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Thursday, November 8, 2018 | Vol. XCIV, Issue 20 | Binghamton University | bupipedream.com
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Broome, BU see rise in voters, close congressional race County follows national trends, varies from statewide results Sasha Hupka news editor
In an election that energized voters across the United States, Broome County and Binghamton University saw several parallels with other areas of the state and country. Despite rainy weather on Tuesday, voters came out in droves to vote on campus and across Broome County, following statewide and national trends. The county saw a total of 69,205 votes, not counting absentee ballots, an increase of 15,000 votes from the 2014 midterm elections. The number of votes counted in Tuesday’s election is roughly 19,000 fewer than those cast in the 2016 presidential election. According to the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), BU’s Vestal campus made up about 2.1 percent of Broome County votes, with roughly 1,450 ballots cast in Old Union Hall. The number is a sharp increase from 2014 elections, when only 350 students voted on campus, according to Benjamin DeAngelis, political engagement coordinator at the CCE. “Gubernatorial and midterm elections have not, in the last few decades, really grabbed the attention of students across New York state,” DeAngelis wrote in an email. “But this year, with national attention on the importance of midterms, we saw a real jump in campus voter turnout. While about half as many students cast ballots on campus as in the most recent presidential election, nearly four times as many students voted on campus yesterday as did in the last midterm year.” According to Jonathan Krasno, a professor of political science at BU who researches public opinion, congressional elections, campaigns and campaign financing, turnout increases with interest, which drove Tuesday’s turnout.
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“In this case we had a bunch of things going on to drive that interest, starting with one of the most competitive House elections in the country with lots of campaign ads and coverage,” Krasno wrote in an email. “Plus, there was the sense that President Trump had labelled the election as something of a referendum on him [if Republicans won], which certainly motivated plenty of voters who support and oppose him, with campus falling firmly among the opposition.”
However, in addition to more students voting on campus, the CCE saw a large increase in students voting via absentee ballot, sending in their votes early to their home districts. The rise in absentee ballots among young voters is in line with national trends — for the 2018 midterm elections, unofficial results indicate more than 35 million Americans, many of them voters aged 18 to 29, cast early ballots, a 75 percent increase from 2014 elections. “We have seen a rise in the number
of absentee requests that have come through the CCE,” DeAngelis wrote. “In 2016, approximately 300 students requested absentee ballots through our office. This year more than 750 requested absentee ballots through our office. Without having any survey data in front of me, I might attribute that to the difference between a presidential year, [when] students can receive their ballot anywhere and still have an opportunity to participate in the presidential race, and a midterm election year, where students
may feel some direct connection to the members of Congress or other state and local-level representatives who are running in their home districts.” With a large number of voters came several notable election results. In many local races, including several races for Broome County Legislature seats and the race for Broome County sheriff, winning candidates easily took the election. Republican incumbent David Harder won the Broome County sheriff’s race by a landslide, despite seeing protest over inmate deaths and conditions in the Broome County Jail during the last half of his term. He won roughly 77 percent of the vote across the county, trouncing his Democratic opponent, former city of Binghamton mayor Matthew Ryan. Harder will start his sixth term in office in January. Similar victories were seen in studentpopulated districts for Broome County Legislature races. In Broome County’s 4th district, which encompasses the University’s Vestal campus, Democratic incumbent Daniel Reynolds won 71.3 percent of the vote, and in the county’s 14th and 15th districts, Democratic incumbents Mary Kaminsky and Mark Whalen both won with more than 60 percent of the vote. Additionally, several local representatives were running unopposed. State Sen. Fred Akshar will again be representing the 52nd district in Albany come January, and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo also won re-election. Because they had no opponents, both were elected with more than 95 percent of the vote. Lupardo saw roughly 29,400 votes and Akshar received about 51,700. But at the state and federal level, the election cycle highlighted discrepancies between campus and Broome County results and statewide election results for New York races. In the governor’s race, New York voted heavily for Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo and his running mate, Kathy Hochul. Cuomo
see race page 3
BPD arrests suspects in vandalism case Anti-Semitic graffiti found on Tuesday morning Amy Donovan
assistant news editor
Two suspects have been arrested by the Binghamton Police Department (BPD) for spray-painting swastikas outside of Binghamton High School early Tuesday morning. The suspects, who have been identified as Binghamton residents William Ritchie, 22, and Andrew Carter, 17, were arrested on Wednesday. A total of four spray-painted swastikas were found Tuesday morning in several locations near the high school, including the pavement on the corner of Main and Oak Streets, nearby sidewalks and on a window of the school. The incident comes almost two weeks after an anti-Semitic gunman shot and killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Local officials spoke out against anti-Semitism in various press releases following reports of the graffiti. County Executive Jason Garnar wrote in a statement that he was horrified by the incident. “This is an attack on our entire community,” Garnar said in a statement. “This hatred has no place in Broome County and whoever did
this is not welcome here.” Binghamton Mayor Rich David also denounced the incident. “Hate, bigotry and anti-Semitism have no place in our community,” David said in a statement. “This was a cowardly act.” According to BPD’s press release, police identified Ritchie and Carter through an investigation that developed as video footage was discovered. Both suspects were arraigned on Wednesday in Binghamton City Court and remanded to Broome County Jail without bail. The suspects are charged with aggravated harassment in the first degree and criminal mischief in the second degree, designated as hate crimes. Melissa Esposito, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, lives around the corner from Binghamton High School and said she was shocked to learn the graffiti was painted so close to a synagogue that served as a polling location for Election Day. “When learning about voter intimidation in history classes, I never imagined it was something that would occur in 2018, especially so close to home,” Esposito said. “This incident made me feel even more aware of the legitimate obligation that all Americans have to make sure that this form of ostracism is never seen as acceptable, and to provide support and solidarity to those who are vulnerable to it.”
ARTS & CULTURE
theo mason staff photographer Students don all black to celebrate Black Solidarity Day and the Black Student Union’s 50th year on Binghamton University’s campus Monday in Old Union Hall.
BSU celebrates Black Solidarity Day Annual event aims to reflect black influence, voting impact Gillian Kenah & Valerie Puma pipe dream news
The day before midterm elections, Binghamton University’s Black Student Union (BSU) held its annual Black Solidarity Day Festival to acknowledge and showcase the influence and sociopolitical power black people possess
within the campus community. On Monday, more than two dozen students and faculty gathered at the Pegasus Statue near Glenn G. Bartle Library to recognize the black lives lost to police brutality and their inability to cast a vote. BU’s Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) lined the Spine with 800 black flags with handwritten names of those lives lost since 2015. Black Solidarity Day was created in 1969 to bring black men, women and students together to discuss their
OPINIONS
political status and personal plans for the future. The day mostly aims to focus on the value of education, the power of black economics and community building. According to Kelly Clark, director of the Q Center, Black Solidarity Day typically includes self-reflection and introspection and recognizing the importance of exercising the right to vote. “All of those flags represent a vote that can’t happen,” Clark said. “Some of us
see solidarity page 3
SPORTS
Graduate computer engineering student Jesse Pelzar “lights up” Downtown Binghamton,
Student talent shines at IC’s annual show,
Columnist Georgia Kerkezis applauds millennials’ efforts to mitigate environmental damage,
Women’s basketball wins narrowly in season opener,
Pipe Dream Sports’ Week 10 NFL fantasy football picks,
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