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Healthcare
4.00
Economics
4.00
Candidate Name
Sharon Wight
District
State House District 81
Values
Grade
Values
Party
Democrat
Experience
Challenger
Grade
Democracy
4.00
Accessibility
4
Governance
4
Cost
Choice
4
4
Freedom
Voting
4
4
Community
4.00
A+
Overall Grade
Education
4.00
Affordability
Equity
Opportunity
4
4
4
Environment
Public Safety
Inclusion
4
4
4
Stability
Funding
Belonging
4
4
4
Notable Information
Candidate Name
Candidate for:
State House District 81
Democrat
Challenger
Notable Information
MADVoters Survey Responses
Healthcare: The Big Beautiful Bill is projected to cut $31 billion from Indiana’s Medicaid funding, including almost $13 billion in hospital funding, over the next decade. What will you do if elected to ensure healthcare affordability and access given these changes? (Source: Indiana Hospital Association)
"I would work to ensure that there is a back up to the current back up, that is, the SDPP plan. The fact that our response in this state to Medicaid reduction is to create a second program that ultimately is a reduction program is irresponsible. We cannot control what happens at the federal level, outside of working with our colleagues in Washington, but we CAN control what happens in Indiana. We need to look at structures that other states, like Massachusetts, have used to ensure that our citizen receive care that does not put them into debt. We need a system that meets the needs of our citizens who cannot get care due to jobs that do not provide it, who want to own small businesness, who are underpaid and cannot afford the insurance provided through their employment, or who get laid off and cannot afford the presented coverage. It is about changing the structure, not responding with another program that will disappear in 5 years.
Another area that we should look at is ensuring that large hospital networks are charging rates that make sense, both for Indiana in general but also in comparison to other parts of the country, AND takes into consideration where various hospitals are located. Rural hospitals need support, and if large hospital networks are going to sweep in (such as Parkview in Northern Indiana in my district) and take over smaller hospitals, they need to adjust their pricing to reflect the area. One way we can ensure that large hospital networks remain affordable for everyone is to examine their pricing, and if it is above a certain average, revoke not for profit status as applicable. We also need to examine how hospital networks treat the individuals who work for them - if they are not paid a living wage with benefits that allow them to stay healthy, we also need to consider those corporate practices. "
Economics: AI and data centers are having a huge impact on jobs and communities across the nation, particularly in Indiana. What is Congress’s role in addressing this developing technology? What action will you take to hear and represent the concerns of Hoosiers on this topic?
Economics: Dozens of AI data centers are planning to come to Indiana, drawn by the state’s “business-friendly” reputation. How should Indiana manage these large industrial site proposals and their potential impact on communities? (Source: Citizens Action Coalition)
We need a full scale review of past data center legislation. Data centers have been able to come into our state under the radar, with certain promises from the corporate end that are not being upheld. They are not providing jobs as promised, they are getting massive tax abatements, and they are destroying our environment. When a proposal is made, corporations should not be given a tax abatement unless they have a plan and timeline in place for how they are going to give back to their community, and if they do not meet benchmarks proposed, they should be fined. My preference would be that these centers did not have a place in our communities, but if they are going to become our reality, they need to pay their fair share, and have specific plans in place to fix the environments that they disrupt. Those plans need to be equitable to the environment they disrupt and remain in the area where the disruption occurred. I recall at one point, when the data center was built in southeast Allen County, that the plan was to build up wetland area in northwest Allen County, but it appears it could be anywhere in the country. This relocation does not meet the standard of replacing our wetlands in an equal to to their disruption.
WPTA 21 Alive, September 19, 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb5x5prq2lc
WBOI 89.1, November 14, 2025: https://www.wboi.org/government/2025-11-14/idem-hears-three-hours-of-comment-on-requested-diesel-generators
Data Center Dynamics, September 22, 2025: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/indiana-approves-expanding-googles-fort-wayne-data-center-campus-onto-protected-wetlands-despite-local-opposition/
Education: Describe your stance on the Department of Education and its role in education administration, funding, and protections for students with disabilities.
Education: Since 2012, Indiana has spent over $5.5 billion in taxpayer dollars on charter schools and the private school voucher program. If elected, would you support or oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to funding private schools and charter schools? Why or why not? (Source: ICPE)
I oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to fund private and charter schools. Many of my family members work in public education, and I am a graduate of public education from kindergarten through my graduate degrees. I am a staunch believer that public education allows our children to engage with people from diverse backgrounds, to learn empathy, and to be educated with consistent standards. I
I believe that when dollars are directed toward public education, and teachers are allowed to do what they do best without having to worry about funding, we see dividends in how future generations contribute. Additionally, with proper funding, teachers do not have to give as much of their own hard earned dollars in purchases for their classrooms - teachers are one of the only fields that require a degree, continuing education, and provide absolutely no reimbursement for purchases made for their work environment.
Private and charter schools do have a place, but this is something that should be privately funded through parental funds, grants and private funding, not through taxpayer money.
Democracy: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge or threat facing our democracy right now? If elected, what will you do to help overcome this challenge or threat?
That corporate interests and profits are more important that the people who live on Earth every day. Corporate America is what drives so many of the decisions that are made at all levels of government, and often without giving the people the ability to respond prior to those decisions being made. We saw this in Indiana with data centers; laws were put on the books in 2019 when data centers were not even on the average individual's radar, and now they are being built en masse across our state.
This also speaks to the transparency that occurs in many of these decisions. Decisions are made behind closed doors, without full information given to the public. At times, it even seems that those engaged in regulatory practices are also not given the full information. We saw this recently in Allen County. At the No Quarry on Homestead hearing on May 26, 2026, it was confirmed that vital traffic and floodwater studies, among others, had not actually taken place prior to the proposal.
There is a glimpse of hope, however. At the No Quarry hearing, people rose up against a corporate entity to reject a quarry being built in our county. Thousands of people signed a petition, donated to the cause, and over 1000 people showed up at a council hearing to protest the project. I was one of the first representative candidates to become aware of this proposal, in late March. I immediately told other candidates, and started paying close attention to what was taking place. If elected, I would continue to watch for instances like this, and take swift action as well as bring along my peers. Democracy is a team sport, that requires that representatives listen to their people, take notice when harm might occur, and work to mitigate it.
Sources:
No Quarry on Homestead: https://noquarryonhomestead.com/
Fort Wayne Business Weekly, May 26, 2026: https://www.fwbusiness.com/news/article_9fe95f07-4af7-46e8-956c-5ae2dc9970d6.html
WANE 15, May 26, 2026: https://www.wane.com/top-stories/anti-quarry-group-highlights-project-proposal-issues-ahead-of-public-hearing-presentation/
Community: Describe your stance on ICE and its role in immigration enforcement and detention.
Community: What role or responsibility do local and state governments have with regards to immigration enforcement?
First, I do not think that local or state police forces or national guards should be leveraged for federal immigration activities. The law that we passed this year in the Indiana State House was, in my opinion, entirely outside of the scope of what our forces should be used for. Occasionally, I am sure, if there is a specific target in mind our local forces might be leveraged, but to write a blanket policy saying if ANY activity is going on related to immigration enforcement that those forces MUST participate is highly unusual and entirely unacceptable. Our immigrant communities deserve to feel safe in the place they have chosen for their families after, in many cases, coming from places that were NOT safe.