Fourcast JADE October 2020

JADE

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The Fourcast Magazine The Hockaday School Volume 4, Issue 1 October 2020

AMIDST A PANDEMIC: AN INSIDE LOOK ON THE 2020 ELECTIONS

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

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ABOUT JADE

VOTE VOTE VOTE

In 2017, The Fourcast added a new magazine to its traditional coverage. Named for the stone set in the ring of all graduating seniors, which was designed by Tiffany in 1917, JADE offers an indepth look at the most pressing issues to the Hockaday community.

Former Hockaday Dean of Upper School Ed Long once remarked that Ela Hockaday chose the jade stone because she considered it to be a symbol of wisdom. In honor of the stone’s legacy, JADE hopes to help inform the community and foster knowledgeable conversations about challenging topics.

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Flipping the Texas House Behind the Democrats’ effort to turn a red state blue

On the Issues Where each candidate stands on the most widely-debated topics

Behind the Ballot In light of the pandemic, states turn to mail-in voting

Get involved Ways to participate in the election at any age, anywhere

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Kamala Harris How the VP candidate went from law enforcer to lawmaker

The Fight for Followers Social media becomes the biggest battleground of the election

Amy Coney Barrett A look into Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee

Eliminate the Electoral College Why ranked choice voting better represents the electorate

ON THE COVER

Art by Kylee Hong, Staff Artist, Design by Kelsey Chen, Jade Editor

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From Law Enforcer to Lawmaker Kamala Harris makes history as the first Black woman and person of Indian descent to run on a major party ticket

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Campbell Harris, Staff Writer, Maddie Stout, Arts & Life Editor and Olivia Garcia, Staff Writer

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aised in the heart of the civil rights movement, some of vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s earliest memories are of protests and marches throughout San Francisco’s Bay Area.

“My sister Maya and I, we joke that we grew up surrounded by a bunch of adults who spent full time marching and shouting for this thing called justice,” Harris said at an event put on

by EMILY’s List, a group that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates who support women’s rights.

Her unique childhood experiences taught her to have a passion for life and to engage in the world around her. Now, in the 2020 presidential election, the historic vice presidential nominee will harness these values as she and Joe Biden aim to lead the Democratic party to victory.

Harris was born on Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, Calif. to Shyamala Gopalan Harris and Donald Harris. Her mother, who immigrated to the United States at age 19 from India, worked as a breast cancer researcher while her father, a Jamaican immigrant, worked at Stanford University as a professor of economics.

Despite her parents’ divorce when Harris was 7, her mother took Harris and her sister Maya on regular trips to both Jamaica and India to visit family, giving Harris a greater appreciation for a variety of cultures and the world at large.

Harris is of African and South Asian descent and has been primarily identified as a Black woman in the public eye. In a Washington Post interview, Harris said her upbringing affects everything about who she is.

“Growing up as a Black person in America made me aware of certain things that, maybe if you didn’t grow up Black in America, you wouldn’t be aware of,” Harris said.

Harris went on to study at a historically Black college, Howard University. In 1986, she graduated with a degree in political science and economics. Harris then studied at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. After she earned her law degree, she joined the Alameda County district attorney’s office, choosing the position to improve the criminal justice system from the inside.

“When we want to reform systems, it shouldn’t and it can’t only be from the outside on a bent knee or trying to break down the door,” Harris told The New York Times.

Harris worked for the office of the Alameda County district attorney for eight years as a prosecutor. She specialized in cases of gang violence, drug trafficking and sexual abuse.

In 1998, Harris began working as the managing attorney for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Career Criminal Unit. In 2000 she switched to the Division on Families and Children. She was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2003 and re-elected in 2007.

Although she won by a margin of 1 percent,

Growing up as a Black person in America made me aware of certain things that, maybe if you didn’t grow up Black in America, you wouldn’t be aware of.”

-Kamala Harris

Harris continued to advance in her career and served as California District Attorney for two terms from 2011-2017. Not only did she make history as the first woman California district attorney, but she was also the first African American ever elected to the position. During her terms, she defended AB32, California’s landmark climate change law, and upheld the Affordable Care Act. Additionally, she helped win marriage equality for all Californians and won a $25 billion settlement for California homeowners hit by the foreclosure crisis.

However, despite her numerous wins as District Attorney, she experienced heavy criticism, mainly for being tough on crime and most notably for failing to step in after a series of police shootings in San Francisco.

“We always hope that because you look like us, you talk like us, you walk like us, you come from where we come from – that you’re not just reading about this in the news,” Oakland activist Cat Brooks said in response to Harris’ San Francisco actions. “You know there is a war being waged against Black bodies.”

In 2016, Harris won more votes than her opponent Loretta Sanchez and was elected to the Senate. She began to serve in 2017, making history as the second African American woman and first South Asian woman in the Senate.

Although Harris was originally on the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Judiciary Committee, she has since served on numerous others. Harris is known for her work involving the DREAM Act, due process for immigrants and establishing lynching as a federal crime.

Harris made a name for herself in the Senate for her prosecutorial style of questioning witnesses, which has raised complaints from Republican senators. After Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination hearing, President Trump told reporters, “She was nasty to a level that was just a horrible thing… the way she treated now Justice Kavanaugh, and I won’t forget that soon.”

On Aug. 11, Biden chose Harris as his running mate. Harris started out as a favorite in the search for a vice president because of her experience as a senator, California attorney general, district attorney in San Francisco and extensive campaigning as a presidential candidate.

Biden’s decision to make her his running mate came months after he announced he would pick a woman to join him on the Democratic ticket. He also considered presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, former national security adviser to president Obama Susan Rice and Rep. Karen Bass of California.

“Biden’s choice here represents a diversifying Democratic Party, one that is diverse in ethnicity, age, gender and ideology,” junior Naz Soysal said. “I hope this choice means we see a trend towards progressives on the national stage.”

Since Biden will be the oldest president elected if he wins in November, Harris will

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provide a sense of youth, which some believe would push this election in favor of Biden. With her multi-racial background, she is thought to complement Biden as an image of a changing America.

Furthermore, her roots in California may help Biden attract voters who want a more liberal or progressive candidate. She also has a long list of donors who are now supporting Biden’s campaign.

Biden said he chose her partly because she can match these unsettling moments in American history.

“I need someone who understands that we are in a battle for the soul of this nation,” Biden said in an email to his supporters.

“And that if we’re going to get through these crises — we need to come together and unite for a better America. Kamala gets that.”

The issues at the center of her life’s work are criminal justice reform, improving health care for Black Americans and addressing income equality. These have all come to the forefront of prominent American hardships: the Covid-19 pandemic, the fight against racism and an economic decline.

Harris also focuses on abortion rights, immigration rights, fighting climate change and stricter gun control. She straddles the line between moderates and progressives in the Democratic party.

“Some members of the Democratic Party were also disappointed that Biden’s policy positions weren’t as far to the left as some of the other candidates,” government teacher Kristen Blevins said. “While Harris wasn’t the most progressive Democratic presidential candidate, she is certainly on the left of Biden in terms of her policies and beliefs.”

In picking Harris, Biden added a former rival to the Democratic ballot who centered her presidential campaign on taking down President Donald Trump and proving to Americans that she would fight for them.

“If Biden wins, then she would make history as the first female vice president,” Blevins said.

“Some people speculate that if elected, Biden would only serve one term in office due to his age, and that would set Harris up to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for 2024 and possibly the first woman president if she is elected.”

Harris’ unique position not only as a woman, but also the child of immigrants and a person of color, has made history as she became the first Black woman and first person of Indian descent to be on a major Graphic by Nancy Dedman party ticket.

For senior Annie Herring, co-president of the Young Democrats club, the nomination is inspirational because of the progress it represents.

“The idea that politics is maledominated has been so ingrained in my brain that seeing a woman at one of the highest levels of politics was really powerful for me,” Herring said. “This is not only a sign of Kamala Harris being incredible in the face of institutionalized setbacks, but also the power of progress in America and the steps we are taking.”

Despite the controversies from Harris’ past that turned some weary toward her, voters across the nation acknowledged the major impact of Biden’s decision to nominate her.

“At times, I can be hung up on Kamala’s past and the mistakes she’s made, but her willingness to be humble and say when she’s done something wrong is really inspiring and something that a lot of politicians should take into account,” Herring said.

Following the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests across the nation, Biden searched for a running mate who would be able to speak with experience on systemic racism, law enforcement and social inequality in the United States. Harris checks all three of those boxes with her unique experience as a person of color and her career in law.

In a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, Harris spoke on what she hopes can come from her nomination and partnership with Joe Biden if elected.

“Joe and I believe that we can build that beloved community, one that is strong and decent, just and kind,” Harris said, “one in which we can all see ourselves.”

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2. lean: competitive, with one party having an advantage 3. toss-up: most competitive

Toss-Ups Collin-66 Shaheen (R) Tarrant-92 Open Dallas-112 Chen Button (R)

Lean Republican Fort Bend-26 Open Denton-64 Stucky Collin-67 Leach Tarrant-96 Open Bexar-121 Allison

Likely Republican Fort Bend-28 Open Brazoria-29 Thompson Nueces-32 Hunter Bell-54 Buckley Tarrant-93 Krause Tarrant-94 Tinderholt Tarrant-97 Goldman Harris-126 Harless

The Texas House Kelsey Chen, JADE Editor

Harris-132 Calanni (D) Harris-134 Davis (R) Harris-138 Open

Lean Democratic Hays-45 Zweiner Travis-47 Goodwin Williamson-52 Talarico Denton-65 Beckley Dallas-108 Meyer Dallas-113 Bowers Dallas-114 Turner Harris-135 Rosenthal

Likely Democratic Dallas-102 Ramos Dallas-115 Johnson Williamson-136 Bucy III

Source: Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy

Democrats are fighting to turn a red state blue. A net gain of nine House seats would not only give them a majority in the House, but also a voice in the 2021 redistricting process.

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1. likely: not yet competitive, but has the potential to become competitive

I L F

PP

The 30 competitive House seats fall under three categories in a Rice University analysis:

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2020 Texas House Ratings

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ince 2003, Republicans have held trifecta control of the Texas state government – that is, the state House, state Senate and governor’s office have been dominated by one party. With Democrats holding 67 out of 150 House seats, they need a net gain of nine districts to take control of the Texas House, raising questions about Texas as a Republican stronghold.

Sharon Hirsch, the Democratic candidate for Texas House District 66, hopes to flip the House to influence the budget.

“I grew up in a family that didn’t have very much,” Hirsch said. “I know what it means to build a budget and follow a budget. It’s important that you’re going to have people in there who are going to prioritize public education, prioritize healthcare, and make sure the needs of children and families and the most vulnerable are being met.

“That’s a huge part of our obligation, and quite frankly, the legislature has spent a lot of time cutting and not paying as much attention to the revenue that we need to fund our priorities.”

Why flip the House?

After the results of the 2020 census are received, seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be redistributed in a process called reapportionment. Then, the Texas Legislature will redraw electoral district boundaries for the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Senate and Texas House.

During this redistricting process, the Texas Senate and governorship will be controlled by the Republican Party.

Genevieve Van Cleve, the Texas State Director for All On The Line, a national campaign aiming to reduce district map manipulation, said flipping the Texas House would end partisan gerrymandering.

“Why do we have so many members of Congress and why do they not reflect the values of the community? It’s about the way those lines are drawn,” Van Cleve said. “In that process of drawing the lines, you’re cementing the type of policy, the type of politics your state’s going to do for a decade.”

Once state Senate and House district maps pass through the state chambers, they go to Gov. Greg Abbott for approval. However, if they are not agreed upon by the House, Senate, or governor, the maps go to the Legislative Redistricting Board, a committee composed of Republicans Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton, Comptroller Glenn Hegar,

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Why do we have so many members of Congress, and why do they not reflect the values of the community? It’s about the way those lines are drawn.”

-Genevieve Van Cleve

Commissioner of the General Land Office George P. Bush and Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen.

“The Legislative Redistricting Board, their work is not available to be seen by the public,” Van Cleve said. “It’s really one of the last examples in Texas government of a smoke-filled room.”

However, if the Democrats have a majority in the House, they will have the Speaker of the House on the Legislative Redistricting Board.

“We don’t hold any position of leadership,” Hirsch said. “Having the Speaker of the House will give us some leverage. The only way we’re going to do that is if we flip the Texas House.”

How can you get involved?

Kate Woodhouse ‘20 has been working with Hirsch since June, after emailing the office asking to get involved. She helps with weekly Instagram plans and gathering information about donors.

“A lot of people are realizing that they don’t want another four years of what’s happening right now, so they’re supporting Democratic candidates,” Woodhouse said. “And they’re doing that down the ballot too, not just at the presidential level.”

Hirsch encourages students to work with campaigns through phone banking, blockwalking or writing postcards. She also said being involved in student political clubs and arranging candidate forums to connect with legislators will amplify youth voices.

“You have so much to bring to the table.

Go to city council meetings, go to county commissioners meetings,” Hirsch said. “Things happen when we’re not aware. There’s an intense focus on what’s happening nationally and we forget about the fact that really what happens in the state legislatures is hugely important.”

To get involved in redistricting, Van Cleve urges students to learn about maps and how they’re made, tell representatives that they want fair maps, hold the state legislature accountable for following the Voting Rights Act and, most importantly, vote. She has also started a text campaign to inform the community on how to register to vote.

“Redistricting is one of those things, where, because it’s complicated, because it’s esoteric, I think lots of people that are older and in charge are happy enough not to have youth involved,” Van Cleve said. “And that’s a pretty good indicator that there’s something important happening there.”

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The Fight for Followers

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Twitter, Facebook and TikTok become biggest battlegrounds in the election Katherine Grace Estess, Staff Writer, Rachel Jan, Staff Writer and Juliana Blazek, Staff Writer

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n 1923, Calvin Coolidge used radio to address the American people, becoming the first president to do so. Almost a century later, radio, television and social media have evolved to play integral roles in the office of the president.

Trump’s Twitter Mania Creating his personal Twitter account in 2009, President Donald Trump has since used the platform increasingly to communicate with the public. Since announcing his candidacy in 2015, Trump has tweeted more than 30,000 times.

Political institutions increasingly have engaged in social media to inform and activate voters.

The 2008 presidential election was the first to use the internet and social media to connect with the masses. It fundamentally changed the world of politics by letting candidates and their administrations to connect directly to the American public.

With over 86.1 million followers, Trump averages nine tweets a day. Referencing the power he holds by deciding to post a tweet, “Boom. I press it,” Trump said.

In an analysis of Trump’s Twitter use, The New York Times found his most frequented topics include immigration and the border wall, tariffs and other foreign policy issues. In a historically unprecedented manner, he has fired numerous people from his staff by way of tweet.

Quickly evolving past press conferences and formal information releases, the president’s tweets are considered official statements. His heavy use of the platform has ingrained the social media platform, as well as Facebook, into the very fabric of his administration.

Trump: The Art of Facebook In 2016, Trump’s campaign ran what Facebook Vice President Andrew Bosworth called “the single best digital ad campaign I’ve ever seen from any advertiser.”

Writing in an internal memo to his colleagues, Bosworth further detailed his analysis of Facebook’s role in the previous election. He said Facebook was responsible for Donald Trump getting elected. But how, exactly, did it accomplish that?

Some people pointed to the Russian interference campaign. In 2017, Facebook said it had discovered Russian efforts to spread propaganda on the site during the election year. They found around $100,000 in ad spending for roughly 3,000 ads across 470 accounts.

However, many of these ads and accounts didn’t focus on promoting a specific candidate; rather, they amplified divisiveness. And while content from these accounts (including comments as well as posts) have been estimated to have been seen

[Trump] didn’t get elected because of Russia or misinformation or Cambridge Analytica. He got elected because he ran the single best digital ad campaign I’ve ever seen from any advertiser.

Period.

-Andrew Bosworth, Facebook Vice President

by around 126 million people, it is still marginal compared to the amount of content shared during the election. In fact, Colin Stretch, a lawyer for Facebook, said this only equals to about 0.004 percent of content in the news feed.

Another Facebook scandal many had tried to link to the 2016 elections was one regarding Cambridge Analytica. The Cambridge Analytica data breach, where Cambridge, a British political consulting firm, harvested millions of Facebook users’ data without consent to use for mainly political means, was first reported in 2015.

While Cambridge was hired by the Trump campaign, Bosworth said it didn’t create as much influence as originally speculated. Since this was before the larger 2018 leak, Cambridge did not yet have the good psychographic data for the campaign. The data it did have was two years old.

If anything, the voters’ data from the Republican National Committee was most likely the primary tool for Trump’s digital team, not Cambridge.

Bosworth said he didn’t think Russian influence or Cambridge Analytica played a large part in Trump’s digital campaign.

“They weren’t running misinformation or hoaxes,” Bosworth said in his memo. “They just used the tools we had to show the right creative to each person.”

More specifically, Facebook had used its ad algorithm, a system that relied on machine learning AI to select and deliver the right information to the right people. A “Facebook ad” isn’t necessarily a chosen image slotted into audience feeds of the advertiser’s choosing. Instead, an advertiser pays Facebook to deliver a certain outcome from a demographic with the raw information the advertiser provides. For example, an on-line merchant might pay Facebook for web page visits from new parents whose on-line behavior is similar to others who had made purchases.

This means Facebook is responsible for assembling a custom audience from a list of target users. But to build these lists and audiences as accurately as possible, the advertisers will need to “teach” the software. Sometimes the most effective method is brute-forcing through the process, pouring millions of dollars and thousands of ads into the machine, hoping some will stick.

Facebook’s impact on the election on both sides of the ballot stemmed from more than one source.

It wasn’t just the thousands of ads. It wasn’t just the Russian operations or the microtargeting of voters.

It wasn’t even just the fake news, the misinformation or the partisan echo chambers on either extremes enforcing voter beliefs in personalized news feeds.

It was all of it, as Alexis C. Madrigal of The Atlantic wrote in a 2017 article, “but no one could quite put it all together.”

Since the 2016 elections, Facebook and other social media companies have pledged to protect against election interference, misinformation, and voter suppression. Only time will tell what effects these changes will have on America’s voters.

Article sources: The New York Times, Politico,Tweetbinder.com, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Atlantic

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Social Media By the Numbers

Kelsey Chen, JADE Editor

>30k

Number of times @realDonaldTrump tweeted since announcing his candidacy in 2015

76.3M

73.9M

USD spent on political ads across Facebook apps and services in 2020

14.6M 2.12M Trump

Pence

Biden

Harris

55%

of U.S. social media users say they are “worn out” by political posts

110K

pieces of content removed on Facebook for violating voter interference policies Infographic sources: Facebook Ad Library Report, Pew Research Center, Twitter

TikTok vs. the Trump Administration: Social media platform TikTok has also shaped the way younger generations interact with news.

With about 200 million downloads in the United States, TikTok attracts on average 90 million American users a month. On Aug. 6, the Trump administration said it would ban Chinese owned apps TikTok and WeChat if they did not find an American buyer in 45 days, escalating the technical fight between America and China.

The Chinese company ByteDance owns TikTok, and the Trump Administration said the app poses a threat to U.S. national security. This would be the first time a major consumer app would be banned in the country using international emergency economic powers.

President Trump claimed TikTok and WeChat collect data from American users, allowing the Chinese government to see what Americans are doing in their everyday lives. The U.S. Department of Commerce said TikTok collects information for the Chinese government including location data, network activity, and browsing histories.

Apple and Google, the owners of iOS and Android app stores, have control over removing the apps, but they could face civil or criminal penalties if they do not abide by the new rules.

ByteDance wanted 80 percent of the company, but in response, President Trump said ByteDance will “have nothing to do with it, and if they do, we just won’t make the deal.”

TikTok users will no longer be able to receive app updates unless ByteDance completely gives up ownership of the app. If the administration’s concerns are not satisfied by Nov 12, TikTok will be banned.

However, TikTok claims they have been denied due process. In their complaint in federal court, the company wrote, “by banning TikTok with no notice or opportunity to be heard (whether before or after the fact), the executive order violates the due process protections of the Fifth Amendment.”

The banning of apps without a clear policy process goes against the First Amendment, TikTok argues. The company wrote, “We feel we have no choice but to take action to protect our rights and the rights of our community and employees.”

Claiming the Trump Administration is going against Americans’ right to freedom of speech, TikTok filed a lawsuit against the administration in the Central District of California. The company, along with many Americans, said this is an unjust executive order that threatens to deprive people and small businesses of a significant platform for both a voice and their livelihoods.

Hootie Hurley, a former OSU pole vaulter who has 1.1 million followers on TikTok said the app “has put food on our table.”

Furthermore, TikTok has become a platform for political use, as users post their views and comment on current events. Several TikTok users claim they are the reason a Trump rally in Tulsa had many empty seats because they told their thousands of followers to reserve seats and not show up. In addition, footage of Black Lives Matter protests is shared through the app.

Biden’s Uphill Battle With the up-swing of the importance of social media, Biden faces a problem. As Americans near the November election, one of the biggest battlegrounds between the candidates is on social media, and Biden lags behind.

Influencing voters through ads, campaign posts and advocacy for candidates are some of the benefits offered by campaigning on social media. Fund-raising, a paramount element of campaigns, is also more easily achieved through advertisements on the internet.

A disadvantage Biden faces in the electoral field is Trump’s media fanbase. Trump’s 86 million Twitter followers dwarf Biden’s 9.6 million, and Biden trails Trump in Facebook followers by 29 million.

The Trump administration spends millions on advertisements, and also speaks to followers using endorsements from historically conservative

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We have no choice but to take action to protect our rights.”

-TikTok, lawsuit against the Trump Administration

celebrities. Recently, Biden’s campaign team has started connecting the nominee with social media influencers, such as Keke Palmer, who have specific fanbases of persuadable voters and targeted demographics.

Biden’s senior campaign manager, Caitlin Mitchell divulged their strategy to showcase the former vice president’s personality on line, opting for wholesome content rather than vitriol. The team attempts to convey “the most authentic version” to Americans on social media, Mitchell said.

“That means showing he provides steady leadership, showing the warmth that he naturally exudes day to day in interactions with folks, and really showing the empathy that he brings to the table, which is such a stark contrast to President Trump,” Mitchell said.

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On the Issues: Police Policy With recent incidents of police violence across the country, police reform and racial profiling have been widely-debated topics in the election Kelsey Chen, JADE Editor, and Zoya Haq, Staff Writer

BIDEN Throughout his presidential campaign, Biden has promised to promote violence prevention over incarceration to reduce the widespread criminalization of people of color. However, he does not support defunding law enforcement; rather, he plans to invest more money in police reform. The Biden Plan outlined on his website includes an expansion of federal spending on mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation and research, as well as doubling the number of psychologists, nurses and social workers in schools. Furthermore, he plans to reform the criminal justice system with a focus on redemption and rehabilitation of those who were formerly incarcerated. Biden said, by using the power of the Justice Department to address systemic misconduct, he would issue a ban on chokeholds in police departments and lessen the transfer of “weapons of war” to law enforcement. In a recent tweet addressing the police misconduct case of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Biden wrote “once again, a Black man — Jacob Blake — was shot by the police. In front of his children. It makes me sick.”

TRUMP “Federal dollars should not go to departments that violate people’s rights or turn to violence as a first resort, but I don’t support defunding police.”

-Biden, opinion in USA Today

“The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, I said, ‘That’s a terrible name.’ It’s so discriminatory. It’s bad for Black people. It’s bad for everybody.”

-Trump, interview with Fox News

HARRIS

Since Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s appointment of her as his running mate, Kamala Harris has come under scrutiny for her background as a self-identified “Top Cop” and attorney general of California. While serving as the attorney general, Harris faced criticism for overlooking police misconduct cases; she rejected pleas by youth activists to investigate deaths of young Black men in San Francisco and Los Angeles and she neglected to speak on a proposed police accountability bill in California.

However, toward the end of her term, Harris became more outspoken on police brutality, creating an open database of police misconduct cases in California called Open Justice and forming an anti-bias training regimen for California police officers that is still in place today. Throughout her presidential campaign, and now as Biden’s running mate, Harris has vowed to create legislation to end racial profiling and ensure the Justice Department looks further into bias and profiling in police departments nationwide. She plans to require a national registry for police officers who break the law, eliminate private prisons and cash bail and decriminalize marijuana.

“What Black Lives Matter has done as a movement has been to be a counterforce against a very entrenched status quo around the criminal justice system in America.”

-Harris, interview with ABC News

“There’s no excuse for what happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis and justice will be served but there’s also no excuse for rioting and looting in the name of protest.”

-Pence, interview with ABC

In regards to police misconduct cases, President Trump has openly condemned protestors. He tweeted in June, “This year has seen the lowest crime numbers in our Country’s recorded history, and now the Radical Left Democrats want to Defund and Abandon our Police. Sorry, I want LAW & ORDER!” To show the administration’s commitment to law enforcement, Trump plans to have a “law and order” focus in battleground states. Trump also has expressed disdain at the words “Black Lives Matter.” In response to New York City’s public art project to paint Black Lives Matter murals on Fifth Avenue, Trump called the movement a “symbol of hate” and urged the Mayor Bill de Blasio to “spend this money fighting crime instead!” Having faced public pressure to address misconduct in law enforcement, Trump signed an executive order in June aimed to guide police reforms. The order directs the Justice Department to create a national database of police misconduct cases, sets forth new guidelines on the use of force and proposes the increased use of mental health professionals in issue response. However, the order drew criticism for not addressing the issue of qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that grants officers immunity unless proven to violate “clearly established statutory or constitutional rights.”

PENCE Mike Pence, current vice president and President Trump’s running mate in the 2020 election, has spoken out against the Black Lives Matter movement as a means to generate change. In an interview with CBS News, Pence said “I won’t say the words Black Lives Matter because they push a radical left agenda… I really believe that all lives matter.” Pence said the conversations surrounding misconduct in law enforcement are unproductive and excessive: in a conversation with a church group in Colorado, he noted that “there is far too much talk on institutional bias or racism within law enforcement.” On Sept. 24, Pence returned to Minnesota having visited just two months prior to host a Cops for Trump session, a police gathering to emphasize Trump’s ‘law and order’ message. Furthermore, in the Oct. 7 vice presidential debate, Pence said the “heart breaks for any loss of innocent American life and the family of Breonna Taylor has our sympathies but I trust our justice system, a grand jury that reviews the evidence.”

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On the Issues: Gender Justice A century after women won suffrage and five years after the Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage, gender justice remains at forefront of election Erin Parolisi, Web Editor, and Zoe Cote, Staff Writer

Biden Biden has placed emphasis on intersectional feminism in his plan to rebuild the economy, addressing equal pay and increased benefits for women, general discrimination in the workplace and expansion of women’s access to education and training. Having authored the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, Biden prioritizes ending violence against women as part of his campaign. Biden also plans to expand access to high quality and affordable health and childcare for women through the Affordable Care Act. Furthermore, although he was not always an avid supporter of samesex marriage (voting in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed states to refuse same-sex marriage), in 2012, he became the first national leader to publicly support samesex marriage. Biden’s website says that he “believes that every human should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love.” Biden does not outline how he plans to support LGBTQ+ rights but states that he is in support of marriage equality.

HARRIS Harris’ nomination alone would be an advancement for women as she would be the first female and first person of color to serve as vice president. In 2019, Harris has pledged to end the wage gap, announcing a campaign proposal that would impose a 1 percent profit fine on companies for every 1 percent wage gap that exists in their ranks. Every two years, businesses with 100 or more employees would have to achieve “equal pay certification“ under a new federal program headed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Moreover, she plans to strengthen and expand the EEOC and anti-discrimination protection under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Harris has been an avid supporter of LGBTQ+ rights for over a decade. After she was elected as district attorney for San Francisco in 2004, she created a hate crimes unit to examine LGBTQ violence and prosecute offenders. According to NBC, the Biden-Harris platform promises to make major changes for the LGBTQ community by protecting their housing, healthcare and military service by law.

TRUMP “You deserve a partner in the White House to fight with conviction. Together we’ll pass the Equality Act, protect LGBTQ youth, expand access to health care, support LGBTQ workers, -Biden, Unity for Equality Live

“If [women] do the same job, they should get the same pay. It’s very hard to say what is the same job.

This is one of the things we have to look at very strongly” -Trump, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“There is still not full equality for members of the LGBTQ community, and that relates to housing, it relates to employment, it relates to education, and many other issues.”

-Harris, CNN LGBTQ townhall

“Congress should be opposing any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships on an equal legal status with heterosexual marriage.”

-Pence, congressional campaign

Trump launched the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative to support female entrepreneurs in developing countries to join the global market. The program’s goal is to reach 50 million women in developing countries. However, in a 2019 Politico poll, only one-fifth of voters said gender equality has improved under the Trump Administration. Trump has pushed to remove language inclusive of transgender people from bills and during many political rallies has openly dismissed the #MeToo movement, laughing lightheartedly and remarking, “I [used to use] an expression - you know, there’s an expression but under the rules of MeToo I’m not allowed to use that expression anymore.” His approach to gender equality has been notably characterized by his offensive language in an “Access Hollywood” interview from 2016 and the 26 women who have accused him of sexual assault. Trump and his administration stand in opposition to supporting the LGBTQ+ community with legal protections. During his first term, Trump restricted civil rights protections for transgender people and prevented them from joining military services.

PENCE Pence refers to himself as a “Christian, conservative and Republican, in that order,” when asked about topics regarding gender equality.

He concedes that his views on defunding Planned Parenthood and his opposition to women joining the military, heterosexual marriage, and gay rights are all heavily influenced by his religious beliefs. Pence is a proponent of private high schools implementing anti-LGBTQ+ policies (prohibiting discussion or affirmation of LGBTQ+ students) and has visited numerous institutions, mostly founded

by Republican donor Bobby Luddy. Pence and Trump’s Administration have also prevented any U.S. embassy from flying LGBTQ+ flags during pride month. On his 2000 congressional campaign website, Pence said, “Resources should be directed towards those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior,” which led many people to believe that he supports conversion therapy. In 2010, Pence voted against the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, which allowed LGBT Americans to openly serve their country in military service, and in 2014, supported a bill to add an amendment banning same-sex marriage to Indiana’s Constitution.

Human and Civil Rights Trump enacted the Muslim Travel Ban and Transgender Military Bans in 2017, threatened Net Neutrality and temporarily suspended asylum protections five days after his inauguration. He has also attempted to repeal and overturn programs such as Title X, which provides healthcare for families that don’t qualify for Medicaid.

COVID-19 Biden, in an opinion piece for The New York Times, said to move forward with reopening, the number of new cases needed to go down significantly. A supporter of social distancing and providing the front lines with equipment, Biden explained the importance of widespread testing that is easily available. “If I were president, I would convene top experts from the private sector, industry by industry, to come up with new ideas on how to operate more safely,” Biden wrote.

Biden has outlined an intensive plan to address conflicts of civil rights on his website, beginning with “reinvigorating our democracy.”

Biden plans to invest in our education system, restore the criminal justice system, protect election voting and promote campaign transparency and anti-corruption policies within his administration.

According to his website, Biden plans to “restore U.S. Moral Leadership” globally by ending border separation, protecting undocumented immigrants through programs like D.A.C.A. and advocating for bills like the Bipartisan Comprehensive Immigration Solution that passed Senate in 2013. Biden also plans to invest in women’s reproductive healthcare by supporting Planned Parenthood and protecting the Affordable Care Act.

Trump wants a vaccine developed by the end of 2020 and for life to return to normal in 2021. Additionally, he plans to provide “critical medicines and supplies” for healthcare workers in the U.S. and prepare for future pandemics. However, he has referred to COVID-19 as a Democrat hoax and has primarily been against masks and social distancing. As coronavirus spread in the United States, Trump became increasingly critical of both the World Health Organization and Beijing. In September, he announced the United States would not be part of COVAX, an global initiative led by WHO to develop a vaccine. By doing so, Trump is cutting off the United States from more than 170 countries in the alliance.

Immigration Biden has said urgent action must be taken to modernize America’s immigration system and to welcome immigrants into our communities. He also wants to implement effective border screening and reduce violence and crime on the border. He plans to reinstate the DACA program and ensure Dreamers have access to federal student aid. He said, “regardless of whether they are documented or undocumented, we have an obligation to see to that they’re cared for.” This indicates he believes all people living in the United States have a legitimate claim to tax-payer funded public healthcare.

Foreign Policy Trump has drastically cut the country’s foreign relations budget and has withdrawn from several commitments that he felt were a drain on US resources. “I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American interests, and only go to America’s friends,” Trump said in his 2018 State of the Union address. Notable foreign policy moves include opening diplomatic relations with Russia and the Democratic Republic of Korea, moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and imposing import tariffs because the global trading network is “rigged against US interests.” Trump also plans to withdraw US troops from the Middle East and impose aggressive action against China amid the “trade war” to prevent theft of intellectual property.

Biden advocates for trade legislation and lower tariffs. He also emphasizes limiting Russian interaction with U.S. politics and addressing China’s “abusive trade practices.” Biden plans to host a global summit for democracy to address pressing issues of the modern world, with plans to address how to reform immigration and trade domestically and internationally amid the pandemic.

Trump and Pence said the United States must adopt an immigration system that serves the national interest. To secure the border, Trump is committed to constructing a border wall and ensuring the swift removal of unlawful entrants. He also said to protect American jobs and workers, he needs to end chain migration and eliminate the visa lottery. While in office, Trump called on Congress to fund a wall along the Southern border and eliminate legal loopholes enabling illegal immigration. He also pulled the U.S. out of negotiations for a “Global Compact on Migration.” Under Trump’s leadership, the Department of Homeland security began winding down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program following the assessment of the DOJ that it lacks legal authorization.

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Climate Change

Abortion Biden voted to ban late-term abortion procedures in 2013. However, in 2019 he stated Roe v. Wade is the law and should not be overturned. Additionally, he stated he will appoint Supreme Court Justices who will uphold Roe v. Wade.

Trump has worked to limit access to abortion since his inauguration, and four years ago, he suggested women who get abortions should receive “some form of punishment.” However, after receiving backlash, he quickly reversed his statement, holding the doctor legally responsible rather than the patient. If re-elected, Trump has vowed to fully defund Planned Parenthood and said he would “protect unborn life through every means available.”

Issues

Biden announced his plan for a Clean Energy Revolution, planning to invest 1.7 trillion dollars so the United States will have a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050. If elected, Biden would rejoin the Paris Climate accord. “Climate change poses an existential threat not just to our environment, but to our health, our communities, our national security, and our economic well-being,” Biden said on his campaign website.

Trump believes that, while humans have impacted the climate, it is not of the magnitude many say, remarking “I don’t think science knows” when asked about the California wildfires in September. In 2017, Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the “job-killing” Paris climate accord. He said because the U.S. is the biggest energy producer in the world, the country should not risk any of that production without results.

On the

Erin Parolisi, Web Editor, Zoe Cote, Staff Writer and Jane Clark, Staff Writer

Amidst a pandemic, an economic crisis and social unrest, the 2020 presidential election is like no other. The Fourcast has outlined the stances of the candidates on the some of the most widely-debated topics.

Economic Plan

Healthcare Biden’s campaign website states one of his goals is to “protect and simplify” the Affordable Care Act so it’s less complex and more concise. Under the Obama administration, Biden championed the elimination of insurance limits that place a dollar limit on services offered and reduce coverage for persons with chronic illness. Biden plans to create an affordable public health insurance option similar to Medicaid, and ensure families below the poverty line contribute no more than 8.5 percent of household income on insurance plans. Biden also plans to move towards universal platinum level insurance, plans offering more coverage for less.

Trump plans to dismantle universal healthcare programs to allow private insurance companies to compete in the marketplace and lower premiums. While the White House doesn’t have a plan outlined on its website, Forbes suggests a possible Republican healthcare plan would be state-driven, aided by government subsidies from the Medicaid budget.

Biden plans to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour, with addition to an automatic rise with inflation. According to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, almost 80 percent of the increase in taxes under the Biden tax plan would fall on the top 1 percent of the income distribution. However, because the plan includes corporate tax increases, workers may experience lower wages. Furthermore, the Biden Administration wants to end the trade war and supports the United States taking a lead in the TransPacific Partnership, a trade deal with a 12-nation bloc.

Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, introducing tax cuts to corporate profits, investment income, estate taxes and income taxes for upper and middle-class individuals. He has pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, placed tariffs on Chinese imports and engaged the United States in a trade war with China.

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Students support voter participation, registration and education efforts Sasha Schwimmer, News Editor, Anna Gum, Opinion Editor, and Melody Hu, Staff Writer

Political Clubs

The Young Democrats and Young Republicans clubs allow students to engage in politics outside of the election season by learning about political systems, actions and issues. During club meetings, members engage in political discourse so they can learn about respectful conversations.

“Our purpose is to foster an environment where people feel comfortable to express their opinion,” Sarah Crow, co-head of the Young Republicans Club, said.

The clubs teach members about both sides of all topics so members are politically informed.

Leaders challenge their members to think about the opposing side so they can have respect for their peers during discussions.

Both clubs allow non-members to listen in on their meetings. Last year, the Young Republicans Club invited Karin Lips, founder and president of Network of enlightened Women (NeW), who runs a program for moderate conservative women on college campuses. Additionally, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) spoke to the Young Democrats Club about her involvement in politics as a woman.

This year, the presidents of the Young Democrat and Young Republican clubs are planning to hold a joint event to discuss political polarization and how to have respectful conversations about politics with people who have different viewpoints.

“The purpose of this event is to maintain respect for our peers and to have civil discussions in light of such a weighted election,” Maya Ragunathan, co-head of Young Democrats Club, said.

Leaders of both clubs said they are trying to inform their members about positions and policies of the presidential candidates. They provide information even to those who are below the legal voting age, so they can educate those around them.

CloseUp Foundation

The Institute for Social Impact has partnered with Close Up to offer “Empowering Female Voices: Election 2020 Series.” Close Up is a nonprofit, non-partisan civic education organization whose mission is to help students become informed and engaged citizens.

The program, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, will bring high school girls together nationwide for six online civic engagement workshops starting in October and leading up to the election.

Approximately 30 students from Forms III and IV are enrolled in the program. Students were selected on a first-come-first-serve basis, with seniors receiving priority.

“

“I think it’s especially important now for the younger generation to vote because we have a lot to say.

And I think it’s really important that people are able to hear us so that what we say makes a change.”

-Caraday Martin

The program will cover race and criminal justice, health care, gender equity and economic justice. The program aims to give students a deeper understanding of issues in the election, confidence to empower female change-makers and empathy for the perspectives of others.

“I was excited to join the empowering female voices program because I have always had an inclination towards politics and this is the perfect place for me to pursue this interest,” senior Cece Tribolet said. “Through this program I hope to continue to learn about different policy initiatives while also hearing from a wide variety of perspectives through discussion.”

Caraday and Jillian Martin

Sophomore Caraday Martin and senior Jillian Martin are national student ambassadors for When We All Vote (WWAV), a non-profit, non-partisan organization launched by Michelle Obama in 2018. Its mission is to increase voter participation in elections.

The group’s My School Votes program, which sponsors WWAV National Student Ambassadors, works with teachers and students to guide schools in becoming hubs for voter activity.

“I’ve always been interested in policy and advocacy,” Jillian Martin said, “After hearing statistics that so many eligible voters don’t register, I thought joining When We All Vote would be a good way to promote voter registration.”

The Martin sisters worked with Director of the Institute for Social Impact Laura Day to increase students’ understanding of the electoral process. Jillian Martin emailed faculty and Form IV students, explaining voting laws, registration, processes and deadlines. She and Day also spoke at the form meeting to remind students of registration deadlines and the importance of their vote.

“The email got [seniors] pretty involved because before that it didn’t really seem like a lot of students really knew how to register, or they didn’t really know a lot about the importance of voting,” Jillian Martin said.

Day is connecting the girls with other local high schools to expand their campaign.

“If you have the opportunity to educate someone on how to vote, you do it because it’s really important that everyone knows how to go through the process,” Caraday Martin said.

In terms of educating voters, the Martins agree offering more courses centered around politics would be beneficial because of the importance of teens educating their peers.

“I think it’s especially important now for the younger generation to vote because we have a lot to say,” Caraday Martin said. “And I think it’s really important that people are able to hear us so that what we say makes a change.”

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A Timeline of Trump’s COVID-19 illness Sept. 26: President Trump hosted a Rose Garden Ceremony in which he announced Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With more than 150 people in attendance without masks, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the ceremony was a “superspreader event.”

In the Spotlight: Amy Coney Barrett Kelsey Chen, JADE Editor

Oct 1: Trump tweeted that he and the first lady had tested positive for COVID-19.

Oct 2: Trump checked in to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Oct 3: Dr. Sean Conley, Trump’s physician, said the President was given the steroid dexamethasone after a drop in oxygen levels, as well as an experimental monoclonal antibody cocktail.

Oct. 5: Trump left the Walter Reed Center and returned to the White House after three days of treatment.

Oct. 8: When the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the Oct. 15 debate would be a virtual affair, Trump refused to participate.

“I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News. The debate has since been pushed back to Oct. 22.

Oct. 10: Trump made his first public appearance since leaving Walter Reed, speaking in front of hundreds of attendees at what the White House called a “peaceful protest for law and order.” In his speech, he said the coronavirus is “disappearing,” and told his Black and Latino supporters “you have to have your police support you.”

Oct. 12: Conley released a statement that said Trump had tested negative “on consecutive days using the Abbott BinaxNOW antigen card.”

In the evening, Trump returned to the campaign trail, hosting a rally in Florida, his first since testing positive.

Updated Oct. 12

Who is Amy Coney Barrett?

On Nov 10, the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). President Trump’s newest nominee, Amy Coney Barrett may be on the bench to hear the case.

Barrett worked as a professor at Notre Dame before she was selected by Trump to serve as a federal appeals court judge in 2017, sitting on the Seventh Circuit based in Chicago.

As an originalist, Barret said she believes judges should attempt to interpret the words of the Constitution as the authors intended when they were written, and she is seen as the ideological heir to Antonin Scalia, for whom she clerked.

Barrett’s nomination has drawn attention to her membership as a “handmaid” in the People of Praise, a close-knit “covenant community” that requires members to submit to a spiritual leader, donate 5 percent of their income annually and sign a solemn contract they often recite together. The community’s strict views on sexuality and gender align with that of conservative faith traditions.

While this has ignited a debate over the intersection of religion and constitutional interpretation, Barrett said her beliefs do not impact her judgment.

“I would stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear in the discharge of my duties as a judge,” Barrett said.

Sources: Scotus Blog and The New York Times. Pool photo Greg Nash/Getty

Notable Legal Opinions Gun Rights: Barrett dissented in the 2019 gun-rights case of Kanter v. Barr, arguing that a conviction for a nonviolent felony should not disqualify someone from owning a gun. “History is consistent with common sense: it demonstrates that legislatures have the power to prohibit dangerous people from possessing guns,” Barrett wrote. “But that power extends only to people who are dangerous.”

Abortion: While serving on the 7th circuit, Barrett opposed rulings that loosened abortion restrictions. In 2016, Indiana passed a law that required fetal remains to be buried or cremated after an abortion, and in 2019, a law that required a minor’s parents to be notified if she is seeking an abortion. When judges ruled the laws to be unconstitutional, Barrett voted to rehear the ruling, signaling support for the two laws.

Healthcare: In a 2017 law review, Barrett criticized Chief Justice Roberts’s 2012 majority opinion that upheld a central mandate of the Affordable Care Act. “Chief Justice Roberts pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute,” Barrett wrote.

Immigration: In Cook County v. Wolf, Barrett supported the Trump Administration’s efforts to righten “public charge” rule, which would deny permanent legal status to low-income immigrants.

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Behind the Ballot: Mail-In Voting There are three ways to vote: early in-person, on election day in-person, or by mail.

Thanks to the pandemic, mail is on voters’ minds this year.

Kate Clark, Managing Editor, Julia Donovan, Castoff Editor, and Hanna Zhang, Staff Writer

Graphic by Nancy Dedman

M

ail-in voting is used every year. In fact, in 2016, nearly one-quarter of U.S. votes were cast by mail. But this year is different: at least three quarters of voters will be eligible to vote through the mail, according to The New York Times.

Eleven states have made it easier for people to request absentee ballots for the primary elections to avoid possible health risks and prevent large crowds at polls. A general absentee ballot is a ballot filled out by a voter with an eligible reason why they cannot be physically present at a voting center, while a no-excuse absentee ballot refers to no reason needed.

Those who vote by mail have to register, just as they would for in-person voting. Universal mail-in voting refers to when the states will automatically mail ballots to registered voters. Nine states use universal voting. In other states, including Texas, voters must apply to vote by mail.

Effects of Mail-In Voting One drawback to mail-in voting is that the votes could take longer to count.

“We need to have the right expectations for election day,” Upper School history teacher Kristen Blevins said. “If there are so many people voting by mail, we might not get the result on election day.”

Moreover, President Trump has also claimed that mail-in voting will cause fraud and widespread abuse.

“Universal mail-in voting is going to be

catastrophic. It’s going to make our country the laughing stock of the world,” Trump said in an interview with BBC news.

According to Reuters, Trump has urged residents in the critical political battleground of North Carolina to vote twice in the election, once by mail and once in person, in an interview with WECT-TV. “Let them send it in and let them go vote,” Trump said. “And if the system is as good as they say it is, then obviously they won’t be able to vote [in person].”

However, Joe Biden has reassured voters about the legitimacy of mail-in voting.

“Voting by mail is safe and secure,” Biden said. “And don’t take my word for it: Take it from the president, who just requested his mail-in ballot for the Florida primary on Tuesday.”

Analysis from the Washington Post contradicts Trump’s statement that fraud will increase; only 372 cases of 14.6 million ballots cast by mail in 2016 and 2018 were considered potentially fraudulent.

“We should not think that if the results change when the mail-in ballots come in that that means there is fraud,” Blevins said.

Stanford research shows voting by mail does not favor voter share or turnout of either political party. According to the Heritage Foundation, in the past 20 years, more than 250 million votes have been cast by mail, and only 1,285 were cases of voter fraud–0.005 percent of the total.

An anti-fraud measure is taken by authenticating voter signatures on ballot envelopes.

How are ballots verified?

According to the National Conference of State Legislators, 31 states conduct signature verification, where the voter’s signature on the mailed ballot and other documents on file are compared. Eight states require a witness who must sign along with the voter, three states require the ballot envelope to be notarized and two states require a copy of the voter’s ID with the ballot. Six states confirm that the ballot envelope has been signed, but they do not conduct signature verification.

Mail-in rejections are another issue to consider along with fraud. According to the Tampa Bay Times, if the voter turnout is the same as 2016 and the ballot rejection rate is equivalent to that of this year’s primary (1.4 percent), nearly 43 thousand votes could be disenfranchised this November.

Ballot rejections could be pivotal in close races. If ballots are rejected at the same rate as the primaries, up to three times as many voters in November could be disenfranchised in key election states like Pennsylvania. According to Tampa Bay Times, “new, young, Black and Hispanic voters are more affected; absentee ballots are rejected at higher rates than white and more experienced mail-in voters.”

This same source reports voting in person makes it a third less likely the ballot will be thrown out. At least 558,000 mail-in ballots were rejected in this year’s presidential primaries.

Systems are in place to reassure voters who mail in their ballots. Voters can track when their

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ballots have been mailed, when the election office receives them and whether they have been counted. Each ballot gets an intelligent mail barcode, a specific number that allows the Postal Service to track the ballot.

“I think it will be interesting to see if mailin voting continues to rise,” Blevins said. “It certainly makes sense in our current climate that some states that probably would not be as open to have all this mail-in voting would make the exception. My question would be would these states go back to their restrictions or will they stick with it?”

Voting in Texas Texas is one of the states where a voter needs to actively apply to get a mail-in ballot, requiring an excuse beyond the pandemic.

“It’s really important that people go out to vote, but, given the global pandemic, I feel like mail-in voting is a really safe option,” senior Anna Schindel said. “If I had the option to vote by mail, I would.”

In Texas, a person may be eligible for mail-in voting if they fit any of these descriptions: 65 years or older, out of the country on election day and during the period of early voting, have a disability (defined by the state of Texas as a sickness or physical condition that prevents a voter from appearing in person not COVID) or is in jail.

Blevins is working from home for health reasons. However, because she is not eligible for mail-in voting in Texas, she will be voting at the polls this year.

In July, Gov. Greg Abbott extended the early voting period for six days and allowed voters to turn in their ballots to the election office earlier rather than on just election day. However, on Oct. 1, Abbott announced there will be only one site per county for voters to drop mailin ballots. He said it will help “maintain the integrity of our elections.”

Some of the biggest and most diverse counties had been planning on opening multiple ballot drop-off centers. However, due to this order, these populous counties have been severely affected, including the Austin and Houston areas.

Harris county, the third most populous county in the country and the most populous in the state, had planned on having 12 ballot dropof sites. Now it can have only one site for over 4.7 million people.

Harris county clerk Chris Hollins said this new order would cause “widespread confusion and voter suppression.”

According to the Guardian, Ralph Edelbach, a resident of Cypress, Texas, is 82 and disabled.

His original plan was to drop off his ballot 16 miles away from his house but now has to go 72 miles round trip. When he saw the mail-in option, he decided to opt for that choice, until he saw the governor’s decision. Edelbach is currently in a lawsuit because of this situation.

“I am 82 years old. I do not have to vote in person,” Edelbach said. “I do, in Texas, have the option of voting absentee and I’m exercising that right. There is no evidence that I’ve seen at all about any significant fraudulent voting going on anywhere.”

Ravi Doshi, a senior voting rights counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, is Edelbach’s attorney in this case.

“The election in Texas is under way,” Doshi said. “People are already voting. They made plans on how they would vote based on the rules that were set, before the election started.

To change these rules midstream and get rid of drop-boxes is to make it more difficult for people to be able to exercise their right to vote. That is plainly wrong and it should be stopped.”

The USPS Crisis Trump appointed Louis DeJoy as postmaster general in June, which caused what is known as the USPS crisis. According to NPR, DeJoy stands in the middle of a fight over whether voters’ ballots will be delivered and counted fairly.

Laine Betanzos, Copy Editor

Since his appointment, he has made organizational changes that critics say would create delays in mail delivery. Along with this, there have been debates over postal funding.

According to BBC, DeJoy initially removed mailboxes, canceled delivery runs and closed down sorting centers. These changes have since been reversed, and DeJoy said overtime pay would continue to ensure deliveries arrive on time, especially with election mail.

While some are worried about mail-in fraud with the recent controversy with the USPS, according to a 2017 study by the Brennan Center for Justice, the rate of voting fraud overall in the US is between 0.0004 percent and 0.0009 percent.

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Faults of the Two-Party System Increased political polarization, decreased voter turnout and a distortion of democracy: Remy Finn argues against the two-party system Remy Finn, Sports Co-Editor

T

he two-party system that dominates American politics is not an effective means of electing government officials: it encourages hyper-partisanship, drives down voter turnout, and violates what the Founding Fathers aspired for in America.

Hyper-partisanship presents itself unabashedly in American society. Political affiliations often provide a feeling of group identity to people who lack a sense of belonging, causing them to feel strongly loyal to a party in a way that is rarely productive. I frequently witness Democrats and Republicans who refuse to engage in civil debates, turning to personal insults, threats and invectives. The two-party system only feeds this problem–it becomes a

“

Political affiliations often provide a feeling of group identity to people who lack a sense of belonging, causing them to feel strongly loyal to a party in a way that is rarely productive.”

-Remy Finn

matter of “us against them,” and “good against evil.” This also drives many voters to vote for a candidate merely due to their political party, often not even considering the policy stance of the opposite party due to an antagonistic viewpoint of any party other than their own.

A 2016 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center indicated that 58 percent of Republicans “hated” Democrats and 55 percent of Democrats “hated” Republicans–meaning that a staggering 35 percent of all voters “hate” the opposite party. This intense polarization provides a vitriolic, rather than productive, environment for political discourse.

Furthermore, a system without third-party options leaves some Americans feeling unrepresented, contributing to low voter turnout. Voters feel caught between parties, leaving them with two options: vote for someone they don’t truly support or don’t vote at all. The United States is an international straggler in voter turnout. According to the Pew Research Center, among “highly developed, democratic states,” the U.S. placed 26 out of 32 for voting-age population turnout.

Furthermore, a 2020 study by Northwestern University shows that over time, both parties have shifted to more extremist sides of the political spectrum. In addition to leaving voters with only two options, the system encourages extremism which drives turnout even lower.

The two-party system is also not what many Founding Fathers planned for the future of the United States; in fact, they omitted any mention of political parties in the Constitution. Several delegates, including George Washington and John Adams, even warned against the dangers of the hyper-partisanship that comes from a two-party system. In his 1768 Farewell Address, Washington said the formation of political parties “serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”

Washington was correct–the division of the

political parties has kindled the animosity I see even in school. While the Founding Fathers were definitely imperfect in some aspects of exclusion in the Constitution, their omission of political parties was for a valid reason. The framers of the Constitution were anxious to elude the factions that had torn apart England during the civil wars of the 17th century, and many saw such parties as contradictory to a true democratic government.

The intense loyalties fueled by the two-party system discourage a growth mindset. Voters may feel hesitant to change their minds once they’ve given their allegiance to a party and social pressures only exacerbate that feeling.

Admittedly, creating a perfect alternative to the two-party system would be difficult for many reasons. However, it is important to recognize there are significant flaws in the ways we advocate and interact in elections. By ignoring that, we contribute to the divisions that are tearing apart the political sphere.

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Eliminate the Electoral College

Because all else has failed, Ava Berger chooses Ranked Choice Voting, an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots Ava Berger, Fourcast Editor-in-Chief

O

n the night of the first 2020 Presidential debate, I sat down on the couch next to my dad.

For ten minutes, we watched in horror as the two candidates for President of the United States, arguably the most powerful position in the world, bickered like 5-year-olds. After the initial shock, it became comical. We laughed because we could not find any other way to respond to the chaos on the screen. How did we get to this place?

For the second time in four years, the American people have expressed wariness toward both presidential candidates. We saw it in 2016 and we see it again in 2020. You will find many people saying, “Settle for Biden.” But is “settling” really the right answer? Shouldn’t we feel confident in the person we are voting for?

In order to fix the system, we need to change the way we vote in primaries and all elections.

Ranked Choice Voting is the answer. Most people immediately associate RCV with confusion or radicalism. It is neither.

An RCV system would work as follows: Let’s say a state was holding a state primary and needed one winner out of three candidates.

Voters would go to the polls just like normal, but instead of having to choose only one candidate on their ballot they rank all three. If one candidate gets more than 50 percent of first choice votes they win, if not, the candidate with the least amount of first choice votes gets eliminated. The voters who selected the eliminated candidate as their first choice will not be forgotten, however, instead their second choice vote will be counted and put towards either of the two candidates left. If one candidate still doesn’t have over 50 percent majority then the third choice vote will be implemented. A winner is selected and every voter has a say in the decision.

You might be surprised to know many states already use RCV. Maine uses RCV statewide for all congressional and state elections, including the 2020 Presidential Primary. Alaska, Wyoming,

59% 12

increase in voter turnout when Maine used RCV for the Second Congressional district

states already use RCV in local elections

Nevada and Kansas also used RCV for the 2020 Presidential Primary. New York uses RCV for primaries and special elections.

Furthermore, 12 states use RCV for local elections. Even Texas uses RCV for senate district caucuses of the Democratic Party, and more states are considering the change.

RCV is also used in other countries such as Australia, Ireland, Scotland and the United Kingdom. RCV is not just a radical, idealistic idea it has been successfully implemented and used for hundreds of different elections.

There are many pros to RCV. First, the system makes sure no voter’s ballot is wasted.

If your first choice doesn’t make the cut, you still have a say in the person who will be representing you.

Second, RCV will make politics more stable. In an article in The New York Times, Ben Reilly, a professor of social sciences at the University of Western Australia, said, “Even in an electorate where there is a wide diversity of viewpoints, the winner will be a candidate who can hit the middle ground.”

The system also forces more civility among candidates, which I would love to see between our two presidential candidates. When there is an option to be a second or third chance vote, a candidate must consider the impact they’re making on the voters who they know will not pick them first.

After a primary, the candidate who is selected will have more overall support and the vicious, unnecessary disrespectable fighting we saw in the presidential debate would not happen.

A term I’ve heard too often is voting for “the lesser of two evils.” With ranked choice voting this will not happen. If we use RCV nationwide for presidential primaries, there will be a direct change in the candidates who represent us and the term will become inconsequential.

One of the biggest criticisms of RCV involves voter turnout. Critics say the complicated process and confusion around RCV will cause more voters to stay home. However, in July, Maine held their Republican Primary for the Second Congressional District. The voting took two rounds. Compared to the primary in 2014, voter turnout went up 59% from 34,723 voters to 58,506. In another July 2020 Maine election, the

2020 Democratic Senate Primary Election, voter turnout improved by 23% since 2018. In both elections, the poll results were accurate with no necessary recounts or disruptions.

These two elections represent the effectiveness and necessity of RCV. RCV might appear confusing at first to voters, but so was the idea of Democracy in 1776 America. In unprecedented times, we need unprecedented changes. RCV will give voters more confidence and give one candidate more overall support. I can’t vote in this election, but I do not want to go to the polls in four years and vote for the “lesser of two evils.” Like most of us, I want my vote to count and ranking the candidates will give me a better chance at that.

I want to feel like I have power when I submit my ballot.

We need a change. Unless everyone is comfortable with the environment the two presidential candidates have created, only something new can change our broken system.

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Alexandra Crosnoe is a Form II student who identifies as a Democrat and holds liberal views. Because she is too young to vote, Crosnoe reads about candidates’ policies and will volunteer at the polls this year to be actively engaged.

Do you support the candidate your party has nominated? Why or why not?

Yes, I support the candidate that Democrats have nominated. Biden is a decent human being with the ability to build back a nation that Donald Trump and his administration have so greatly divided. Although I don’t agree with all of his policies, I believe he has the morals of a true leader and cares about this country, in comparison to Trump who has failed as a leader and constantly puts his personal agenda over America’s.

What do you think are Biden’s greatest strengths and faults?

Biden’s biggest strength is that he’s not Trump. He will meet the moment of our crisis-stricken nation with stronger decision-making skills and policies which encompass all of America, rather than only the top of the upper class. I also see strengths in a lot of his policies, as they reflect the current state of the country. These include his plans for climate change, racial equity and health care, which are all of utter significance right now. Some of his weaknesses are that he isn’t very decisive on certain issues which could lead to a weaker perception of his policies, and he could improve upon the way in which he words his speeches and interviews as they occasionally come off in a manner different than intended.

What is your opinion on mail-in voting?

I support mail-in voting. Polling locations are often crowded and cannot accommodate social distancing, especially in poorer areas populated by people of color. The immediate public health crisis has created a level of danger to in-person polling, especially to at-risk groups, and nobody should have to risk their lives to cast their ballots. Mail-in voting upholds our democracy by protecting the vote of those wary of their health and ensuring they still have a voice in appointing their leaders. It produces higher voter turnout, allowing for a more comprehensive election; it also shortens lines at the in-person polls, saves money for states and gives mail-in-voters more time to consider the candidates on their ballots. Although President Trump may, to the public, oppose mail-in voting, he clearly has confidence in the mail-by vote system, as he’s used absentee ballots for years.

To protect our democracy and our election, we need to expand and fully fund mail-in voting.

Elisa Carroll, Staff Writer and Caroline Petrikas, Staff Writer

Do you support Trump’s immigration policies?

I do not support the building of the wall at the border. It’s dehumanizing and unproductive financially, hurting American taxpayers, and unproductive in “keeping out” illegal immigrants. Rather than putting this money into building a wall, we should implement effective immigration reform. The government should eliminate Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy by treating crossing the border as a civil offense and reserving criminal charges for undocumented immigrants who pose a threat to national security. We should counteract Trump’s efforts to increase the number of illegal immigrants detained by passing the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, preventsing the government from detaining immigrants unless they pose a threat to public safety, and focus deportation efforts on criminals and national security threats.

What is your stance on the Second Amendment?

When James Madison wrote the Second Amendment in 1791, arms accessible to the general public were nowhere close to as deadly or unsafe as the arms that are easily obtained today. More than two times as many people die yearly from gun homicide in the United States than in the Revolutionary War. The United States has the highest death-bygun rate of any developed nation. I support a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, a mandatory buyback of assault weapons, universal background checks and an investigation into the NRA’s violation of campaign finance laws. The Second Amendment is extremely outdated and shouldn’t be seen as more important than protecting American lives.

Do you support the Supreme Court decision for Roe v. Wade?

Yes, I support the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade. The 14th Amendment protects citizens’ rights to their privacy and control over their own bodies without interference from the government. Roe v. Wade supports the health of women by making abortion accessible and safe. Overturning the ruling would not end abortions but rather foster dangerous ones, putting women at risk. In 1965, one-sixth of all pregnancy related deaths were illegal abortions.

Today, in a post Roe v. Wade era, abortions are an extremely safe procedure: estimated less than 0.3 percent of women experience serious complications from the procedures.

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Julia Weisman is a Form III student who identifies as a conservative Libertarian.

As a freshman, she was involved in policy debate, forming her interest in politics, and began devoting her time to understanding the United States’ history of politics.

Do you support the candidate the Republican party has nominated? Why or why not?

I support [Trump], but do not like him. I think the last four years have been great for the economy. Before the pandemic, the stock market was at an all-time high and unemployment was at an all-time low. His personality, however, is somewhat unpredictable and unprofessional.

What are Trump’s greatest strengths and faults?

The president is a narcissist who has difficulty with communication due to his confrontational style and massive ego. As a result, he has alienated the media and divided the country. However, his confrontational style is valuable when it comes to negotiations. He is often perceived as unpredictable, and he is able to leverage this to achieve desirable outcomes.

What is your stance on Medicare For All? Medicare For All sounds amazing in theory.

However, the reality is far different. Although it seeks to provide a minimum standard of care for all Americans, it would adversely impact the quality of care provided. Government would be empowered with control over the pricing of medical care, procedures and pharmaceuticals.

This would reduce payments to doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies over time. The effect of this would be to decrease quality of care for all. With finite resources and government funding, it cannot be done successfully.

Do you support a national mask mandate?

Why or why not?

Although I am a Libertarian and support the freedoms of Americans as individuals, these freedoms must be subverted in a pandemic environment. Wearing masks helps to protect the general population. People should be willing to surrender some freedom in order to protect the general population during a health crisis.

What is your opinion on mail-in voting?

Mail-in voting is problematic for several reasons. It leaves the ballot counting in the hands of districts and not centralized. This makes it subject to local incompetence and corruption. In addition, there is no formal process for ensuring the right people are receiving ballots. In an environment where more Republicans will vote in person and more Democrats will vote by mail, the probability of a contested election is real.

Initial election results may show Trump winning while last minute mail in vote counts could sway the election. This would result in legal challenges that could create lengthy delays and result in financial market instability.

What is your opinion on police reform?

For safety, we need to support law enforcement. Without law enforcement, there is anarchy. Peaceful protesting is important to voice issues and resolve societal problems.

Once it becomes violent, it is detrimental and diverts the attention from the cause to the bad behavior, making people associate the protest with the bad behavior. However, defunding police is detrimental. First, when police officers are denounced for their mere existence, they are no longer able to do their job effectively.

They’re more likely to ignore criminal behavior, as their pursuit of criminals is criticized. There is no longer any incentive for them to do their jobs effectively. There will always be some bad apples. What happened to George Floyd is a sickening example of police power gone awry. I feel the funding of police shouldn’t be eliminated. Rather, the money should be used in a different way to ensure these incidents no longer occur. Unfortunately, the president hasn’t done enough to acknowledge the present issues of racism the country is facing.

Acknowledging these issues exist is the first step to resolving them.

Do you support the Supreme Court decision for Roe V. Wade?

I support the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade. Every pregnant woman should have the freedom to choose to have an abortion. I understand it conflicts with the religious views of many who deem life to begin at conception. As a result, I believe while abortion should always be legal, it should be viewed with ethical guidelines. In all cases, I think the rights of women to choose should be preserved, protected and defended.

Do you support Trump’s immigration policies?

Yes, I support the building of the wall.

Although America’s success is largely attributable to the contributions of aspirational immigrants, a strict immigration policy is essential for the well-being of Americans.

We live in a country with limited resources.

If we don’t create strict rules for immigration, our country’s resources will be inadequate to support the size of the population Because the wall impedes illegal immigrants from crossing a very long, open border between Mexico and the United States, I think it is important to build the wall so we can force those who desire to immigrate to do so legally. This will enable our government to allow the successful immigration of as many people as possible without challenging our limited resources.

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To Post or Not to Post

Inez Johnson, Anna Connolly and Eleanor Lockhart weigh in on social media, Gen Z and the presidential election Charlotte Rogers, Features Editor, and Lea Whitley, Social Media Editor

Junior Eleanor Lockhart identifies with the Democratic party.

Have you learned anything from social media regarding the election?

I find voter participation in elections fascinating and I’ve learned a lot through different statistics on social media. Hardly any young people voted in the previous presidential election which is why it turned out the way it did.

Is there a certain policy you’re specifically passionate about?

I am really passionate about reproductive and abortion rights; as a part of TACT, TeenAge Communication Theater with Planned Parenthood, I get to educate teenagers in Dallas about reproductive health.

Do you think it is helpful to post about politics online? Why or why not?

Due to the polarization between conservatives and liberals I don’t think it is always helpful because neither side takes other views and opinions into account.

However, I genuinely believe that sharing opinions and getting kids excited and involved in politics on social media is a good thing. Personal or not, it’s a good way to increase social media; however, activism and speaking out needs to be beyond the screen.

How do you think Gen Z will change the polarization between political parties?

I’m not sure it will change anymore because of how polarized political parties and beliefs already are. Moderately situated political opinions are definitely few and far between.

Senior Anna Connolly identifies as a Conservative but not necessarily with the Republican party. She considers herself an Independent and chooses her candidates based on their beliefs, not their party.

Senior Inez Johnson identifies as a Democrat, but she considers herself as more of a Progressive Democrat; think Warren and AOC, not Nancy Pelosi. She refers to herself as a Social Democrat.

Do you think it is helpful to post about politics on line? Why or why not?

Ninety percent of the time I think it is counterproductive to post political things on social media because, unfortunately, people tend to post false statements unknowingly and biased posts that leave out important facts.

Have you learned anything from social media regarding the election?

I follow an Instagram account called “Settle for Biden” which has taught me a lot about not only Biden but his policies and what he stands for versus Trump and his policies.

The account’s main goal is to convey that although Biden may not be the progressive figurehead we would have had with Warren or Sanders, he is better than Trump … hence the settling.

Have you learned anything from social media regarding the election?

Right now, I’ve been seeing a lot about the controversy of mail-in-ballots; almost every post I have recently seen on social media is only giving you part of the story about mail-in ballots.

How do you think Gen Z will change the polarization between political parties?

Gen Z is exacerbating the polarization of the U.S. immensely. I see a lot of posts about politics on social media that take things to the extremes, like “all Trump supporters are racists and homophobes” or “all Biden supporters are child molesters.” You just can’t say either of those things because it’s not true and it’s hurtful.

What is your opinion on how the media has portrayed the candidates?

From what I’ve seen, the coverage on Biden has been more about Harris or others who endorse him, which is interesting. However, what I’ve seen covering Trump has portrayed him negatively, and though it was sometimes merited, I think it got a little out of hand.

How do you think Gen Z will change the polarization between political parties?

I think we’ll increase the polarization because we are definitely more “in your face” and aggressive than the older generations.

Later generations are able to separate the people from their politics whereas Gen Z is more confrontational and tends to judge people based on their political beliefs.

What do you want to see in your political party moving forward?

I would love to see the Democratic party move to be more progressive. I feel like this election they’ve really had to stretch their beliefs and policies all over the place in order to beat Trump, considering the variety we, Democrats, had in the primary. Although neither Bernie nor Warren is the Democratic nominee, I think their presence in the primary influenced a new appreciation and relevance for those ideas in a more public way and for the Democratic party’s future.

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Get Involved The 2020 elections will be key to critical decisions, given the effects they will have on issues like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Here are some of the ways you can be involved during the crunch time before Nov. 3.

Libby Hill, Photo Editor, and Lacy Green, Sports Co-Editor

01

Work the Polls

02

Join Organizations

03 04

Although you may not be old enough to cast your ballot at the polls, you can still be present and helpful If you are 16 or older, with the permission of your school principal, you can spend election day at the polls checking voters in, processing votes, and answering questions, while getting paid. This opportunity allows teenagers to spend some time serving their community while also becoming more informed about the voting process.

There are some great ways to help encourage others to vote without leaving your house. First, Vote Save America’s “Adopt A State” program allows people to “adopt” a battleground state before the election. Vote Forward, allows volunteers to sign up to write letters to voters who aren’t as likely to show up at the polls. Lastly, National High School Voter Registration focuses on registering young adults before election day.

Stay Informed As much as technology allows us to keep in touch with friends, it also helps us stay informed on political issues.

Take to Instagram and follow two popular accounts: @ soyouwanttotalkabout and @blairirmani. Both of these accounts take pressing political topics and explain them in basic terms. You can also listen to KCRW’s Podcast, “Left, Right and Center,” where Ana Marie Cox and Rich Lowry both discuss and explain their different political ideologies.

Work on Campaigns A final great way to get involved before the election is to get involved in campaigning for a candidate you believe in.

Any candidate’s website should have a page with volunteer opportunities or a contact person to get you involved, with opportunities like phone banking, writing letters, sending texts and emails, organizing events and knocking on doors.

Register as an election clerk 1. Fill out the Student Election Clerk Application and Permission Slip on the Texas Secretary of State Website: https://www. sos.state.tx.us/elections/ pamphlets/seci.shtml 2. Have a parent or guardian sign the Parental Permission portion.

3. Have your school principal sign the School Principal Authorization portion, and make sure you will be excused from school that day.

4. Send the application to the election officials for the election you want to serve in. There is no deadline, but 60 days is a good baseline.

5. If you are accepted, you will receive additional information about how to complete training and work on election day.

JADE | The Fourcast Magazine The Hockaday School 11600 Welch Road Dallas. Texas 75229 214.363.6311 Volume 4, Issue 1 October 2020

JADE is a magazine supplement to The Fourcast, The Hockaday School’s student newspaper. Magazine Editor: Kelsey Chen Staff Writers: Laine Betanzos, Ava Berger, Juliana Blazek, Elisa Carroll, Kelsey Chen, Jane Clark, Kate Clark, Zoe Cote, Julia Donovan, Katherine Grace Estess, Remy Finn, Olivia Garcia, Lacy Green, Anna Gum, Zoya Haq, Campbell Harris, Libby Hill, Melody Hu, Rachel Jan, Erin Parolisi, Caroline Petrikas, Charlotte Rogers, Sasha Schwimmer, Maddie Stout, Lea Whitley, Hanna Zhang Faculty Adviser: Julia Copeland Editorial Policy: JADE Magazine is written primarily for students of the Hockaday Upper School, faculty and staff. JADE has a press run of 600 and is printed by Greater Dallas Press. It is distribtued free of charge to the Hockaday community. Businesses who wish to advertise in JADE should contact Ava Berger, at aberger21@hockaday.org. We reserve the right to refuse any advertising which is deemed inappropriate to the Hockaday community. Opinions are clearly marked and are the expressed opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Fourcast staff, its adviser or any member of the Hockaday community. Any questions or concerns should be addressed to Kelsey Chen at kchen21@hockaday.org.