Civic Compass candidate profile Candidate: Melissa Couture Race: South Carolina House of Representatives — SC House District 15 Party: Libertarian Data source: Database-backed profile Election slug: sc-candidate-profile-enrichment Open online: https://www.ballotvibe.com/candidates/melissa-couture-libertarian?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment Compare this race: https://www.ballotvibe.com/races/sc-2026-south-carolina-house-of-representatives-sc-house-district-15?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment Open ballot plan: https://www.ballotvibe.com/plan?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment#plan-sc-2026-south-carolina-house-of-representatives-sc-house-district-15 Flag candidate evidence: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Melissa+Couture+%E2%80%94+South+Carolina+House+of+Representatives+%E2%80%94+SC+House+District+15#corrections Exported: 2026-11-08T09:37:06.369Z Summary Melissa Couture candidate profile assembled from imported source documents and evidence claims. Biography Age: Not sourced yet Career: Not sourced yet Evidence coverage Claims loaded: 22 Source-backed claims: 22 Issue position coverage: 100% Position confidence: medium Unknown issue axes: 0 Top issue positions 1. Healthcare — support (medium confidence) Evidence: 2 items across 2 sources Evidence tier: 1 — Direct candidate policy/questionnaire/voting evidence Summary: Melissa Couture's lp.org source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Healthcare: What is a Libertarian? While I believe our country is great in many ways, it is only as strong as its weakest link. There are many significant problems, all of which are now fixable, with significant changes. A debt crisis is looming; the national debt is the greatest problem. WeR 2. Cost of living / housing — support (medium confidence) Evidence: 2 items across 2 sources Evidence tier: 1 — Direct candidate policy/questionnaire/voting evidence Summary: Melissa Couture's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Cost of living: District 96 Vivian Elston * Perry Finch Hunter Hackett Scotty Whetstone District 97 Cathy Jaggars *   Robby Robbins * (i) District 98 Sonja Ogletree Satani * Greg Ford * (i) District 99 Jacob Goddard Samuel Price Jarrod Brooks Kristy Gore Davi 3. Taxes and spending — oppose (medium confidence) Evidence: 2 items across 1 source Evidence tier: 4 — Party-platform fallback inference; candidate-specific evidence should override when available Summary: Melissa Couture's Libertarian affiliation provides a Tier 4 low-confidence party-line fallback on Public investment and taxes; this is not candidate-specific evidence. 4. Jobs and economy — oppose (low confidence) Evidence: 1 item across 1 source Evidence tier: 4 — Party-platform fallback inference; candidate-specific evidence should override when available Summary: Melissa Couture's Libertarian affiliation provides a Tier 4 low-confidence party-line fallback on Jobs and worker protections; this is not candidate-specific evidence. 5. Education — oppose (low confidence) Evidence: 1 item across 1 source Evidence tier: 4 — Party-platform fallback inference; candidate-specific evidence should override when available Summary: Melissa Couture's Libertarian affiliation provides a Tier 4 low-confidence party-line fallback on Public education funding; this is not candidate-specific evidence. 6. Public safety / crime — oppose (medium confidence) Evidence: 2 items across 2 sources Evidence tier: 1 — Direct candidate policy/questionnaire/voting evidence Summary: Melissa Couture's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Public safety: District 104 George Blumenthal * William Bailey * (i) District 105 David Wilson *   Kevin J. 7. Immigration — support (low confidence) Evidence: 1 item across 1 source Evidence tier: 4 — Party-platform fallback inference; candidate-specific evidence should override when available Summary: Melissa Couture's Libertarian affiliation provides a Tier 4 low-confidence party-line fallback on Pathway citizenship legal immigration; this is not candidate-specific evidence. 8. Civil liberties and privacy — support (high confidence) Evidence: 3 items across 3 sources Evidence tier: 1 — Direct candidate policy/questionnaire/voting evidence Summary: Melissa Couture's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Infrastructure: Atwood Tom Hartnett  (i) District 111 Wendell Gilliard  (i) District 112 Jenna Arsenault   Joe Bustos  (i) District 113 Courtney Waters  (i) District 114 Kelly Hough   Gary Brewer  (i) District 115 Nick Uricchio Johnnie Gar Campaign promises and policy plans 1. Election integrity Melissa Couture's triopolitan.com source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Election integrity: NEWS TIPS? Email us at triopolitan@aol.com , or leave us a comment. Please aware a response may take a while to arrive. We read all your responses in due time! Triopolitan.com About The Triopolitan is an independent digital news publication providing objective report Quote: “NEWS TIPS? Email us at triopolitan@aol.com , or leave us a comment. Please aware a response may take a while to arrive. We read all your responses in due time! Triopolitan.com About The Triopolitan is an independent digital news publication providing objective reporting on third parties, ballot access, and generally underreported civic and technology news. Topics Humor International Politics Technology EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US triopolitan@aol.com © 2026 Triopolitan.com – All Rights Reserved. Discover more from Triopolitan.com Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive. Type your email… Subscribe Continue reading %d” Source: Here’s Who’s Running as a Libertarian in South Carolina’s 2026 State and Federal Elections – Triopolitan.com — https://triopolitan.com/2026/04/17/heres-whos-running-as-a-libertarian-in-south-carolinas-2026-state-and-federal-elections/ 2. Civil liberties and privacy Melissa Couture's lp.org source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Civil liberties and privacy: Who is Alex Astley? My name is Alex Astley, and I think freedom is kind of a big deal. I've been a Colorado resident since 2011, and I've lived in the northeastern plains since 2014. I'm a nerd. I have a tiny dog. I'm blind in one eye. I'm a registered Professional E Quote: “Who is Alex Astley? My name is Alex Astley, and I think freedom is kind of a big deal. I've been a Colorado resident since 2011, and I've lived in the northeastern plains since 2014. I'm a nerd. I have a tiny dog. I'm blind in one eye. I'm a registered Professional Engineer at a not-for-profit electric cooperative. I'm a stubborn believer in both the individual rights and responsibilities of autonomy – namely the right to self-defense with the responsibility to not seek to cause harm, the right to free speech with the responsibility to speak honestly, the right to individual privacy with the responsibility to act honorably, and the right to earn a living with the responsibility to not harm others in that pursuit. More important than all else, I'm a Christian saved by the grace of Jesus in April 2024. Government in General Governments have too much power over people, and I've never liked that. My voting history would reflect a frontier spirit, but as a long-time unaffiliated voter I didn't have much to do with government until recently.” Source: Alex Astley | Libertarian for Colorado Secretary of State 2026 — https://alexastley.com/ 3. Election integrity Melissa Couture's lp.org source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Election integrity: With Alex, what you see is what you get. He won't give you up, and he won't let you down. Do you know why other candidates want your vote? As there is more than one Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State, there will be a primary election. Only Colorado voters registered Quote: “With Alex, what you see is what you get. He won't give you up, and he won't let you down. Do you know why other candidates want your vote? As there is more than one Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State, there will be a primary election. Only Colorado voters registered with the Libertarian Party by June 8, 2026 are eligible to vote in the primary. Register to Vote Check / Change Affiliation 2 General Election — November 3, 2026 All registered Colorado voters can cast a ballot in the general election. Alex will only appear on the general ballot if he receives a majority of libertarian votes in the June 30 primary — so your primary vote is essential . Registering to vote is free. Changing your party affiliation is free. Every valid ballot should be counted once — and yours matters. Learn the Office” Source: Alex Astley | Libertarian for Colorado Secretary of State 2026 — https://alexastley.com/ 4. Healthcare Melissa Couture's lp.org source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Healthcare: What is a Libertarian? While I believe our country is great in many ways, it is only as strong as its weakest link. There are many significant problems, all of which are now fixable, with significant changes. A debt crisis is looming; the national debt is the greatest problem. WeR Quote: “What is a Libertarian? While I believe our country is great in many ways, it is only as strong as its weakest link. There are many significant problems, all of which are now fixable, with significant changes. A debt crisis is looming; the national debt is the greatest problem. We’re running out of time. What I aspire to be: My letter to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 10/3/2025 Please consider the materials on this website, explaining my positions on the major issues and how I would go about attempting to be the person described in the letter. What I believe are logical solutions to the major problems are supplied, largely in the form of proposed legislation. — Allen Buckley 3 Minute Short Summary Note: Shortly after this video was shot, the Congressional Budget Office increased its projected ratio of net interest to military spending to 1.95 in 2036. 30 Minute Interview SOLUTIONS : Fix the Finances Reduce Healthcare Costs” Source: Allen Buckley for U.S. Senate – Let's buck the system! — https://allenbuckleyforsenate.com/ 5. Election integrity Melissa Couture's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Election integrity: Incumbent JA Moore (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 15 without appearing on the ballot. Quote: “Incumbent JA Moore (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 15 without appearing on the ballot.” Source: Melissa Couture - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Melissa_Couture 6. Election integrity Melissa Couture's triopolitan.com source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Election integrity: NEWS TIPS? Email us at triopolitan@aol.com , or leave us a comment. Please aware a response may take a while to arrive. We read all your responses in due time! Triopolitan.com About The Triopolitan is an independent digital news publication providing objective report Quote: “NEWS TIPS? Email us at triopolitan@aol.com , or leave us a comment. Please aware a response may take a while to arrive. We read all your responses in due time! Triopolitan.com About The Triopolitan is an independent digital news publication providing objective reporting on third parties, ballot access, and generally underreported civic and technology news. Topics Humor International Politics Technology EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US triopolitan@aol.com © 2026 Triopolitan.com – All Rights Reserved. Discover more from Triopolitan.com Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive. Type your email… Subscribe Continue reading %d” Source: Here’s Who’s Running as a Libertarian in South Carolina’s 2026 State and Federal Elections – Triopolitan.com — https://triopolitan.com/2026/04/17/heres-whos-running-as-a-libertarian-in-south-carolinas-2026-state-and-federal-elections/ Source-backed claims 1. Election integrity — supports Melissa Couture's triopolitan.com source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Election integrity: NEWS TIPS? Email us at triopolitan@aol.com , or leave us a comment. Please aware a response may take a while to arrive. We read all your responses in due time! Triopolitan.com About The Triopolitan is an independent digital news publication providing objective report Quote: “NEWS TIPS? Email us at triopolitan@aol.com , or leave us a comment. Please aware a response may take a while to arrive. We read all your responses in due time! Triopolitan.com About The Triopolitan is an independent digital news publication providing objective reporting on third parties, ballot access, and generally underreported civic and technology news. Topics Humor International Politics Technology EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US triopolitan@aol.com © 2026 Triopolitan.com – All Rights Reserved. Discover more from Triopolitan.com Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive. Type your email… Subscribe Continue reading %d” Source: Here’s Who’s Running as a Libertarian in South Carolina’s 2026 State and Federal Elections – Triopolitan.com — https://triopolitan.com/2026/04/17/heres-whos-running-as-a-libertarian-in-south-carolinas-2026-state-and-federal-elections/ 2. Civil liberties and privacy — promised Melissa Couture's lp.org source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Civil liberties and privacy: Who is Alex Astley? My name is Alex Astley, and I think freedom is kind of a big deal. I've been a Colorado resident since 2011, and I've lived in the northeastern plains since 2014. I'm a nerd. I have a tiny dog. I'm blind in one eye. I'm a registered Professional E Quote: “Who is Alex Astley? My name is Alex Astley, and I think freedom is kind of a big deal. I've been a Colorado resident since 2011, and I've lived in the northeastern plains since 2014. I'm a nerd. I have a tiny dog. I'm blind in one eye. I'm a registered Professional Engineer at a not-for-profit electric cooperative. I'm a stubborn believer in both the individual rights and responsibilities of autonomy – namely the right to self-defense with the responsibility to not seek to cause harm, the right to free speech with the responsibility to speak honestly, the right to individual privacy with the responsibility to act honorably, and the right to earn a living with the responsibility to not harm others in that pursuit. More important than all else, I'm a Christian saved by the grace of Jesus in April 2024. Government in General Governments have too much power over people, and I've never liked that. My voting history would reflect a frontier spirit, but as a long-time unaffiliated voter I didn't have much to do with government until recently.” Source: Alex Astley | Libertarian for Colorado Secretary of State 2026 — https://alexastley.com/ 3. Election integrity — promised Melissa Couture's lp.org source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Election integrity: With Alex, what you see is what you get. He won't give you up, and he won't let you down. Do you know why other candidates want your vote? As there is more than one Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State, there will be a primary election. Only Colorado voters registered Quote: “With Alex, what you see is what you get. He won't give you up, and he won't let you down. Do you know why other candidates want your vote? As there is more than one Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State, there will be a primary election. Only Colorado voters registered with the Libertarian Party by June 8, 2026 are eligible to vote in the primary. Register to Vote Check / Change Affiliation 2 General Election — November 3, 2026 All registered Colorado voters can cast a ballot in the general election. Alex will only appear on the general ballot if he receives a majority of libertarian votes in the June 30 primary — so your primary vote is essential . Registering to vote is free. Changing your party affiliation is free. Every valid ballot should be counted once — and yours matters. Learn the Office” Source: Alex Astley | Libertarian for Colorado Secretary of State 2026 — https://alexastley.com/ 4. Healthcare — promised Melissa Couture's lp.org source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Healthcare: What is a Libertarian? While I believe our country is great in many ways, it is only as strong as its weakest link. There are many significant problems, all of which are now fixable, with significant changes. A debt crisis is looming; the national debt is the greatest problem. WeR Quote: “What is a Libertarian? While I believe our country is great in many ways, it is only as strong as its weakest link. There are many significant problems, all of which are now fixable, with significant changes. A debt crisis is looming; the national debt is the greatest problem. We’re running out of time. What I aspire to be: My letter to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 10/3/2025 Please consider the materials on this website, explaining my positions on the major issues and how I would go about attempting to be the person described in the letter. What I believe are logical solutions to the major problems are supplied, largely in the form of proposed legislation. — Allen Buckley 3 Minute Short Summary Note: Shortly after this video was shot, the Congressional Budget Office increased its projected ratio of net interest to military spending to 1.95 in 2036. 30 Minute Interview SOLUTIONS : Fix the Finances Reduce Healthcare Costs” Source: Allen Buckley for U.S. Senate – Let's buck the system! — https://allenbuckleyforsenate.com/ 5. Election integrity — supports Melissa Couture's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Election integrity: Incumbent JA Moore (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 15 without appearing on the ballot. Quote: “Incumbent JA Moore (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 15 without appearing on the ballot.” Source: Melissa Couture - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Melissa_Couture 6. Election integrity — supports Melissa Couture's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Election integrity: The candidate list in this election may not be complete. Quote: “The candidate list in this election may not be complete.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026 7. Infrastructure — supports Melissa Couture's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Infrastructure: Atwood Tom Hartnett  (i) District 111 Wendell Gilliard  (i) District 112 Jenna Arsenault   Joe Bustos  (i) District 113 Courtney Waters  (i) District 114 Kelly Hough   Gary Brewer  (i) District 115 Nick Uricchio Johnnie Gar Quote: “Atwood Tom Hartnett  (i) District 111 Wendell Gilliard  (i) District 112 Jenna Arsenault   Joe Bustos  (i) District 113 Courtney Waters  (i) District 114 Kelly Hough   Gary Brewer  (i) District 115 Nick Uricchio Johnnie Garmon District 116 Clay N.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026 8. Cost of living — supports Melissa Couture's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Cost of living: District 96 Vivian Elston * Perry Finch Hunter Hackett Scotty Whetstone District 97 Cathy Jaggars *   Robby Robbins * (i) District 98 Sonja Ogletree Satani * Greg Ford * (i) District 99 Jacob Goddard Samuel Price Jarrod Brooks Kristy Gore Davi Quote: “District 96 Vivian Elston * Perry Finch Hunter Hackett Scotty Whetstone District 97 Cathy Jaggars *   Robby Robbins * (i) District 98 Sonja Ogletree Satani * Greg Ford * (i) District 99 Jacob Goddard Samuel Price Jarrod Brooks Kristy Gore David Herndon Shawn Pinkston District 100 Crystal Campbell * Sylleste Davis * (i) District 101 Roger Kirby  (i) Martin Cunningham Cheryl Lane Arnie Borowsky * District 102 Montez Aiken Katie McCravy Harriet Holman * (i) District 103 Carl Anderson  (i) Wendell Padgett The Republican primary was canceled.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026 9. Public safety — promised Melissa Couture's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Public safety: District 104 George Blumenthal * William Bailey * (i) District 105 David Wilson *   Kevin J. Quote: “District 104 George Blumenthal * William Bailey * (i) District 105 David Wilson *   Kevin J.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026 10. Voting rights democracy and elections — party_position_inferred Melissa Couture's Libertarian affiliation provides a Tier 4 low-confidence party-line fallback on Voting rights democracy and elections; this is not candidate-specific evidence. Quote: “Libertarian party fallback supports Voting rights democracy and elections.” Source: Libertarian party-platform fallback signal — party-platform:libertarian:fallback 11. Clean energy climate and environment — party_position_inferred Melissa Couture's Libertarian affiliation provides a Tier 4 low-confidence party-line fallback on Clean energy climate and environment; this is not candidate-specific evidence. Quote: “Libertarian party fallback opposes Clean energy climate and environment.” Source: Libertarian party-platform fallback signal — party-platform:libertarian:fallback 12. Abortion and reproductive rights — party_position_inferred Melissa Couture's Libertarian affiliation provides a Tier 4 low-confidence party-line fallback on Abortion and reproductive rights; this is not candidate-specific evidence. Quote: “Libertarian party fallback supports Abortion and reproductive rights.” Source: Libertarian party-platform fallback signal — party-platform:libertarian:fallback Use this as a portable research snapshot; verify live sources before making final voting decisions.