Inklings election edition 2020

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Crown Point High School Crown Point, IN @InklingsCPHS November 3, 2020 Vol. 85 Issue 2

Taking Sides

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Tuesday Nov. 3 is election day. U.S. citizens who are 18 and have registered to vote can go to their local polling center to cast their vote.

GRAPHIC BY HAYDEN COLES

2 ELECTION

CANDIDATE CONFLICT

National election creates division amongst voters; prompts voters to look at issues to base vote on

BY EMILY HELMUTH NOAH THOMAS ROSALIE DEGENHART co-editors-in-chief assistant editor The year 2020 has been filled with breaking news. Especially considering the national COVID-19 pandemic, the American people have faced an abundance of challenges in 2020 so far. As the year nears its end, the American people face one more challenge: the presidential election.

With the 2020 election, the stark contrast between the two major political parties’ candidates’ views and ideologies, have been in the limelight. Social studies teacher Vincent Lewis believes that this contrast can be accredited to the fact that neither the republican or democratic presidential candidate has been able to reach a middle ground.

“Part of it is the inability of politicians to find middle ground and this constant amplification of voices, whether it’s through the media or social media or just even in a classroom, the voices that are on the extreme ends of the spectrum are always the ones that get amplified. In reality, most people are somewhere in the middle, and politicians used to be able to find that middle,” Lewis said. “It really ends up coming down to two or three senators that are the focus because they’re the only ones that are willing to not vote with the rest of the party.

It’s really unfortunate that that’s the case.

They should really be willing to vote based on the best interest of their constituents in their district or in their state whatever it might be.”

Lewis notes that he believes this political divide attributes to the current intense political climate. According to Lewis, this divide sets apart this election from others he has seen.

“I’ve only seen in my adult life a few presidential elections now, but the climate is very, very divided which is to be expected especially with a two-party system like we have. I think it is divided to the point of violence and a lot of hatred. There is a gen-

uine and legitimate fear that a lot of people have,” Lewis said. “In the aftermath of the election, depending on which way it goes or maybe even regardless of which way it goes, there could be outbreaks of violence, which is scary and it’s obviously not a very hopeful place to be in as a country. I think that the big difference is not just the division but the passion and the almost visceral emotional reaction to the divisions.”

Compared to prior elections, Lewis adds that although most of the key issues Americans are voting on have stayed consistent over the years, he believes that a few newer issues have begun to play a role in people’s votes.

“One major issue that stands out to me is whether the election results will even be recognized and respected,” Lewis said.

‘‘

Regardless of which way they vote, if young people show up in waves to vote they could tip the election one way or another.

social studies teacher Vincent Lewis “There is an assumption that we have that power will be passed off peacefully and for that to even be a question is a major issue.

And that’s in the context of COVID-19 and this pandemic and how that has been handled. I think it’s very similar to a wartime election except instead of a war we have a pandemic. Interestingly enough, the Supreme Court is a major issue too, to which people have maybe not always been as cognizant of in the past. Now [people have] become really aware of how important that Supreme Court is and how important it is that the president is the one who puts people into those positions, or gets them nominated at least.”

For some voters, this election will be their first time voting. One of these voters, senior Joshua Holbrook, is voting for incumbent Donald Trump. Holbrook says he

is basing his vote on the issues of abortion, the economy, and support of the military.

“My love for Jesus is [one of] the most important things in my life, and I want a President who is pro-life,” Holbrook said.

“The economy will determine the career I get, which directly affects my life and family. Being an enlisted member of our military, I want a President that will back my service, and continue to fund my current future job.”

Holbrook believes that Trump best supports his beliefs and that Trump’s opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, does not. Holbrook contrasted the two candidates, citing Trump’s views on Holbrook’s key issues for securing his vote.

“The pro-life movement will continue to move through the government and more legislation will be passed to save more lives,” Holbrook said. “Our police and military will continue to be seen as leaders in communities, and continue to get necessary funding in order to grow and reform. Our freedoms of religion, speech, guns, and all of our Constitution will be further protected. [Biden] will attempt to pack the Court and destroy our Judicial Branch by making it terribly biased and the police will be cut funds, which will not help them be a better police department or reform policing.”

Another student voter, senior Tyler Kuehl, is voting for Biden. Kuehl believes that Biden will bring leadership back to Washington, that he thinks Trump lacks.

According to Kuehl, he is basing his vote on the environment, racial tensions, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The energy problem is important because it affects our future and [I think] that we find cleaner ways to cut back on our pollution. Then we have had too many race issues and injustices for too long. In my eyes, there is no difference in color and I feel like it’s time [that] everyone is truly equal,” Kuehl said. “COVID-19 has [also] affected my family to where we can’t see each other. Some of my family have lost their jobs.”

Kuehl adds that he feels Trump’s current leadership is lacking, and that he thinks Biden will better lead the country in

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Political signs outside the Lake County Government center are an attempt to encourage voters to come out and vote for their local representatives.

PHOTO BY NOLAN CHASE

a direction he supports.

“I feel like if Trump does get re-elected that there won’t be much change to where we most need it and [Trump] is lacking the leadership we need,” Kuehl said. “I think [Biden] will provide the change and the leadership we have lacked so that the things we need will be getting done and that the injustices that are happening won’t anymore.”

While some voters have settled into a candidate, others are still undecided. One of these voters is senior Ashley Burandt, who cites her indecisiveness on the behavior of the candidates.

“From the way that everything’s been looking, and from everything on the news, it looks like they’re acting like a bunch of children,” Burandt said. “So, it makes it even harder to try and decide. I’ve seen nothing but bickering between the two, especial-

ly at the debate where one was walking over the other. It sounded childish.”

According to Lewis, although the older generation is more consistent with their vote, he believes that the younger generation could sway the results if they come out and vote.

“I think that the younger age group will [sway the results] if they come out and vote. In the past, the older vote has always been really consistent, as people get older they tend to vote more consistently, so that older generation of voters can certainly sway the vote,” Lewis said. “It could be millennials, it could be baby boomers, but I think the age group that has the largest potential to sway the vote are young voters 18 to 25. Regardless of which way they vote, if young people show up in waves to vote they could tip the election one way or another. Get out and vote. That’s it.”

4 ELECTION

Students who cannot vote continue to make efforts stay politically active

BY NOLAN CHASE NOAH THOMAS ROSALIE DEGENHART co-editors-in-chief assistant editor Generation Z. Born between 1995 and 2015, current high school students fall right in the middle of this generation with most being born between the years 2002 and 2006. With the current voting age being 18, many high schoolers are unable to vote because of their age.

This does not stop those who cannot vote from caring about politics. Junior Gabby Hometorwu isn’t old enough to vote, but she believes it is important for her to stay politically informed. Hometorwu notes that she is concerned with the way things are being run in our country, specifically the economy.

“I’m concerned about the economy obviously, a good economy leads to a well run country, but you also can’t have a well run country unless the quality of life is decent, and I feel like that’s something our country definitely needs to

work on,” Hometorwu said.

According to Hometorwu, she attends peaceful protests to advocate for causes that are important to her, one being the black lives matter movement.

“I’m a huge black lives matter supporter. I go to protests safely [with a] mask on.

I share as many posts as I can.

Petitions are really important.

A lot of people say, ‘a petition doesn’t matter,’ but, if you look at it historically, they work well,” Hometorwu said. “I keep up with social media because social media is one of the biggest platforms our generation has access to.”

Outside of advocacy, students have found other ways to be involved in politics. Senior Jeremy Quasney has found a way to do this through working the polls, as he has been doing this for the last three years.

Quasney details how he got started working them.

“Last year, a bunch of poll workers came into my APUSH class, and they asked us if there were any high schoolers that wanted to volunteer to work the polls, and, ever since then,

STUDENTS’ TAKE:

I’ve been contacted again so I can keep working them,” Quasney said. “I was not even aware of the opportunity to work the polls, or to even volunteer, so I probably would not have reached out because I would not have known about it.”

Quasney explains why he works the polls and why he believes that is important that people who can vote come out and vote.

“I think it is very important to work the polls because, well, it’s a part of our democratic process. Voting is one of the most important pieces of it,” Quasney said. “To be able to volunteer, take time out of my day, to help make sure that it’s faithfully ensured. That the process continues, I think it’s super important.”

Before voting, it is important to know political stances and issues discussed among the candidates. A teen advocate like Hometorwu, junior Leo Silberhorn believes that educating oneself of government functions is important. “[If we’re] not educated on how government works, or different politics, or what each

party or wing stands for, then how are we going to make an impact in our country? If we aren’t aware of what’s going on and how people are being treated, then how are we going to fix the original problems that we have in our country as citizens should?” Silberhorn said.

Silberhorn is also under the voting age, but he pays attention to politics and advocates for causes that are important to him. Silberhorn says that social media is one of his main sources to spread advocacy.

“I care a lot about minority rights in general. LGBT rights, rights for people of color and indigenous people,” Silberhorn said. “I spread a lot of information on social media. I tell my friends and family about important causes, and I try to educate people as much as possible. I sign petitions, to try to have people donate to important causes, so they don’t go ignored and things get solved.”

Even if people are underage this election and are not able to vote, Quasney believes non-voters should still be involved.

“Even if you can’t vote,

If you cannot vote in the 2020 election, why do politics matter to you and how are you staying politically involved?

“Politics matter to me because it affects everyone in our nation; whether you are eligible to vote or not. I stay up to date on the election and on major issues in the country.”

“Politics matter a lot in our country because they help to decide who will run the country, what will happen in the country, and how it will effect everyone in the country.”

sophomore Natalie Morris

junior Eddie Finn

“My future is dependent on people older than me. I want to live in a world where free and equal are truthful statements for all rather than just for the lucky majority.” senior Marley Peay

“Politics matter to me because I’ve realized that even at the age I’m at, I have the ability to change the world for the better. If I educate myself, I’ll be able educate others” freshman Logan Schumacher

What is important to students?

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Biden and Trump supporters compare views Economy

Health Care

Supreme Court

COVID-19

Violent Crime

Foreign Policy

Education

Police Brutality

Gun Policy

Racial Inequality

Immigration

Cilmate Change

LGBTQ+ Rights

Abortion

Taxes

Other

*percent reflects number of students who support that respective candidate thought that issue was important *statistics from student survey conducted by Inklings

you should still be involved in politics because it still affects you. People who are younger, they are going to be the ones who are in power in the future,” Quasney said. “Therefore, they should know what’s going and how to tackle the problems in the future.”

Silberhorn states why he thinks advocacy in the election is important and why peoples’ beliefs should not be understated.

“It’s good to sit down and actually stick up for what you believe in and what you feel like needs to be spoken out for. It’s important to not let something die down or go ignored just because you were too scared to not advocate for it,” Silberhorn.

Hometorwu believes that whether one

is a voter or not during the 2020 election season, it is important to educate and ad-

‘‘

[If we’re] not educated on how government works, or different politics, or what each party or wing stands for, then how are we going to make an impact in our country?

junior Leo Silberhorn vocate for important causes, in hope of making change in the future. Advocating is special to Hometorwu, and she encourages others to do it too.

“You’re going to be afraid at first, I definitely was. I thought I was going to lose followers, people are going to stop talking to me. And then, I realized that I literally could not care less because it’s my future,” Hometorwu said. “What’s happening right now is directly affecting me as a person.

Like my people, people who look like me, people who have the same beliefs as me.

There are going to be people who side with, there are going to be people who tell you that you’re wrong, that what you’re doing is wrong, that what you believe in is wrong.

That’s okay. Once again, historically, look at Martin Luther King Jr., look at Malcolm X, the sheer amount of people who told them they were wrong. They were fighting for their rights, and that’s what you’ve got to do.”

6 ELECTION

Students’ Choice

Biden wins Inklings’ mock election with 58.5% of the vote, followed by Trump with 25.4% of vote

BY NOLAN CHASE EMILY HELMUTH coeditors-in-chief A majority of high school students cannot vote in the national election, as only a few have turned 18 before election day.

That being said, Inklings held a mock election to see which candidate would prevail if these students could vote. Out of the 142 students who voted in the mock election, only nine will be voting in the actual presidential election.

Democratic candidate former Vice President Joe Biden won the mock election, with 58.5% of the vote. The next closest candidate was Republican candidate and current President Donald Trump, with 25.4% of the vote. The other 16.1% of votes went to a variety of third party candidates. Senior Ryan Kozlowski, who voted for Biden, says he expected Biden to win the mock election.

“I am not surprised Biden won,” Kozlowski said. “He is a clear choice for most younger voters” Kozlowski, initially an Andrew Yang supporter, cited his own personal reasons for supporting Biden over Trump and third party candidates.

“I like Biden, although he is not my first choice,” Kozlowski said. “He will protect gay rights, which Trump’s Supreme Court will not. I am voting based on gay rights, race issues, and the environment. These [issues] are important [to me] because I am gay, and I don’t want to be discriminated against by law. Also, the environment is decaying and I want my grandkids to have a future.”

Contrary to Kozlowski, freshman Emily Jen voted for Trump in the mock election. Jen believes that both candidates are flawed, but thinks that Trump edges out Biden.

“I personally don’t like either candidate, but I would choose Trump over Biden. One of the main issues I’m looking at is COVID-19,” Jen said. “I do think we should’ve totally shut down when this first happened but we didn’t. We can’t blame

Howie Hawkins

Other/Undecided 9.9% (36)

2.1% (3)

Joe Biden 58.5% (83)

Jo Jorgensen 4.2% (6)

Donald Trump

Mock Election Results

142 students participated

25.4% (36) Trump for everything good or bad happening because he does go through Congress.

Trump and Congress have also lowered taxes and have created more jobs, which is a good step in bringing down unemployment numbers, and building a stronger economy.”

According to Jen, Trump losing was not a surprise to her, as she predicted Biden would win the mock election due to the age demographic of CPHS. She pointed to historical trends to back her belief.

“I’m not very surprised that Biden won the mock election here at CPHS because historically younger people, mostly high school and college [students], are more liberal,” Jen said. “I think students picked Biden over Trump because they’re tired of Trump’s attitude and he can be abrasive.”

Unlike Kozlowski and Jen, sophomore Joshua Hedges voted for third party candidate Jo Jorgensen. According to Hedges, Jorgensen’s stance on removing restrictions makes her the most appealing candidate to him.

“I based my vote on Jorgensen mainly because she focuses on removing pointless restrictions from the businesses, trade, and

Inklings Poll Results I don’t know 19% (27)

Other

6.3% (9)

What political ideology best describes your views?

142 students participated

Liberal

38% (54)

Conservative 21.8% (31)

Moderate

14.8% (21)

1 2

8.5% (12)

5

23.9% (34)

11.3% (16)

On a scale from 1 to 5, how interested are you in politics?

3 24.6% (35)

142 students participated

4

31.7% (45)

INKLINGS schooling,” Hedges said. “I believe if we are going to get through these tough times, we’ll need to allow businesses to decide how to tackle the situations that come up and not the government. Blocking or taxing trade only hurts both sides, so we need to just allow people to trade what they want and not have the government forcing import prices to rise.”

Kozlowski, Jen, and Hedges stated that they believe Inklings’ mock election results will not accurately reflect the results of the actual national election, but all had different predictions. Kozlowski predicts that the

winner will be the same, but the other candidates’ votes will vary.

“This election is much different than the Obama elections,” Kozlowski said. “I believe the true election will be much closer with less third party votes. However, I still think that Biden will win based on his improvements in swing states such as Michigan and Wisconsin over Trump.”

Jen disagreed with Kozlowski, as she believes the ages included in the survey swayed the results.

“I don’t think the CPHS mock election will predict the actual election,” Jen said.

Where do students get their political information?

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“At CPHS it’s only the younger generation.”

Hedges was unsure of whether the mock election results would predict the national results, as he believes the national results could go many ways.

“Maybe [it will be accurate] in the popular vote since Trump is involved in many controversial topics, [such as the] Supreme Court seat and Russian manipulation. The most I have heard troubling Biden was his son in Ukraine. I think the electoral college could vote for Trump, though, that is just a guess that I’m not entirely sure about.”

Students’ most trusted news sources

46.5%

trust The New York Times

31.7%

*142 students surveyed

Ranking the Issues Students who support Biden valued his stances on:

Students who support Trump valued his stances on:

Racial Inequality (97.6%)

Education (72.2%)

Healthcare (95.2%)

Violent Crime (72.2%%)

COVID-19 (92.8%)

Economy (63.9%)

Police Brutality (91.6%)

Abortion (63.9%)

Climate Change (90.4%)

Healthcare (61.1%)

Students who support third party candidates valued:

Education (78.3%)

Healthcare (69.6%)

Climate Change (69.6%)

Economy (65.2%) Gun Policy (60.9%)

trust The Washington Post

29.6% trust CNN

28.9% trust ABC

27.5% trust NBC

*142 students surveyed and top three news sources listed

WHERE THEY STAND:

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A look at the 2020 Presidential candidates’ stances on the issues most important to students The five most important issues to students are

Health Care (82.4%) Racial Inequality (80.3%) Climate Change (76.4%) COVID-19 Pandemic (74.6%) Education (72.5%) *142 students surveyed. Percentage reflects the number of students that ranked issue as a four or a five.

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE

Joe Biden

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE

Donald Trump

pro-choice, wants to expand access to contraceptives

pro-life (except in cases of rape, incest, or when mother’s life is at risk)

believes the U.S. should stay in the World Health Organization (WHO)

believes the U.S. should leave the World Health Organization (WHO)

wants to keep Obamacare

wants to get rid of Obamacare

released “Biden Plan for Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice” with goal of reforiming justice system

released economic “Platinum Plan” with goal of uplifting black communities

believes there is “absolutely” systematic racism, plans to end it

believes there is “probably” systematic racism

for rejoining Paris climate accord

against rejoining Paris climate accord

supports banning fracking but only on federal land

does not support banning fracking or changing fracking

introduced a $2 trillion plan called “the Green New Deal” to address climate change problems

dismissed science behind climate change; heavily supports use of fossil fuels

supports reshutting down economy if recommended by scientists

against reshutting down economy if recommended by scientists

believes schools should reopen if considered safe by local and state governments

believes schools should reopen and families should weigh out personal benefits and risks before going back

supports college being tuition-free, especially community college

unclear on whether supports college being tuition

believes schools should be a gun-free zone

believes teachers should be armed and trained to use firearms

not clear on stance on forgiving student debt

not clear on stance on forgiving student debt

info provided by https://2020election.procon.org/view.source-summary-chart.php and https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/ trump-policies-vs-biden-policies/ and https://joebiden.com/justice/# and https://www.donaldjtrump.com/media/president-trump-releases-the-platinum-plan-for-black-americans-opportunity-security-prosperity-and-fairness