource will move voters to the polls.

Additionally, I want to expand the knowledge to the voter base that they know any justice-involved individuals can vote once they’ve fully served their sentence of court-mandated calendar days, including any term of incarceration, parole or supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered by any court. 

4. Currently, only one political party in Oklahoma allows Independent voters to participate in primary elections. What will you do to ensure that all registered voters are able to fully express their political preferences? 

I am proud that the Democratic Party has opened their primaries to Independent voters, encouraging a large group of Oklahomans to engage in primary elections. Depending on the particular policy, I would support open primaries in our state. 

5. Research from Pew Research Center indicates that “the role of money in politics” is consistently one of the top concerns of American voters across the ideological spectrum. What will you do to address this growing issue? 

I want to champion transparency and anti-corruption efforts as a State Representative. I believe that fully funding the Oklahoma Ethics Commission is critical. This year the Ethics Commission asked the state legislature to restore their funding, which has shrunk by ⅔ since FY 2016. There hasn’t been a deputy director in 8 years or funds for candidate and committee education programs. She hopes to work across the aisle to support this critical state agency. 

6. Many Oklahomans experience discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and other factors; how would you address these problems as an elected leader? 

As a child I experienced homelessness. This impacted every aspect of my life, especially my learning in the classroom. I was that hungry kid in school. In spite of this I went on to earn my B.S. from Oklahoma State University (Allied Health) and MBA from Mid-America Christian University (Healthcare Administration) through Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program. I was the first in my family to go to college. This personal experience will make me the legislator HD 100 deserves, asking the questions that might not be thought of and speaking to lived realities that aren’t shared with my colleagues 

7. How will you ensure that First Amendment rights to freedom of religion, speech, protest, and press are protected from infringement? 

I will support, uplift, and create policy that monitors government infringement, educates the public of their right to protest and or advocate, and ensures legal protections for the first amendment.

8. What issues do you see in our criminal legal system that could be reformed to be more equitable and efficient? 

Oklahoma is #1 in the world for incarceration of women and #3 in the nation for the incarceration of men per capita. In an effort to curb mass-incarceration, we must be proactive in solving the root causes of crime and rehabilitate non-violent offenders. That means expanding pretrial diversion programs, ending cash bail to avoid turning county jails into make-shift debtors prisons and funding community programs and resources. 

9. What measures would you take to address food insecurity in Oklahoma? Socioeconomic disparities, homelessness, and poor infrastructure of distribution of food systems all contribute to food insecurity in Oklahoma. Streamlining or food distribution and decreasing our food deserts especially in marginalized communities and rural Oklahoma. As a state we would need to partner with state organizations and community organizations to address the economic impact on food insecurity, infrastructure of food distribution, food deserts and social challenges to meet our state’s nutritional needs. 

10. How would you protect people renting in Oklahoma from predatory landlords and expand affordable housing options in our state? 

The relationship between a landlord and a tenant can be contentious at times. I would first address the eviction process and increase the time a tenant has to respond to the landlord of the eviction. I would like to create a policy for protection of renters that would address the ability of a landlord to raise rent. It’s crucial to build more accessible affordable housing in local communities. Creating anti retaliation laws to protect tenants from abusive behavior of landlords.