Our Platform

Who We Are

The Baltimore County Progressive Democrats Club works within the Democratic Party to advance progressive policies that put people first at the local, state, and federal levels by:

Endorsing and supporting progressive candidates
Working to increase voter registration and voter turnout
Ensuring the community is heard by elected representatives and the media
Proposing and supporting legislation in the Maryland General Assembly and the Baltimore County Council
Respecting people impacted by systemic discrimination by actively soliciting their input, hearing their voices, and supporting their priorities

Our Positions

Accelerate the increase of the statewide minimum wage to $15/hour while indexing to cost of living and broadening it to all workers
Support workers unions and the right of employees to unionize
Provide affordable housing and address homelessness in a humane and just way
Achieve pay equity for women and minorities
Reduce income inequality through progressive tax policy
Mandate paid family leaves
Fight child and family poverty and its consequences
Increase resources for small business development
Achieve regulatory fairness for all businesses
Reduce corporate financial and economic concentration
Increase consumer protections
Eliminate means testing based on marital status

Promote diversity among elected officials and leadership and recruit a diverse set of candidates for local and state office
Remove barriers to voter registration and voting in Maryland, including instituting same-day party change
Fight voter suppression targeting minority communities and expand voter registration efforts in these historically marginalized communities
Adopt ranked choice voting
Work toward a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and reserve constitutional rights for human beings, not corporations
Reduce the influence of money in politics through public financing of county and state political campaigns and with greater transparency in campaign finance
End gerrymandering nationally
Continue to push for more accessible and equitable voting

Work toward “Medicare for all” or similar single-payer healthcare approaches that provide affordable, accessible, and comprehensive healthcare for all Americans
Protect reproductive rights and access to care
Ensure essential medications are affordable by increasing government ability to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies
Increase community-led health initiatives, and expand and strengthen community health centers to improve access
Expand behavioral health and addiction services
Reduce gun violence
End medical debt
Support price transparency of medical billing

Use public-education funds only for public schools
Distribute sufficient education resources equitably among all communities
Continue advocating that all communities get modern school facilities
Expand eligibility for Universal Pre-K
Support free post-secondary trade education, workforce development programs, and community and state college education.
Support affordable, quality childcare
Provide universal free school breakfast and lunch
Support educational programs and districting decisions that create schools with diverse student populations
Support the implementation of the Blueprint of Maryland’s Future and its provisions and policies
Continue expansion of behavioral intervention and mental health resources in schools
End the school to prison pipeline

Expand affordable housing countywide especially in high-opportunity areas, and follow through with consent decree
Invest in low income and historically redlined communities
Invest in planned development tailored to communities’ unique needs, based on their input
Support creation of a regional transit authority for the Baltimore region
Work toward lead-free communities
Support the continued expansion of affordable broadband and infrastructure buildout
Support more actions to limit the increase in rent beyond the cost of living
Support more transit-oriented development
Expand circulators and purchase zero emission circulator vehicles
Build the Red Line
Support regional government partnership
Support public libraries

Promote efficient land use with “smart growth” development policies
Protect the Chesapeake Bay and all the state’s watersheds
Expand clean energy and create good-paying clean-energy union jobs
Expand county parks, greenways, bikeways, and tree-planting programs
Protect and expand the forest canopy and strengthen forest conservation requirements for new development
Provide universal county recycling bins
Support environmentally sustainable infrastructure
Remove trash incineration from the renewable energy portfolio
Move toward zero waste
Invest in research and development for genuinely environmentally-friendly solutions to waste
Ensure that all communities have a right to clean air, water, land, and access to green space, and reverse past practices that disproportionately impacted low-income and communities of color

Establish that transparency, accountability, and citizen involvement are paramount in all workings of government
Codify into law a citizen-driven county budget process
Expand the county–community liaison system for better communications
Work to create a more inclusive government for immigrants and non-English speakers
Promote the use of inclusive and accurate language in governmental communications with regards to race, ethnicity, gender, and identity
Promote digital access to government meetings and hearings with the ability to submit testimony virtually
Support efforts to increase access of elected officials to constituents and media

Eliminate housing discrimination in any form
Oppose voluntary state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement beyond that required by Constitutionally-mandated federal law
Support disability rights
Support LGBTQIA+ rights
Expand access and eligibility for expungement for criminal records
Support police transparency and accountability to include civilian oversight
Support police training and policies that focus on community policing and conflict de-escalation
Reduce contact with police for people in mental health crisis while ensuring that individuals appropriately trained and skilled in interacting with people in mental health crisis are immediately available
Promote “Ban the Box” legislation for housing, job, and college applications.
Reform the pretrial system to support that individuals are innocent until proven guilty and remove policies that are racially or economically bias
Support affirmative-action policies in employment, education, and contracting
Legalize marijuana to ensure benefits go to communities harmed by current and past policies

We seek to achieve these goals by actively and frequently engaging with elected representatives and the citizens within Baltimore County communities, encouraging increased voter registration and participation, and supporting candidates and legislation that advance these and other progressive positions.