Legislative Questionnaire – 2026 Revision
Candidate Info
Candidate Name: Stephen Szczurko-Walton
Position Sought: State House Representative Position 1
Are you an incumbent for this position? Non-incumbent
Home Legislative District: LD-31
Are you a Democrat? Yes
Have you ever been a member of another party? No
Campaign Info
Campaign Manager or Point of Contact: Stephen Szczurko-Walton
Mailing Address: 1402 Lake Tapps Parkway SE #F104 PMB 141, Auburn, WA 98092
Phone: 8052842696
Email: stephen@stephen4district31.com
List social media sites:
Part I – Candidate Background
1. Please briefly describe your qualifications, education, employment, community and civic activity, union affiliation, prior political activity, and other relevant experience. What makes you the best candidate for this position or office? If possible, give practical examples.
For ten years I served my country as a US Naval nuclear reactor operator. I deployed three times–once to the Persian Gulf, and twice more to the South China Sea. I managed teams of sailors under high duress. I handled with great care our national security assets, and the trust of our allies by extension. I manned the skeleton crew while my shipmates sequestered and recovered from COVID—twice.
And after all of that, I watched with horror as insurrectionists assaulted our capitol while I was deployed.
In my last two years in the Navy, I earned my Masters in Public Administration to complement my BA in Political Science. Once out, I went to DC to lobby Senator’s Schumer and Gillibrand for Student Veterans of America. I campaigned for a friend of mine as his treasurer. After moving here, I immediately got to work organizing with Indivisible in Auburn, and supporting families in need through mutual aid.
I am the best candidate for this position because my Oath to the Constitution, and my service to my country did not lapse when I hung up my uniform.
2. What prompted you to run for this office?
When you look around, and no one else is standing up, that means it’s your turn.
3. What are your campaign’s most important priorities (three to five)? How do your priorities align with this position?
1. Affordability
2. Public Trust
3. Energy
4. How did you arrive at these priorities?
My son. I do not want my son to grow up in a country where tech oligarchs can buy elections, slash programs people depend on, and disavow their own obligations to our society. I do not want my son to grow up in a country where we continually wage war for an extractive energy source, while hampering energy sources that are abundant and cost-effective. I do not want my son to grow up in a society where every ounce of his personal life is extracted and sold back to him in a synthetic AI relationship.
I want my son to grow up in a society that values helping others, creating plenty for everyone, and securing autonomy and democracy.
5. What steps are you taking to run a successful campaign?
I am engaging local organizations like unions, colleges, faith groups, and activist organizations. I intend on exploring small businesses and community spaces that are sources of pride to the folks in the 31st. I am going to learn from my neighbors and get to know them better, so that I can learn how to serve them better.
6. Will you accept donations from large corporations or are you going to be a small donor campaign?
We will accept donations from organizations that align with our values. If there are unions or progressive PACs that agree with what I am offering, then we will accept those donations. I have no interest in accepting money from oil corporations, social media companies, or companies that engage in union busting.
7. What is the code of conduct for your campaign?
Be honest and frank with constituents. Keep contrasts about the record—not personal.
Part II – Yes or No Questions, please qualify your response if necessary
1. Do you support steps to build a fairer economy through tax reform and progressive taxes as wealth increases?
Yes
2. Do you support the right of workers to unionize and bargain, including public employees and excluding the military?
Yes
3. Do you support robust investment in publicly owned housing/subsidized housing for elderly and low-income individuals/families, and zoning changes to support such housing?
Yes
4. Do you support legislation to address climate change and protect our environment, including the Keep Washington Evergreen Act?
Yes
5. Do you support women’s unrestricted access to reproductive healthcare?
Yes
6. Do you support achieving a universal, affordable, quality single payer healthcare program?
Yes
7. Do you support laws regulating the purchase, ownership, and carrying of firearms?
Yes
8. Do you support the separation of church and state?
Yes
9. Do you support due process for everyone including undocumented immigrants?
Yes
10. Do you support accountabilty for ICE activities?
Yes
11. Do you support Keep Washington Working Act?
Yes
Part III – Free Response. Briefly answer the following questions.
1. What steps do you think need to be taken to improve voter turnout and increase voter trust in our election process?
Automatic registration for citizens at birth (not activated until they are 18) and making election day a holiday. There is no reason anyone who is legally allowed to vote should have any barriers to voting.
But improving voter turnout isn’t about what happens during the election—it’s about what happens after. If we don’t govern effectively and demonstrate that we are responsible fiduciaries of the public trust, then turnout will continue to suffer, and people’s nihilism will continue to dampen mobilization.
2. What safety, law, or justice reforms are you currently in favor of, and how will you work to implement them?
The state should use whatever authority we have to close the data broker loophole for surveillance. Commercial entities should not make surveilled data available on the open market to government entities unless those entities provide a judicial warrant. Where the federal government won’t act, we should. Where the federal government wants to preempt us, we should challenge them.
3. What legislative reforms do you support to achieve greater equity and inclusion for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals in our communities?
As a straight, white, cis man, I am not going to pretend that I know the struggles of BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ people in the 31st District today. I intend to listen to them. They know best what's going on in their lives. What I can do is learn about bills already on the table — bills the affected communities are pushing — and work to help dislodge ones that have stalled, if those communities want me to push. One example: Rep. Pollet's HB 2527 would require the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to enforce promises developers made when they took federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits — promises to let tenants buy their homes after 15 years that, in many cases, were never delivered. The bill had bipartisan co-sponsorship and significant Native-housing-advocate backing. It died in House Housing Committee in 2026.
4. What are some obstacles inherent in proposed legislative solutions to climate change? How would you approach those obstacles in order to best overcome or minimize any negative effects?
We need to expand the capacity of the state Utilities and Transportation Commission. Public Utility Commissions (like UTC) across the country are often not well-staffed or well-funded, and the scope and enormity of the problem climate change presents is beyond their capacity to manage the transition. Giving UTC a mandate on climate change and expanding its capacity to fulfill that mandate have the highest ROI for consumers and for Washington.
5. Do you think public schools are adequately funded? If not, what minimum requirements should be met in an adequately funded public school system? What specific forms of taxation would you support to attain that funding?
There should never be a reason for a school to have to pass a bond to expand capacity or improve ailing infrastructure. School districts should receive funding on a per capita basis from the state, and not by levying real estate or property taxes. The property tax system makes housing more expensive, and drives wealth inequality. Where you live shouldn’t dictate what opportunities you have in life.
By typing my name below, I declare under penalty of perjury the foregoing is true and correct.
Printed Name: Stephen Szczurko-Walton
Date: 05/06/2026
