Draft:Hannah Pfalzgraf

Hannah Pfalzgraf

Hannah Pfalzgraf is

Biography

Hannah Pfalzgraf was born in 1997. She is a resident of Mettmenstetten. Raised in a politically-active family with left-wing beliefs in the Canton of Zürich, she joined the Young Socialists (JUSO) in the aftermath of the 2014 Swiss immigration initiative. That year, she became a board member of the JUSO branch in Zürich city until 2017, and a board member of the cantonal branch of JUSO from 2017 until 2018. Since 2014, she has also been a board member of the Social Democratic Party (SP) branch in the Affoltern district. She attended the Basel Art School, studying to become a visual arts teacher.

In the 2015 elections, she ran for the Cantonal Council of Zürich, standing in the Affoltern constituency. Aged just 18, she was the youngest candidate in the entire canton, and ran an active campaign seeking to appeal to young voters. She placed third on the SP party list – behind Moritz Spillman and another candidate – but was not elected. On 15 January 2018, she became a member of the cantonal council following Spillman's resignation. Aged 20, she was the youngest cantonal councillor ever elected in Zürich until Leandra Columburg in 2019. She was a member of the State and Local Government Commission in her first term, and a member of the Finance Commission in her second and third terms.

Upon taking office, her main priorities were gender equality, education, health, and feminism. In 2019, she introduced a proposal which obligates the central government to ensure net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and encourage cooperation with other cantons to reach net zero by 2050 in the whole country. The proposal passed by a vote of 89 to 84. The following year, she introduced another proposal – supported by the SP, Greens, and Green Liberals – which would guarantee foreigners up to the age of 25 would not have to pay the cantonal naturalization fee.

By 2023, she had become the SP spokeswoman in the cantonal council

Member of the Swiss Union of Public Service Personnel since 2018.

In May 2023, she was elected co-president of the Trade Union Confederation of the Canton of Zurich (GBKZ), along with David Martinez. Took office on 1 July 2023.

In May 2024, she opposed a proposal by the Swiss People's Party which would replace May Day as an official holiday with the Sechseläuten, stating that the Sechseläuten was a cultural event without gender equality whereas May Day can be celebrated by everyone.

By December 2023, she was the SP spokeswoman in the council.

In late 2023, she criticized the state budget proposed by the ruling SVP. She claimed that the included tax cuts would only benefit the wealthy, citing that married households making median income would only receive 35 francs.

In the budget debate, she also criticized cuts to the prison budget and social services.

In 2023, she opposed a proposal which would expand the amount of designated days of Sunday shopping, which she argues would result in retail employees not benefiting from wage supplements.

Opponent of the proposed budget in late 2022, which would cut 338 million francs, arguing that these were blanket cuts.

Ran for the National Council in 2023, being listed on the SP Zurich's queer sub-list.