Voter Guide: Miranda Marquit (D)

• Background politically and professional:
  • I was Chair of the Bonneville County Democratic Party for several years and currently serve as Vice Chair. Additionally, I have served my community on various nonprofit boards and been appointed to mayoral committees and school district steering committees.
  • I’ve worked on various campaigns, including turning CEI into a college and Medicaid Expansion. I’ve also helped with the Yes on 1 campaign.
  • Professionally, I’m a freelance writer, podcaster and speaker. I consult with companies on various aspects of content creation. I also organize retreats and professional events, present to employee resource groups and teach workshops.
• Career/Education:
  • MBA, Utah State University
  • MA, Journalism, Syracuse University
  • BS, Communications, Southern Utah University
• Personal information:
  • I grew up in Idaho Falls, graduating from Skyline High School. I’ve been back in Idaho Falls since 2015, serving in my community in various capacities. My son graduated from high school here in Idaho Falls and currently attends CEI, where he’s on the Dean’s List and is the captain of one of the esports teams.
    
    Living in Idaho Falls has been a blessing to my family. I enjoy making use of our public lands and frequently spend time hiking, camping, snowshoeing, and soaking in hot springs. I’m connected to the community, participating in activities like trivia night, attending the symphony, and supporting various arts and education programs.
    
• What issues do you feel are important and what would you do if elected:
  • Affordable housing, public education funding and access to mental health services are three of the issues people speak with me about.
    
    The state has an affordable housing fund that has yet to be properly funded. I’d push for us to use some of the money from our multi-year surpluses to start building that fund. We received some great one-time funds from the Biden Administration in our state, and were able to use some of that money to alleviate issues in Eastern Idaho. I’d also push to reverse the 2016 cap our state’s homeowners exemption. As home values have risen, the cap hasn’t kept pace leaving many of our seniors vulnerable.
    
    Our state repeatedly has "surpluses" of between $500 million and $1 billion a year. This indicates under-investment in our communities and our citizens. A good example of ongoing under-investment is in our healthcare infrastructure. Between our lack of investment in mental health services and draconian laws that have led to the closing of multiple labor and delivery wards, the health of our families suffers. I would work to reverse laws like SB1329 that put our youth’s mental health at risk.
    
    Finally, I’m against the school voucher scheme that will siphon money away from public education, which still hasn’t recovered from the cuts made in 2009 (factoring inflation). We should be trying to attract good teachers with student loan forgiveness programs, good pay, and respect for their professionalism.
    
    
• Website: https://mirandamarquitforidaho.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MirandaMarquitforIdaho/
• Twitter: https://x.com/formarquit

Candidate profiles are being updated when information becomes available.