The Daily Egyptian

The Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916

WWW.DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

WEDNESDAY, october

14, 2020

VOL. 103, ISSUE 32

Page 2

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Contact Us

Email: editor@dailyegyptian.com Editor-in-Chief: Kallie Cox (618)536-3397 kcox@dailyegyptian.com Managing Editor: Rana Schenke rschenke@dailyegyptian.com Desk Editor: Brooke Buerck bbuerck@dailyegyptian.com Desk Editor: Tāmar Mosby tmosby@dailyegyptian.com

Photo and Multimedia Editor: Leah Sutton leah.sutton@siu.edu Student Advertising Chief: Hannah Combs hcombs@dailyegyptian.com Design Desk Editor: Chloe Schobert cschobert@dailyegyptian.com Business Office: Arunima Bhattacharya (618)536-3305

About Us

The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale 43 weeks per year, with an average weekly circulation of 12,000. Fall and spring semester editions run every Wednesday.

Free copies are distributed in the Carbondale and Carterville communities.

The Daily Egyptian can be found daily at www.dailyegyptian.com for the most up to date news.

Mission Statement

The Daily Egyptian, the student-run news organization of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is committed to being a trusted source of news, information, commentary and public discourse, while helping readers understand the issues affecting their lives.

Publishing Information The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and functions as a laboratory for the School of Journalism in exchange for the room and utilities in the Communications Building. The Daily Egyptian is a nonprofit organization that survives primarily off of its advertising revenue. Offices are in the Communications Building, Room 1259, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Ill., 62901.

Copyright Information ©2020 Daily Egyptian. All rights reserved. All content is property of the Daily Egyptian and may not be reproduced or transmitted without consent. The Daily Egyptian is a member of the Illinois College Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, College Media Advisers Inc. and the College Business and Advertising Managers Inc.

Submissions

Letters and guest columns must be submitted with author’s contact information, preferably via email. Phone numbers are required to verify authorship, but will not be published. Students must include year and major.

Faculty must include rank and department. Others include hometown.

Submissions should be sent to editor@dailyegyptian.com.

Know the options: 2020 Illinois Senate Election George Wiebe | gwiebe@dailyegyptian

One of the most high-profile races on the ballot in Illinois is the U.S. Congressional Senate seat, between Democratic incumbent Dick Durbin and Republican party nominee Mark Curran.

Below is a summary of the two candidates’ history serving in public office as well as their stated plans for the next six years in the U.S. Senate.

Dick Durbin-Democrat Dick Durbin has served four terms in the Senate, starting in 1997. He was last elected in 2014.

Durbin, who graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969, formerly served as counsel to the Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee and later in the House of Representatives, serving the 20th district of Illinois.

Durbin now sits on four Senate committees, the Committees on Rules and Administration, Appropriations, the Judiciary and Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry.

Some key votes exemplifying the Senator’s record in recent years include his 2017 vote in favor of S722, a bill providing congressional review of how to respond to acts of aggression by Iran, Russia and North Korea.

The bill passed 98-2.

In 2018, Durbin voted in favor of a joint resolution proposing the removal of U.S. armed forces from the Republic of Yemen “not approved by Congress;” the resolution passed 56-41.

On a more domestic front, Durbin voted against the appointment of President Trump’s last two Supreme Court judicial appointees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

Durbin voted in 2018 to approve funding for agricultural support until the 2023 fiscal year.

Durbin also voted in favor of the 2018 immigration reform bill providing a legal path to citizenship for anyone brought into the U.S. as a child, while also providing $25 billion for border security, and putting greater limitations on “chain immigration.”

More recently, in a 5143 vote, Durbin supported S4653, a bill meant to keep the Department of Justice from advocating against the removal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. “We know that access to health care and protections for pre-existing conditions are in jeopardy as Senate Republicans rush to confirm a new Trump Supreme Court nominee who has a record of criticizing cases that upheld the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality,” Durbin said in a recent press release.

Durbin’s platform prioritizes affordable health care, immigration reform, as well as criminal justice reform.

Mark Curran-Republican Mark Curran is an attorney who graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute

of Technology and served as a sheriff with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. He also worked as a senior prosecutor with Lake County’s attorney’s office.

Curran has no history in politics and has no voting record.

According to Curran’s official election website, his reason for running is to replace the “political dinosaur Dick Durbin.”

“I am running for U.S. Senate in 2020 because our faith, our freedoms and our values are under assault from establishment elites,” Curran said on his official campaign website.

Curran’s platform focuses on conservative issues such as “opposing socialized medicine,” working with neighboring countries to reduce illegal immigration into the U.S., reducing the federal debt and promoting “prolife” policy, according to his campaign information.

Curran was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune.

“The state of Illinois and its problems would be his top priority in Washington,” said the Tribune editorial board.

Curran has also been endorsed by former Congressman Bob Dold and Randy Hultgren, as well as the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Herald.

Staff reporter George Wiebe can be reached at gwiebe@ dailyegyptian.com

Ronan Lisota | @r_lisota

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Page 3

Q&A with Jackson County State’s Attorney candidate Joe Cervantez Nick Hasenstab | NickHasenstab

Joe Cervantez served in the Carbondale community as an attorney for eight years and will be running against the incumbent State’s Attorney Michael Carr who has been serving since he was elected in 2012.

Before voting opens up on Sept. 24, the Daily Egyptian spoke with Cervantez about his past and what he plans to do if he is elected as the State’s Attorney.

DE: What are your goals if you were to be elected into the State’s Attorney’s Office?

Cervantez said the centerpiece of his platform is to establish a drug court in Jackson County.

“There is no Drug Court in Jackson County and we have a diverse community in Jackson County; it’s time that we stop prosecuting poverty, stop prosecuting mental health illness and most of all, stop prosecuting addiction,” Cervantez said.

Cervantez said he wants to adjust how the State Attorney’s Office works with the police department to fix the issue of racial discrimination that is seen in police departments across the country.

“Lastly, I have to be able to work with juveniles and get diversion programs to make sure kids don’t get involved in the system in the first place,” Cervantez said. “We don’t want to charge them if we don’t have to; we want programs to send them to so that we divert them out of the criminal justice system.”

DE: Why did you want to run for the State’s Attorney’s Office?

Cervantez: “In Saline County I decided I would run for State’s Attorney one day somewhere, and that was because I started working the juvenile docket. I started running into problems with kids and I kind of saw them as the same type of kid that I was when I was younger,” Cervantez said. “There weren’t a lot of programs for them, so I swore that I was going to do it one day and try to help the kids around here get some of the programs they have in other communities.”

DE: Where did you grow up?

Cervantez: “I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, actually in Gurnee, Ill. until I was 10 year old. My dad was my only parent until I was 10, and I lost him, and I started couch surfing after that,” Cervantez said. “I went to my sisters’ houses, aunts’ houses and you know different family members. I jumped around all my life, I was in the juvenile system off and on.”

Cervantez said while growing up he had lived in some bad neighborhoods, and eventually dropped out of high school.

DE: What inspired you to become a lawyer?

Cervantez: “I dropped out of high school and was working all the time and getting in trouble and some coaches kind of steered me in the right direction and eventually the marines took me in,” Cervantez said.

DE: What did you do while in the Marine Corps.?

Cervantez: “I served as an infantry platoon sergeant and an infantry leader in 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008,” Cervantez said. “And I got hired as a NATO weapons advisor or contractor in 2009.”

DE: Where did you go to college?

Cervantez: “I did my bachelor’s, my grad and my law school all at SIU,” Cervantez said. “I’m one of those people that Carbondale kind of opened their arms to and I just kind of stayed here.

It’s such a diverse community so I just never really wanted to leave.”

DE: How long have you been practicing law?

“I graduated [law school] in 2012 and then I went straight to the prosecutor’s office,” Cervantez said.

He worked in a prosecutor’s office for Chuck Garnati, and after that he worked as Assistant State’s Attorney in Williamson County and later in Saline County.

DE: What kind of cases do you specialize in?

Cervantez: “I left the prosecutor’s office to start a law firm and I have three attorneys that work with me and I am a general practice attorney, what we [lawyers] call ourselves are ‘trial attorneys,’” Cervantez said. “I’ll do anything that goes to trial, I do a lot of criminal, I do a lot of civil, and I do federal.”

Cervantez compares being a trial attorney to being a salesman who can sell anything from cars to vacuum cleaners.

“I’m kind of known for bigger criminal cases, I’ve done some murders in Jackson County and Alexander County. I’m known for some bigger civil cases. I’ve done wrongful terminations cases and some civil rights things, so I’m very active in the trial community,” Cervantez said.

DE: What is one case that you are especially proud of?

Cervantez: “A young man coming up from a Missouri county and he had 16 grams of cannabis in his backpack, and I was a defense attorney and his family called me,” Cervantez said. “He got pulled over, he had a gun that was registered and legal in Missouri and he was a resident of Missouri. He had 16 g. of cannabis but this was last fall so we already knew that 30 g. was going to be legal, so he only had 16 g.”

Cervantez said because of the gun that was in the young man’s possession, what was supposed to be a $300 fine was turned into a Class X felony, which would have been punishable by up to 30 years in a department of correction.

“I entered as a defense attorney and was adamant about getting this dismissed and getting him out of jail,” Cervantez said. “I worked with the media, I worked with Civil Rights activists and I worked with the prosecutors. He was in jail for 45 days, $4,500 of taxpayers money all

“There is no Drug Court in Jackson County and we have a diverse community in Jackson County; it’s time that we stop prosecuting poverty, stop prosecuting mental health illness and most of all, stop prosecuting addiction” - Joe Cervantez State’s attorney candidate

over about $100 of cannabis, not even.”

Cervantez said eventually the young man was released from jail and was charged for a misdemeanor, however this young man was looking to get into the Air Force, and the charge of a Class X has ruined some of his future prospects. This is why Cervantez said he has taken several cases that deal with overcharging, in order to prevent these things from happening.

DE: What are your thoughts on the Black Lives Matter Movement?

Cervantez: “I’ve been working on Civil Rights issues and defending people over the last few years and seen how the system needs to be changed,” Cervantez said. “After George Floyd things kind of blew up, but this is a fight I’ve seen for a long time, and I’m from a neighborhood that has been impacted by violent crimes and by poverty.”

Cervantez said people could protest and march on police stations all they want, but the best only place that can make actual changes is the State’s Attorney’s Office, and that’s what his goal is.

Staff reporter Nick Hasenstab can be reached at nhasenstab@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @ NickHasenstab.

Page 4

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Trump train convoy travels through Anna, draws counter-protesters

The Trump train makes its way through Dongola, Ill. during a parade though Union county on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. Jared Treece | @bisalo George Wiebe | gwiebe@dailyegyptian Keaton Yates | @keatsians Jamilah Lewis | @jamilahlewis

The Union County Republican Central Committee hosted a Trump rally and convoy in Anna, Ill. on Saturday.

Vehicles began arriving at 11:00 a.m., many of which flew Trump 2020, Don’t Tread on Me, the American Flag, and Confederate flags/stickers.

The pro-Trump convoy had 82 vehicles total holding at least two people per car. The route started and ended at South Transcraft Drive in Anna.

The convoy drove through Union County for about two hours and passed through Lick Creek, Saratoga, Cobden.

Alto Pass, Wolf Lake, Ware, Jonesboro, Mill Creek, and Dongola.

The Trump train took place at the same time as Anna’s second Black Lives Matter protest, which was also supposed to be a convoy. There were more than 200 Trump supporters at the rally and five Black Lives Matter protesters met them at the rally to counterprotest.

Maria Lingle, a 27-year-old resident of Jonesboro, said she considers herself to be a “diehard” fan of Trump.

“Trump brings a lot of jobs to this country,” Lingle said.

“He’s a very good guy, I think.”

Later in the day the rally was met by a group of Black Lives Matter protesters who were responding to the gathering.

Lingle said she believes racism is not supposed to be allowed in America because it is a free country.

Lingle and her husband attended the rally in a truck with stickers which read “ALL LIVES SPLATTER / NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR PROTEST’ and ‘BLM BECAUSE LOOTING MATTERS.” Takiyah Coleman, 19 years old, of Anna, organized a small Black Lives Matter protest that coincided with the Trump rally.

Anna has long been regarded as a “sundown town” in southern Illinois and held their very first Black Lives Matter demonstration this summer.

Coleman, Jessica Moore and Luke Herron-Titdus, Black Lives Matter protesters from Olin, Ill., and Jackson County, confronted protesters and said they were racist for supporting Trump.

A protester, who refused to give her name, accused the Black Lives Matter protesters of starting problems with the Trump supporters.

“You think everyone is racist and we’re not,” the protester said to Coleman.

Coleman said she knows plenty of people who aren’t racist but driving with ‘All Lives Matter’ and Trump and Vice President Mike Pence endorsement stickers is racist.

“You might think that all lives don’t matter, but they do,” the protester said. “Be an American.”

Coleman said living in Anna has been a very big obstacle

for her as a Black woman because of racism.

“I want acknowledgment,” she said. “The first step is acknowledging we have a big problem here.”

Moore said the racism in Anna is old and it’s always been a problem there.

“This one incident I was at the gas station not too long ago, it was after the Anna protest here, and somebody yelled out the n-word through the window at me,” Moore said.

Herron-Titdus said Anna needs Black Lives Matter protests to show anti-racist people in racist communities their voice matters.

“All lives can’t matter until Black lives do,” Herron-Titus said.

Chip Young, of Anna, Ill., said Takiyah Coleman, center, and a group of Black Lives Matter protestors argue he supports Trump because he is pro-gun, pro-life, pro-God and pro- with a Trump supporter who refused to give their name at the Trump Train on America. He said he didn’t understand Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, in Anna, Ill. Leah Sutton | @leahsuttonphotography how former Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden could be a devout Catholic and still support abortion.

However, a slight majority of Catholics in America support abortion rights, according to the Pew research center.

Young said he feels Trump is just like everyday people because he is not a politician.

“Somebody different, just somebody with testicular fortitude,” Young said. “I’ve been a voter for 42 years and it’s the same thing over and over, but he was something different, something new, something fresh I figured I’d give him a try and I’m glad A group of Black Lives Matter protesters pose for a photo in front of a Trump I did.”

Chairman of Union County Stan banner at the Trump Train event in Anna, Ill., on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. This Hunter, said the reason he supports was the second Black Live Matters protest held in Anna, Ill. this year. Keaton Trump is because he is a constitutionalist, Yates | @keatsians and believes despite his “antics and policies” is a strong leader.

Staff reporter George Wiebe can be reached at gwiebe@ “If we don’t stand up and keep the constitution and the dailyegyptian.com supreme court and keep someone who’s striving to make America great, make us the constitutional government we Staff reporter Keaton Yates can be reached by email at kyates@ are, it’s all over,” Hunter said. dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter @keatsians.

Hunter said he helped organize this rally to show the county holds conservative values and the Republican party Staff reporter Jamilah Lewis can be reached at jlewis@ is what has given them the freedoms it has. dailyegyptian.com or on twitter @jamilahlewis.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Page 5

Fake News: The infodemic

Oreoluwa Ojewuyi | @odojewuyi

Fake news has caused an “infodemic” all over the United States throughout the last decade.

Misinformation spreads like wildfire and poses health, safety and political threats to society. This has changed the relationship between the media and the world.

Joane Miller, a professor of political science and psychology at the University of Delaware, said that the definition of fake news has been watered down politically.

“Among political candidates and elites, the phrase ‘fake news’ has been used to reference news that doesn’t portray them in a good light,” Miller said.

According to John Jackson, emeritus professor of political science and visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, false information spreads quicker on social media websites like Facebook.

Scott McClurg, professor of political science and journalism at SIU, said older generations are not as equipped to tell the difference between fact and fiction on social media.

“On some level it is easier to spread false information on Facebook. Older people tend to use Facebook more often,” McClurg said.

McClurg said younger generations grew up with digital media, but older generations did not.

“Our experience was when you needed information, you went right to the paper. Now, because there are so many different ways to get your information, it makes it difficult to find credible information,” McClurg said.

McClurg said fake news has proven to be dangerous and referenced the coronavirus pandemic.

“The seriousness of the pandemic has been depreciated. Republicans really are looking at it as a [threat to] democracy,” McClurg said.

Jacqueline Boyd | @jacqueline_ciera

Jackson said there is fear mongering surrounding the pandemic on social media.

“I think anti-factual and non scientific assertions from the highest levels in the land have totally confused the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jackson said. “It made it virtually impossible for the national government to have an effective approach to stop the spread of the virus.”

Jackson said we have a highly polarized media that also poses a threat to the political process.

“Democrats and independents might get

their news from CNN. Certain Republicans might heavily depend on FOX for news and believe everything they say is true,” Jackson said.

Informed citizens are an integral part of a functioning democracy, according to Jackson.

“Those of us who identify with a party, filter what we see through a partisan prism. It certainly pulls on and impacts the way we evaluate the candidates and issues,” Jackson said. “Fake news distorts the political process and undermines the rationality of participation and voting.”

Fake news played an integral role in the 2016 election, with Russia inciting political unrest and divides on social media, McClurg said.

Jackson said American intelligence agencies demonstrated that Russian military intelligence agencies meddled in the 2016 election and tried to influence the outcome.

“They created fake groups that were having meetings and rallies mostly on the behalf of Trump. They were causing racial and ethnic strife and inciting hatred to undermine the democratic process,” Jackson said.

Mclurg said he believes Trump doesn’t condemn fake news for his own benefit.

“The president doesn’t seem to condemn fake news. He wants to win, if fake news helps make his argument, he will agree with it and vice versa,” McClurg said.

According to Jackson, fake news influences and impacts the way we evaluate candidates and political issues.

“Ordinary citizens are basing their voting choices on factually inaccurate information; it hurts their ability to actually choose a candidate who best represents them,” Miller said.

Jackson said political ads have some claim to being factual, but often those facts are distorted

or half of the truth to prove their point and affirm their opinions. There are no regulations for political advertisements.

“There are two ways political advertising works. Number one being advertising why voters should choose a candidate over someone else,” McClurg said. “The other way is to find party loyalists and make sure they show up and vote.”

McClurg said political advertisements would be more credible if they compared and contrasted candidates instead of writing one another off as terrible.

Media Literacy employs different techniques to tell the difference between real and fake news.

“This means asking who the source is, if it’s a credible source, are there cues in the way the article is being written that lead me to believe it might not be a credible report, and how can I do research to find out if it is actually a credible report,” Miller said.

Miller said people should be reminded to remain conscious of their own biases. People need to learn how to recognize credible reports and news stories. “[Factual stories] usually have two sources, with someone’s point of view. Usually there are facts, usually things you can fact check,” McClurg said.

McClurg said we are still trying to figure out how to combat fake news.

“People need to make sure they talk to other people with differing opinions,” McClurg said.

Reporter Oreoluwa Ojewuyi can be reached at oojewuyi@dailyegyptian.com or on twitter @ odojewuyi.

Page 6

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Q&A with Illinois 12th Meet Ray Lenzi: Q & A with Illinois District Congressman 12th District Candidate Mike Bost Matthew Allenye | @matt_alleyene

George Wiebe | gwiebe@dailyegyptian.com

Editor’s note: Some of these answers have been condensed for clarity. Orginally published at in an earlier edition.

Mike Bost, the incumbent representative of Illinois’s 12th district, has served in the United States House of Representatives since January 2015.

Bost is a member on three House committees, previously served three years in the Marine Corps., and later ran his family’s trucking company until he was elected to Congress. Bost is running for re-election against Democratic candidate Ray Lenzi, a Carbondale resident and former SIU student.

Ray Lenzi was a former SIU student and SIU’s executive director for the office of Economic and Regional Development from 1994 to 1999, then the vice-Chancellor of that same office from 2002 to 2007.

He’s been a coal miner, professor, husband and father. Lenzi said he never seemed to see a candidate that shared his views when it came time to vote, so he chose to be that candidate and is running to represent Illinois’ 12th district in the house of representatives.

Lenzi will be running against incumbent Mike Bost.

DE: What is the main goal that you’re hoping to accomplish if elected to the House?

Lenzi: Lenzi said that the main focus for his campaign was getting universal healthcare for all citizens, not just those that can afford it.

“Ultimately, I would like to see a system based on everyone participating through taxation based on income. Everyone has health insurance, and if we have to take certain steps to get there through the public option or Medicare for all, that would be my ultimate goal,” Lenzi said. “That we have a system like much of Western Europe has, where everybody is in the system, everybody can know that their health care needs are going to be taken care of.”

DE: What other issues do you intend to tackle on your path to getting elected?

Lenzi: “[Healthcare and the economy] are the two big issues that the country faces. It’s that, and other issues of course are climate change, where I recognize that global warming is real,” Lenzi said. “My opponent seems to be going along with Donald Trump’s idea that it’s a hoax. So we have to urgently get ready to move to address climate change, promoting renewable energy. I am championing on that and will continue to do it.”

Lenzi said another issue was incumbent Mike Bost’s non-responsiveness to the citizens and their issues. Lenzi then spoke on what he intends to cover in relation to education, as well as his background in education.

“I would like to emphasize that I am an educator. I served at virtually every level of education from preschool to K-12 , to being a professor where I was tenured at the University of Missouri I’m a strong proponent for education. I would support universal tuition free college education, if that came up for a vote,” Lenzi said. “I would support whatever the strongest measure is to increase funding and support for education at all levels, so that is a big issue, particularly to me as a lifetime educator. I started the SIU Research Park, which has about 500 jobs now out there, and I was the founder of it, so we think that stimulation of the economy and support for higher education are mutually inclusive.”

DE: One of the things that we saw when looking into your campaign was the trading of civil service, or military service, in place of paying for tuition to go to college. Would that account for someone getting hurt in that military service? Would they be covered for that as well?

“Everyone would be covered, especially those that get injured in serving their country,” Lenzi said.

DE: An additional thing that you have on your campaign to accomplish is remediation of incarceration. How will you plan to go about that if elected? How do you plan to present that to the house and get that done?

Lenzi: “Well, I say as far as remediation of incarceration, we need to first of all address the issue of nonviolent offences that might be related to the drug laws so that people aren’t being sent to prison for this violation, it doesn’t make sense,” Lenzi said. “The other thing though is it really gets back to the economics of it. We really need more money for jobs. More jobs, particularly in low income and minority communities where unemployment is high, because there is a relationship between income and job availability, and people turning to crime. So we definitely need more physical stimulus.”

Lenzi said the minimum wage should be increased to 15 dollars an hour. Lenzi also mentioned that things were “out of wack” when it came to income, equality, and economic justice.

“Economic justice goes to the heart of the question of incarceration. We obviously need better programs for people returning to society, because right now there’s minimal avenues and this just increases the number of people that go back into crime because they don’t have the options and haven’t been trained for the jobs or even have jobs that are available,” Lenzi said. “So those are issues that relate to mass incarceration. I will say I support Black Lives Matter, and I’ll say that phrase, and my opponent doesn’t seem to care, so those are issues that we intend to work for.”

DE: That covers the questions we had. Is there anything else that you want to add that we didn’t ask about?

Lenzi: “Well, we’re going to be going on the offensive next week, really calling Mr. Bost to the carpet for his apparent fear,” Lenzi said.

Lenzi said that he would offer any means, whether on zoom or in person, to debate with Bost in all 12 counties, on all the issues he’s mentioned here and on his campaign site.

Lenzi ended and said, “what is [Bost] afraid of?”

Staff reporter Matthew Alleyne can be reached at malleyne@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram at matt_alleyne.

DE: In the last five years, do you feel you have had a positive impact on the House of Representatives?

“Most definitely. You know, we’ve worked on unbelievable things like tax reform just to get a list of things. I’m actually very involved in three committees that are vitally important to my district, its Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs and AG (agriculture),” Bost said.

Bost said seniority in the House is important. “[It] allows you the opportunity to get the experience around here and then become respected with the other members. I’m actually now also trained for this next run to be chairman of the entire V.A.” DE: Is there anything you’re working on right now that you feel you won’t have a chance to get accomplished unless you’re re-elected?

“I believe voters will send me back. That said, my top priority, and it has to be, is trying to deal with COVID: start finding the vaccine, help our communities and businesses come back stronger than ever. We also need to get our kids back to school, and get them back safely.

With the PPP (paycheck protection program) loans 10,000 businesses in my district have received over one billion dollars in loans,” Bost said.

Boat said he and the Republican Party’s “agenda” would be to rebuild the country following the COVID-19 crisis.

DE: One of the main issues your campaign covers is “simplifying” the tax code, as well as putting a stop to rising taxes. With the current situation involving COVID, and the amount of spending going towards relief, is it possible to not increase taxes?

“Sure. This is where a lot of people get confused on that. It’s [the economy] like a horse waiting to start the race and we’re holding back on the reins because of COVID, but now when it’s time to release it, it’s going to come roaring back. Raising taxes stifles economic growth, and we proved that by what we did before COVID and how the economy was booming to allow us to compete in a world market,” Bost said.

DE: In 2020 you’re sharing the ticket with a few other candidates, can you give us your opinion on some of these other races happening in Illinois?

“It’s a different time for campaigns. The reason why I say that it’s a different type of campaign where you used to be able to go out and go door to door and do major events and all of that. Now you do virtual events, but you’re not having the big crowds because of the concern, of course. And I also know what the COVID virus is doing in the particular area that you might be campaigning. It’s a different time,” Bost said.

Bost said Republicans are currently working to gain a foothold in congressional districts around Chicago.

DE: Also on the Illinois ballot is a vote to repeal the state constitution’s law barring a graduated scale tax. What is your opinion of this measure?

“I am and will advise everyone to vote no. They say, ‘oh, no, it only affects the rich’ no, it doesn’t. It is a tax increase on everyone. But it’s up to the voters to make the decision,” Bost said.

Bost said what the state legislature does not mention in the measure’s campaign is the ability for the state to create ‘sudden tax increases.” “I’m encouraging people to make sure that they hold their representatives responsible and make sure that they balance the budget like we’re supposed to do,” Bost said.

DE: Currently the graduated tax plan as laid out by the Illinois legislature shows that 97% of Illinoisans would have lower taxes, so what do you mean by “not just the rich will be taxed more?”

“I think that is a selling gimmick,” Bost said.

Bost said as a result of the graduated tax, more jobs and people would begin leaving Illinois.

“Every state that has a graduated income tax, allows their legislatures to increase taxes. And I know they say it’s not in the bill, but the experts say that the next thing around the corner, they will start taxing retirement income because then it’s just a vote of the legislature to get that done,” Bost said.

DE: We want to thank you for your time, and would like to ask you for some final words.

“Sure. Let me tell you that I thank the voters of Illinois 12 for giving me the opportunity to serve them in this capacity, we’re working hard for them. I will continue to work hard for them. I thank them for their friendship and support, and I look forward to continuing to serve them,” Bost said.

Staff reporter George Wiebe can be reached at gwiebe@dailyegyptian.com.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Justice Ginsburg’s death impacts Supreme Court

Page 7

Janae Mosby | @mosbyj

The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who served for 27 years in the U.S. Supreme Court, affected the hearts of many Americans worldwide and is impacting the political climate of the United States.

SIU Law School professor Cynthia Fountiane said with Ginsburg’s passing America has lost an important member in women’s, and indeed America’s, history.

“She was a long standing member of the court who maintained cordial relations with many of the justices, regardless of their political affiliations, and I think that was one of the things that made her stand out in a positive way,” SIU Law School professor Cindy Buys said.

Justice Ginsburg made decisions that supported the individual’s rights, Buys said.

“She was on the left, or more liberal end of the political spectrum, often siding with decisions that protected individuals rights whether that be gender discrimination cases or cases based on sexual orientation,” Buys said.

Since Ginsburg was on the liberal end of the political spectrum, her death has the potential to affect the Supreme Court in a number of ways, SIU Law School associate Dean and associate professor Steven Macias said.

“If the current nominee goes through it will currently have an impact on the liberal versus conservative majority on the Court,” Fountaine said.

Buys said that it is likely President Trump will appoint someone who is more conservative on issues like gender discrimation or sexual orientation.

There has been some debate about whether a Supreme Court nominee should be confirmed so close to an election.

During President Obama’s candidacy, the Senate would not give a hearing to his justice nominee because some senators said they did not think it was appropriate to do that in the last year of the presidency, Buys said.

Fountaine said it seems that the Senate is trying to move quickly so they can get it approved before the election.

Two members of the republican Senate, Senator Collins and Senator Murkowski, have said they will not support Trump’s nominee.

“They view it as being hypocritical to have blocked President Obama four years ago and now trying to allow President Trump to confirm,” Macias said.

On Sept. 26, Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace Justice Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

This nomination has the potential to have a big effect on the Supreme Court and what happens within it.

The Senate contains sufficient members of the president’s party, so they can confirm her without any Democrats joining them, Buys said.

“It appears that she has been well received so far in the Senate,” Fountaine said.

The Supreme Court, with Amy Barretts addition, will have enough members who would be willing to overturn something like Roe v. Wade, Macias said.

The 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade established a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion.

Decisions made in the Supreme Court can affect the lives of many Americans.

Areas that can be affected by the Supreme Court are religious liberty, gender equality and same sex marriages, Macias said.

“When you talk about the other cases that garner so much attention, when it comes to gay marriage, reproductive rights, immigration issue and things like that. Those have a much broader impact,” Buys said.

People should care about the Supreme Court and what is happening in it right now because it involves their rights and how much the government can regulate what we do, Fountaine said.

Staff reporter Janae Mosby can be reached at jmosby@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @mosbyj.

Ronan Lisota | @r_lisota

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Page 8

U.S. still seeing the effects of voter suppression after more than 100 years Jamilah Lewis | @jamiliahlewis

Voter suppression has been around in the United States for hundreds of years and has gotten better with the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th amendments being passed, but it still exists today.

In the United States, voter suppression is the act of putting obstacles in front of a certain group or community, usually people of color, to influence the outcome of an election.

Ed Yohnka, the director of Communications and Public Policy for the ACLU of Illinois, said voter suppression is an effort by people who are already in power to try to maintain power by limiting and denying a certain group of people from accessing the ballot.

“There’s a direct upward trend from the time that the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 until 2008 in terms of access to the ballot,” Yohnka said. “Generally mostly [for] black people, but [also for] people of color. If you look at after the first Obama election and then after the Shelby vs. Holder decision in 2013, [which] rolled back the effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act, you see a fall-off in that participation.”

Yohnka spoke of times where voter suppression was very big in states like North Carolina and Kansas.

“If you look back to 2014 and 2015 into 2016, in North Carolina they passed a series of measures that change things like early voting, access to mail-in ballots, poll locations, and a couple of other changes that had all been studied for the way that they would impact who actually voted,” Yohnka said.

“The reason that I point to that was a federal court when they ultimately looked at those changes said that they had been instituted with quote ‘surgical precision’ in order to limit voting by people who were younger and black voters.”

Yohnka said in 2018 in the midterm election in Kansas, polling locations were moved to different parts of towns where there was no transportation for communities with people of color to get to them.

Illinois is no exception to this as there have also been accounts of voter suppression reported in the state, Yohnka said.

“In the midterms of 2018, [in] part of the Chicago metropolitan region, there was a county where the clerk

“They’ve been chipping away at the voter rights laws, so as we vote for people who will appoint judges at all levels, who will protect the voting rights of all citizens.”

- Linda Flowers NAACP Carbondale chapter president

actually had posted information on the county’s website suggesting that people needed an identification card, a stateissued identification card in order to vote,” Yohnka said.

“That’s not true in Illinois and it’s something, that again, we’ve adopted this policy, it’s not part of what we do and so I think I would kind of count that as a subtle form of suppression.”

John Jackson, Visiting and Emeritus Professor of political science for 40 years and an employee of the Paul Simon Institute has worked there for 19 years to help educate people about public policy and public issues about government and politics.

Jackson said voter suppression is when various state officials who think they can systematically disadvantage certain groups of people that they believe will give them a partisan advantage.

“They theoretically are concerned about fraud but there’s such a little bit of voting fraud that nobody really believes that or takes it terribly seriously,” Jackson said.

Jackson said there will even be problems that limit the mailin ballots in some states.

“Of course the president complains about it all the time and different states have different rules about how early they have to be postmarked and the controversy over whether or not U.S. Postal Service will be able to deliver them all to the county clerks. It’s a long list of those kinds of things that are potentially a problem,” Jackson said

Jackson said voter suppression isn’t a big issue in southern Illinois, but in places like Georgia and Florida, officials have been guilty of voter suppression.

“In Florida which is fairly notorious, what they did recently is there are about 200,000 ex-felons who had their right to vote restored, and then the Florida authorities decided that they had to pay all of their back fines and they had to pay court costs and all of that before they could vote,” Jackson said. “So, that’s been a form of keeping fairly large numbers of people from voting. I mentioned putting too few holding places in certain parts of town and those tend to have been discriminatory against Hispanic and Black voters.”

Linda Flowers has been the president of the Carbondale chapter of the NAACP for four years and has been working with the organization for over 30 years.

Flowers said while she hasn’t experienced voter suppression, her parents witnessed it firsthand in Alabama.

“I guess its as early as slavery with African American, as slaves not having the right to vote and then even after slavery and even after the 13th,14th, and 15th amendments to the constitution were added making black citizens and giving them the right to vote,” Flowers said.

She said she feels that it’s not fair that people with felony convictions in Illinois can serve their time and still be allowed to vote but in other states you can have a felony conviction and not be allowed to vote. Linda said there should be a national law around who can vote This strategy, according to Flowers, is one way the country can improve concerning voter suppression.

“I think nationally it needs to be against the law and there have been several voting laws passed, and as people are appointed to the Supreme Court and some of the other courts,” Flowers said. “They’ve been chipping away at the voter rights laws, so as we vote for people who will appoint judges at all levels, who will protect the voting rights of all citizens.”

Staff reporter Jamilah Lewis can be reached at jlewis@ dailyegyptian.com or on twitter @jamilahlewis.

Page 9

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Trump ‘looking forward’ to next debate Tribune News Service

President Donald Trump, at least five days into COVID-19 treatment, says he’s eager to take the stage against Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the next scheduled presidential debate in Miami next week, where rules regarding safety remain unresolved.

“I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami,” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. “It will be great!”

Trump’s tweet comes a day after his discharge from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It remains unclear the last time the president tested negative, and while doctors maintain he’s improving, the official messages offered to the media by the White House and doctors have frequently been incomplete or at odds with each other.

Trump’s blood oxygen levels dipped below normal at least twice last week and he’s being treated with a steroid, dexamethasone, that health officials typically recommend only with severe cases of COVID-19. Trump is also on a five-day course of Remdesivir to treat the virus.

“FEELING GREAT!” the president tweeted Tuesday morning.

Biden has said even if the president is not yet healthy enough, he would show up by himself at the town hall-style debate next Thursday if it’s deemed safe.

Tim Murtaugh, Trump communications director, told CBS news Monday that “it’s the president’s intention to debate.”

Next Thursday’s 90-minute debate is set for 9 p.m. at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. It was initially scheduled for the University of Michigan, but that plan was deemed unsafe.

Steve Scully, the political editor for C-SPAN, will moderate.

The last time the pair took the stage, the debate itself was panned by pundits and political observers, who criticized the freewheeling format and the president’s persistent interruptions of Biden and moderator Chris Wallace.

The performance prompted the nonpartisan Commission

de

The Daily Egyptian Election Polls

election 2020

The polls below were posted on the Daily Egyptian’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Polls were made by using Survey Maker.

Who do you plan on voting for?

9%

34%

(33)

(120)

people polled said that they were registered to vote and plan on voting.

57% (199)

Donald Trump (R)

Joe Biden (D)

36/36

Other

Chloe Schobert | @chlo_scho_art

on Presidential Debates to say that “additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.” The CPD said it would consider and announce changes and “additional tools to maintain order.”

CALL 6185366621 TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT.

The latest poll following the debate from NBC and The Wall Street Journal shows Biden up by 14 points nationwide.

(c)2020 MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Page 10

House race for district 115 features two third-party candidates Jason Flynni | jfylnn@dailyegyptian.com

The Illinois state House of Representatives race for the 115th congressional district may be the most competitive the race has been in the last decade.

The incumbent, Terri Bryant, is vacating the seat she’s held since 2014 to run a campaign for state senate, and three challengers, Randy Auxier of Murphysboro, Paul Jacobs of Carbondale and Ian Peak of Mount Vernon, are all vying for the position.

The 115th district, which covers Mount Vernon and parts of the DuQuoin and Carbondale area, has been held by a Republican since its redistricting following the 2010 census.

Though that might seem to favor Jacobs — a Republican and the only major party candidate in the race — third-party candidates Auxier, of the Green Party, and Peak, a Libertarian, each believes they can win.

Historically, third-party candidates have found it difficult to win in Illinois races. The state’s ballot-access rules are more stringent than in other states.

Illinois requires new parties to identify candidates ahead of circulating any ballot petition, the petitions can only circulate for three months, and the signatures must be greater than 5% of the votes in the last election. The organization Fair Vote wrote that this is the seventh worst ballot access rule in the United States.

The state’s ballot access rules have historically been more stringent than in other states. This means that while other states

have seen wins from third party candidates, especially in local and state races, Illinois has no third party state congress representatives.

Auxier, a philosophy professor at SIU, ran on the Green Party ticket in a United States House District 12 race in 2018.

He and the Democrat candidate, Brendan Kelly, lost that race to Republican candidate Mike Bost.

Auxier said this year’s race is completely different.

“There’s no Democrat running this time and the Democrats are helping me quite a lot, which I appreciate,” Auxier said.

Auxier described Jackson County, which covers most of the southern part of the congressional district, as “light blue,” meaning it leans Democratic, with longstanding ties to union workers, organic farmers and a contingent of rural “hippies.”

Peak, who previously ran for Jefferson County Board, is from more conservative Mount Vernon.

Peak said he followed Auxier’s 2018 campaign, and even voted for one of Auxier’s Green Party predecessors, Paula Bradshaw, but generally he disagrees with the Green Party platform.

The primary point of contention was taxes.

Auxier supports instituting a progressive income tax plan and the “LaSalle Street Tax,” a speculation tax that would place a transaction fee on the trading of futures and futures options. Advocates say placing a $1 or $2 fee on these futures trades, which are over $225,000 on average, could raise up to

$12 billion.

Peak said he sees these as the wrong direction for the state. While the ideas might seem good on paper, he said, he does not have faith in state’s officials to manage that money effectively.

Jacobs also shares Peak’s zeal for the tax issue, as he said he sees it as a matter of effective business management.

“I’ve spent 40 years in my optometry practice, balancing books every month, making certain that we didn’t overspend, making certain that we had enough money to spend for what we needed,” Jacobs said.

“Twenty-five years in my winery, brewery, restaurant, etc. we balanced the budget every month, and that’s what you have to do.”

Auxier said he also feels Illinois has had budget management issues and wants to see them addressed.

“Here’s the thing, the state constitution is not protecting us now from being overtaxed.

We are in fact over taxed. That is a fact that almost everyone can agree on,” Auxier said.

“They’ve mismanaged the state for a hundred years, and the voters don’t trust the state legislature and don’t blame them because they’ve not behaved responsibly.”

Though he’s the only major party candidate, Jacobs said he doesn’t necessarily see that a massive boon to his campaign.

Jacobs said he isn’t being financially supported by the party and still has to go out and do the work of campaigning to put himself out there.

Jacobs also said he sees it as a bonus that the

issues he has given top billing in his campaign are those where he contrasts with the other two candidates. He is pro-life and takes issue with the push by progressives in the direction of drug decriminalization.

Jacobs also said he sees it as a bonus that the issues he has given top billing in his campaign are also issues where he contrasts with the other two candidates.

“The other parts of their platform are basically the party of choice,” Jacobs said.

Auxier said, as a point of contrast, he sees himself as the pro-union candidate.

“In order to win here you have to be pro-union. So, my boss was a pro-union Republican and he served here for twenty years. Terri Bryant, who has vacated the seat I’m running for, is a pro-union Republican,” Auxier said. “Paul Jacobs, he’s well known in the area, but he’s not pro-union and that’s gonna hurt him.”

Peak chose to highlight his advocacy for local control and personal autonomy on a variety of issues.

“Just as Chicago shouldn’t dictate Mount Vernon’s gun laws, Mount Vernon should not dictate Chicago’s immigration or their sanctuary city status, that’s for the people of Chicago to decide,” Peak said.

The early voting period for Illinois started Sept. 24, and will run through Nov. 2.

For more details, visit elections.il.gov.

Staff reporter Jason Flynn can be reached at jflynn@dailyegyptian.com.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Page 11

Jessica Bradshaw, circuit clerk candidate Q&A Amber Koteras | @AmberKoteras

City council member Jessica Bradshaw is running to be the first green party circuit clerk in Jackson County.

Although Bradshaw is not a Carbondale native, she has lived in the city since she was in junior high. She has also been employed as a civil service employee at SIU for the last 12 years and has served on Carbondale’s city council for almost two full terms.

The Daily Egyptian spoke with Bradshaw about her campaign.

Daily Egyptian: What made you decide to run for circuit clerk?

Bradshaw said she decided to run upon hearing that incumbent, Cindy Svanda (Democrat) was running unopposed.

“I didn’t really know what the circuit clerk did at first. It was one of those administrative county jobs that you know you don’t really think about that much. Especially

on a presidential election year, you just don’t think about the down ballot votes,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw said after researching the office, she felt the position suited her experience and her education; she is working toward her masters in public administration at SIU.

Daily Egyptian: In your current position, what do you feel you are contributing to the city?

“It’s really interesting because, unlike a lot of political offices, city council is really kind of a group effort. I’m really happy that it’s a nonpartisan position and rank because [...] we’re all sort of working as a team to better Carbondale,” Bradshaw said.

Daily Egyptian: If you win this election, what do you hope to contribute to the city and county?

“I hope to bring my ideas and my perspectives to the county at large.

It’s a full-time job, the circuit clerk, so I’m really looking forward to that

challenge. Right now I don’t feel like the people are being represented by someone full time,” Bradshaw said.

She said because Svanda has been in office since 1996 there is a need for fresh perspectives and new ideas.

Daily Egyptian: What would winning this election look like for your party?

“That’s the weird thing with circuit clerk and some of these other county offices — they are so administrative. Similar to city council, it’s, like, how does partisan politics even play into running judges’ dockets day to day,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw said it would be exciting to be the first member of the green party elected to office in Jackson county. She mentioned that her father, who is also a member of the green party, was running for a position on the county board.

or expecting to face due to the pandemic?

Bradshaw said in some ways, campaigning during the pandemic has been no different; there is still social media, yard signs, advertisements and interviews to navigate. The main difference is that there are no big events to attend.

She also said the office is one where there’s no polling data.

“You don’t know what kind of impact you’re making until election day,” Bradshaw said.

“The incumbent has done a pretty good job of putting things online. Court can happen online now, not just here but everywhere,” Bradshaw said.

Daily Egyptian: What changes and challenges are you facing

Daily Egyptian: What do your long-term goals in the position look like?

“I am really excited by this potential opportunity. If the people of jackson county want to elect me, and in four years decide that I’m still doing a good job and want to

$56 million in support of the amendment for advertisements and has said “it’s wrong that I would pay the same tax rate as someone earning $100,000 or, even worse, pay the same tax rate as someone earning $30,000.”

Bailey said he is skeptical of the tax savings for 97% of Illinois taxpayers.

“We know that the flat tax rate is 4.95%. We’re being told that 97% of Illinoisans are going to get a tax break. Well, some of the math that was performed early on in this has been in 2019,” Bailey said. “Some of the math that was performed on these very same figures is a 4.75% tax rate on the middle class. So, you’re looking at a point to percent of a tax break. And when you look at all the income levels and put them together you’re essentially looking at about $6.73 tax savings [per taxpayer].”

Davis said the tax has some support from those who would have their taxes raised. “There are some very wealthy people in Illinois that appreciate and agree that they should pay a greater portion of their tax than they’re currently paying” Davis said there currently are no specified plans on where the extra money would go if the amendment passed but he would support education funding.

“We want to get to $3.5 billion more in education funding, this presents an opportunity to do that,” Davis said.

Davis said if more state funding went into schools there would be an opportunity for lower property taxes at the local level.

Bailey and Windhorst both expressed concern over the possibility of the assembly raising taxes on the upper and middle class even more.

“The fear is that that’s where this progressive tax amendment is going to go after. It’s going to go for where the money is at, and that is where the people are at and that’s in the middle class,” Bailey said.

Bailey also said he thinks there could be serious implications for southern Illinois if the amendment passes.

“It is already devastating because it’s going to be a tax for people, job opportunities are limited in our area, people are moving out and you just simply drive, and I’m sure you see this, the help wanted signs everywhere. That’s a sign of a lack of people to fill the needs,” Bailey said Windhorst expects Democrats to continue to raise taxes for all taxpayers and not just for the top 3%.

“My belief is the General Assembly and the governor will continue to propose additional tax increases, even below $250,000 which I would oppose, of course, but I don’t think there was adequate protections for middle class

elect me again, that would be great,” Bradshaw said.

She said that although she doesn’t plan on serving as many years as the incumbent, things can rapidly change in this era.

Daily Egyptian: Why should someone vote for you?

“I really just think it’s the perfect mix of my daily office administration experience that I’ve gotten at SIU, as well as what I’ve gotten in my MPA studies at SIU, and then also what I’ve learned at city council,” Bradshaw said. “I think that the people deserve a full time dedicated public servant in that office not just politically but also literally in the office day to day.”

Staff reporter Amber Koteras can be reached at akoteras@dailyegyptian. com or on Twitter at @AmberKoteras

Democrats and Republicans discuss the graduated income tax amendment

Ryan Scott | @RyanscottDE

Next month Illinoisans will have the option to vote on the Graduated Income Tax Amendment.

The amendment, if passed, would repeal the part of the Illinois constitution guaranteeing all residents pay the same state income tax percentage.

This spring the amendment passed both the Illinois House of Representatives and the state Senate, with a 60% vote required in both houses to put the amendment on the ballot.

The bill passed the senate 36-22 on May 1, and the House 67-48 on May 30.

For the amendment to pass in November, it will require 60% support from all the people who vote on the amendment itself, or a simple majority of all Illinois voters in the November election who vote on any part of the ballot.

In the legislature, every Democrat voted in favor of the amendment and every Republican voted against it.

Rep. Darren Bailey, a Republican from the 109th district which includes Edwards, Jasper, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White and parts of Effingham and Lawrence county, said Illinois has a spending problem and raising taxes is the wrong way to approach it.

Illinois has had a declining population and Bailey said a tax amendment will continue that decline.

“So we see the proof of high taxation in Illinois,” Bailey said.

“Illinois is indeed the highest taxed state in the Union, you know, we

have the highest property taxes, of any state in the Union so we know for a fact that people are leaving the state.”

Rep. Patrick Windhorst, a Republican who attended SIU’s School of Law and graduated in 2000, represents the 118th district and voted against the tax amendment. The 118th district includes Alexander, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, Pulaski, Pope, Saline, and Union Counties.

“What I view as the number one problem facing Illinois is our loss of population, particularly in the southern part of the state, and what I see is that additional taxes will lead to more people moving out of the state,” Windhorst said. “What this will do in my opinion, if this scenario were to pass, it will make it easier politically for the General Assembly to raise taxes on certain portions of the population, and that will cause more people to move out.”

Rep. Will Davis, an SIU alumnus in the class of 1989 and Democrat represents the 30th district in Cook County and is also an assistant majority leader in the House of Representatives. Davis voted in favor of the tax amendment.

“This is where we are going to draw the line in terms of our desire to ask that class of individuals to pay a little bit more of their income as it relates to those that make less,” Davis said.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has supported the income tax amendment vocally and financially.

Pritzker has given more than

taxpayers with the constitutional amendment,” Windhorst said.

Davis, however, said the tax rate could already be lifted, but if it were, it would have to be lifted for everybody. He said they’re still working to find what the perfect rate is.

“So that we are maximizing our opportunity but still trying to work within a certain confine of not driving people out of the state,” Davis said.

Sports reporter Ryan Scott can be reached at rscott@dailyegyptian.com or on twitter @RyanscottDE.

Ronan Lisota | @r_lisota

Page 12

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Q&A with Jackson County State’s Attorney Michael Carr Madison Taylor | @taylorm08

Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted on Sept. 24 Michael Carr was elected as the Jackson County State’s Attorney in November 2012 and in 2016, he was reelected for a second term.

He received his bachelor’s degree in government from SIU and his Juris Doctorate from SIU’s School of Law. The Daily Egyptian spoke with Carr about his plans if reelected.

DE: What are your goals if you’re reelected?

Carr said he wants to continue the tactics and principles he’s used over the years to focus on serious offenders and remove them from the community.

“We have to have a prosecutor’s office that takes serious crimes seriously [and] removes those people from our communities, so that people feel safe,” Carr said.

Carr said he wants a supporting and safe environment that results in someone not losing their opportunity to a criminal prosecution.

“When I came here, Jackson County had filed 760 felonies that year [and] by the end of 2019, the felony filings in Jackson County went down to 537. That’s a 30% reduction, and that’s a result of focusing on the most serious offenders,” Carr said.

Carr said he wants to focus on and prosecute serious crimes and repeat offenders. “[We want to] focus on people that have continued to commit serious crimes and those people, many of them have recently been released from prisons. Focusing on the most serious offenders means using our precious resources, but basically focusing on trial work and cases that we actually want to use our resources on,” Carr said.

DE: What are some policies you advocate for?

Carr said one of his policies is to file cases off of a good faith

basis, meaning that they can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt and still be able to get more evidence.

“There has to be a good faith basis that we’re going to be able to prove this case at trial; that’s one of the principles of prosecution,” Carr said.

Carr said another policy he advocated for is cases that require a minimum mandatory sentence, like murder or sexual assault, will not be negotiable.

“If we have that kind of case which carries a mandatory minimum sentence, because [we know] majority of our violent crimes are being committed by people who are already involved [in serious offenses], we are not going to answer into negotiations that would go below legislation,” Carr said.

DE: What are your strengths and weaknesses compared to Joe Cervantez and how will you use those to your advantage?

Carr said some of his strengths are that he has been a prosecutor for over three decades and has lived in Carbondale the majority of his life.

“My opponent moved to Carbondale so that he could say that he’s from Carbondale. He doesn’t work in Jackson County, he doesn’t live in Jackson County, his family doesn’t go to school in Jackson County,” Carr said.

Carr said he respects that Cervantez is an attorney but the county needs someone who has prosecuted murder cases.

“My opponent has never done that; they [Jackson County] require somebody who has processed seriously violent crimes.

Before that, my opponent was handling juvenile cases,” Carr said.

Carr said he is well versed on the history and the challenges of the community, a knowledge that can’t be obtained living in Carbondale only for a little while.

DE: With the controversy around the Molly Young case do you have any comments about her father campaigning against you and telling people to vote for Cervantez?

Carr said he cannot speak on that case because he’s been recused from that case.

“I just can’t talk about it. It’s a core responsibility to separate that [and] not to associate a campaign with the promotion of a particular case. Of course that doesn’t prevent people that want to promote a candidate from doing that, but lawyers have an ethical responsibility that the public understands that they can’t campaign. I’m recused from the case and it would be improper for me to comment,” Carr said.

Staff reporter Madison Taylor can be reached at mtaylor@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @taylorm08.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

VOTE Register to vote online, by mail or in person.

Curbside Voting is availible, allowing for a safe experience.

Registered voters may vote in-person, via mail-in ballot or by absentee ballot.

Voters may vote as early as Oct. 13 with multiple days open.

Find your designated polling place at ova.elections.il.gov

Register in person

Election 2020 The DE’s guide to voting in Illinois

Vote by Mail How do I obtain a vote by mail ballot?

Voters must ďŹ ll out an application for mail-in ballots.

Voters can obtain the vote by mail application from their voting authority, in-person or online.

When can I apply?

Vote by mail applications are accepted 90 days before the election.

When does voting by mail actually start?

Voters can mail in their ballot 40 days prior to the election.

Source

elections.il.gov See future editions of Daily Egyptian and visit dailyegyptian.com for continued coverage.

Page 13

Page 14

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

de election 2020

A copy of the 2020 ballot is attached on the right.

Inside the courthouse on Election Day the Vote Center is available for people to bi-pass their polling place and vote there. Wait times may occur to confirm they haven’t already voted at their polling place.

LIST OF NOMINATIONS FOR THE

GENERAL ELECTION

TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 3RD, 2020 IN JACKSON COUNTY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSAL "NOTICE THE FAILURE TO VOTE THIS BALLOT MAY BE THE EQUIVALENT OF A NEGATIVE VOTE, BECAUSE A CONVENTION SHALL BE CALLED OR THE AMENDMENT SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE IF APPROVED BY EITHER THREEFIFTHS OF THOSE VOTING ON THE QUESTION OR A MAJORITY OF THOSE VOTING IN THE ELECTION. (THIS IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A DIRECTION THAT YOUR VOTE IS REQUIRED TO BE CAST EITHER IN FAVOR OF OR IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSITION HEREIN CONTAINED.) WHETHER YOU VOTE THIS BALLOT OR NOT YOU MUST RETURN IT TO THE ELECTION JUDGE WHEN YOU LEAVE THE VOTING BOOTH".

CONSTITUTION BALLOT PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE 1970 ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION Explanation of Amendment The proposed amendment grants the State authority to impose higher income tax rates on higher income levels, which is how the federal government and a majority of other states do it. The amendment would remove the portion of the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution that is sometimes referred to as the "flat tax," that requires all taxes on income to be at the same rate. The amendment does not itself change tax rates. It gives the State the ability to impose higher tax rates on those with higher income levels and lower income tax rates on those with middle or lower income levels. You are asked to decide whether the proposed amendment should become a part of the Illinois Constitution.

For the proposed amendment of Section 3 of Article IX of the Illinois Constitution.

YES NO

FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (Vote for one)

(DONALD J. TRUMP (MICHAEL R. PENCE REPUBLICAN

(JOSEPH R. BIDEN (KAMALA D. HARRIS DEMOCRATIC (HOWIE HAWKINS (ANGELA WALKER GREEN (GLORIA LA RIVA (LEONARD PELTIER PARTY FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION (BRIAN CARROLL (AMAR PATEL AMERICAN SOLIDARITY PARTY (JO JORGENSEN (JEREMY “SPIKE” COEHN LIBERTARIAN (Write-in _____________________________________________

FOR UNITED STATES SENATOR (Vote for one)

MARK C. CURRAN JR. REPUBLICAN RICHAR J. DURBIN DEMOCRATIC WILLIE L. WILSON WILLIE WILSON PARTY DAVID F. BLACK GREEN DANNY MALOUF LIBERTARIAN Write-in _____________________________

FOR REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS TWELFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (Vote for one)

MIKE BOST REPUBLICAN RAYMOND C. LENZI DEMOCRATIC

FOR STATE SENATOR FIFTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT (Vote for one) TERRI BRYANT REPUBLICAN No Candidate DEMOCRATIC FOR REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEENTH REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT (Vote for one) PAUL JACOBS REPUBLICAN No Candidate DEMOCRATIC IAN PEAK LIBERTARIAN PARTY RANDY AUXIER GREEN FOR REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEENTH REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT

(Vote for one)

PATRICK WINDHORST REPUBLICAN No Candidate DEMOCRATIC FOR CIRCUIT CLERK (Vote for one)

No Candidate REPUBLICAN CINDY R. SVANDA DEMOCRATIC JESSICA BRADSHAW GREEN

More information:

jacksoncounty-il.gov

FOR CORONER (Vote for one) ALEX CRAWSHAW REPUBLICAN THOMAS W. KUPFERER DEMOCRATIC No Candidate GREEN FOR COUNTY TREASURER UNEXPIRED 2-YEAR TERM (Vote for one) D. JASON SVANDA REPUBLICAN LIZ HUNTER DEMOCRATIC No Candidate GREEN

Source & Image: Frank Byrd Jackson County Clerk

FOR STATE’S ATTORNEY (Vote for one)

JOE CERVANTEZ REPUBLICAN MICHAEL “MIKE” CARR DEMOCRATIC No Candidate GREEN FOR MEMBER OF THE COUNTY BOARD DISTRICT 1 (Vote for one)

JAN L. PHILLIPS REPUBLICAN No Candidate DEMOCRATIC No Candidate GREEN

FOR MEMBER OF THE COUNTY BOARD DISTRICT 2 (Vote for one)

DAN BOST REPUBLICAN No Candidate DEMOCRATIC No Candidate GREEN

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Page 15

Advertisement

Page 16

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

If you want better government, vote for people who will serve the public good. In this election, vote: Randy Auxier for State Rep (115th District) Randy will fight for progressive taxation to fund the services we need, reducing our state’s overreliance on property taxes. Illinois needs to stop putting all the burden on local governments and school districts. He supports: •

Healthcare: Single-payer universal health care, improved Medicare for All.

•

Education: The state needs to ensure free quality education for all – pre-K through college.

•

Pro-Labor: Especially now, we need to ensure worker safety, economic security, diversity, equal opportunity – and more opportunity. Randy is a longtime union member and supporter. More at randyauxier.net.

Jessica Bradshaw for Circuit Clerk • • •

two-term member of Carbondale City Council; longtime office administrator at SIUC; master’s degree candidate in public administration

We need a capable, full-time administrator as Circuit Clerk.

The Circuit Clerk is responsible for maintaining complete and accurate court records of every action taken in every court case.

We need to elect someone to this position with a solid work ethic, a genuine commitment to public service, and the right skills to perform this vital role. Jessica is the best choice for this vitally important position.

More at jcgreens.org; JessicaforJacksonCo on Facebook.

For Jackson County Board: Josh Hellmann (District 3)

Rich Whitney (District 4)

Charlie Howe (District 6)

These County Board candidates support: • • •

finding new sources of revenue to ease the tax burden on working people; maintaining and improving county services; and promoting economic opportunity through worker-owned cooperatives and the solidarity economy.

More at jcgreens.org Paid for by Shawnee Green Party