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Free Press election endorsements
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Richmond Free Press © 2014 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 23 NO. 44
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
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Wallace wins in No. 34
OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 1, 2014
Why vote on Nov. 4
‘When we vote, we win’ By Gary L. Flowers
In a Constitutional Republic, the privilege to vote preserves all other rights. But as political science holds, when the action of voting takes place, a reaction follows. In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution granted the privilege of voting to newly emancipated enslaved Americans. Ever since then, Confederates have sought to nullify people of color from voting. The people who wore white robes as Ku Klux Klansmen in the 19th century have grandchildren who wear black robes as judges today. Such judges have allowed the madness of voter suppression to continue. The same states that were placed under the 1965 Voting Rights Act — mostly Southern
Commentary
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Kent A.P. Smith and Karla Booker seal their union with a kiss Monday. The couple married at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center, where Mr. Smith is being treated for a brain tumor and lung cancer.
From this day forward By Holly Rodriguez
The bride, Karla Booker, wore white and a radiant smile. The groom, Kent A.P. Smith, attired in blue, wore a nasal cannula that pumped oxygen. He entered the wedding ceremony Monday in the Healing Garden at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center in a wheelchair. They held hands and exchanged loving looks.
A brain tumor and cancer were no match for the couple’s wedding joy. Their love, 40 years in the making, would not be stopped by his diagnosis of a brain tumor and stage 4 lung cancer just four weeks earlier. “I believe that God is blessing this marriage,” said Ms. Booker’s mother, Deloris Bryant-Booker, one of a close circle of 60 family and friends attending the hastily arranged nupPlease turn to A6
states — “coincidentally” are the same states that have enacted onerous barriers to voting, such as enacting voter identification laws. Virginia is one of those states. Some never change. Confederates do not Mr. Flowers die; they multiply. History has shown us that when we vote, we win. And when we stay home, the results are not good. For example, in Virginia when voters turned out en masse for the gubernatorial race in 1989, L. Douglas Wilder won. Similarly, when we showed up to vote in the 2008 presidential election, American history was made. Conversely, in the midterm elections of 2010, only 49 percent of eligible voters participated. What resulted was the rise of the Tea Party, or neo-Confederates, and unreasonable radicals in the halls of Congress. That same year, more Americans voted for contestants on the television show “American Idol” than voted for candidates for Congress. When voters stay home, candidates’ margins of victory are far less than the number of eligible voters who could have voted. According to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, statewide vote totals in Southern states pale in comparison to non-voting eligible voters. In Virginia’s attorney general race in 2013, Mark R. Herring defeated Mark D. Obenshain by 165 votes. In the 2014 special election in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore for the state Senate, Lynwood W. Lewis Jr.’s margin of victory over Wayne Coleman was only nine votes. Every vote counts. Voting is the core of what many refer to as “politics.” And politics is, in essence, who gets what, how much and when. While there are distasteful barriers to voting, such as one-day, weekday elections and voter identification laws, ultimately, effort leads to effects. Not voting rescinds the right to criticize. In other words: Put up via voting or shut up, and impact what is important to you! Gary L. Flowers of Richmond has a range of experience in politics. He is a former legislative aide to Virginia Delegate Jean W. Cunningham, special assistant to former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, vice president/field director to the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition and CEO of the Black Leadership Forum Inc.
Warner enters home stretch with lead By Jeremy M. Lazarus
James Haskins/Richmond Free Press
Festive faces Christopher Bradley, left, and Caser Bradley make bubbles while wearing colorful face paint. They were among hundreds of people who enjoyed the 10th Annual Imagine Festival on Oct. 18. Location: Broad Rock Sports Complex on South Side. The event celebrates diverse communities with musical and dance performances, arts and crafts, food, sports and other activities.
Next week, voters will decide whether U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner gets a fresh six-year term. Still enjoying the highest approval rating among Virginia’s elected officials, Sen. Warner appears to be a favorite to keep the seat he first won in 2008 heading into the election next Tuesday, Nov. 4. That’s a remarkable feat in a state rated a battleground and at a time when Democrats in other toss-up states are rated underdogs. Though Sen. Warner still needs supporters to actually cast ballots to make it a reality, the most recent pre-election snapshot of voter opinion indicates the 59-year-old Democrat holds at least a 10-point lead over his two foes, Republican Edward W. “Ed” Gillespie, 53, and a largely unknown Libertarian Party candidate, Robert Sarvis, 38. One element fueling support for the millionaire senator is his stance on issues important to ordinary people. On civil rights, for example, the national NAACP gives Sen. Warner an A rating, citing his votes on issues ranging from immigration reform to equal pay for women. And unlike his two foes, Sen. Warner supports President Obama’s proposal to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour as a way to lift families out of poverty. The incumbent senator also supports extending unemployment payments beyond 26 weeks for people struggling to find work.
Lines drawn in 7th District House race By Joey Matthews
Democrat Jack Trammell will need a big turnout and major support from black voters to have any chance to win the 7th District House seat. He made that clear in discussing his strategy to win the election next Tuesday, Nov. 4, in his face-off with his heavily favored Republican rival, Dave Brat, a fellow Randolph-Macon College professor. “In the 7th district, the African-American
vote represents 17 percent of the electorate and is critical to the success of my campaign,” Dr. Trammell told the Free Press. “It is my hope that African-American voters — and all voters — understand how critical their vote is in midterm elections, not just in presidential campaign years. “It will make the difference in whether or not our progressive districts are gerrymandered,” he said, “and whether or not we all have full access to the voting booth.” Dr. Trammell is the underdog in the
traditionally Republican-voting district, which stretches from Richmond’s West End through most of Henrico County and beyond. The district also includes a large share of Chesterfield County and all of Culpeper, Goochland, Hanover, Louisa, New Kent, Orange and Spotsylvania counties. Dr. Trammell, associate professor in sociology and full-time director of disability support services at the Ashland college, said Please turn to A6
He also opposes a Republican attempt to slash spending on food stamps and has pushed proposals to ease the heavy burden of student loans on college graduates. That puts him at odds with his main opponent, Mr. Gillespie, a political strategist who touts himself as the grandson of a janitor but made his millions lobbying Congress and the White House on behalf of corporate clients seeking beneficial changes in government regulatory and tax policies. Mr. Gillespie opposes any raise in the federally mandated minimum wage, calling it a job killer. Instead, he wants to provide Please turn to A6
Have your photo ID ready Voters must present a photo ID Tuesday to cast a ballot in the midterm elections. The new requirement, approved by the General Assembly last year, outlines what types of IDs will be accepted. They are: • A valid Virginia driver’s license; • A Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles-issued ID; • A valid U.S. passport; • A valid employee ID; • Other government-issued IDs; and • A valid Virginia college or university ID. City Registrar Kirk Showalter said voters can get free photo IDs at her office and voter registration offices around the state through Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 4. The Richmond registrar’s office is on the first floor of City Hall at 900 E. Broad St. in Downtown and can be contacted at (804) 646-5950. Without a photo ID, Ms. Showalter said, voters will have to cast a provisional ballot and bring a photo ID to the registrar’s office by noon next Friday, Nov. 7, to have their vote count. Ms. Showalter said voters experiencing problems Tuesday should contact the registrar’s office in the city or county in which they are registered to vote. To report any problem or seek help on Election Day, the ACLU of Virginia has set up a local election hotline at (804) 644-8080 and a statewide hotline at (800) 678-9885. The Democratic Party of Virginia also has set up a voter helpline at (844) 840-2014. The Republican Party of Virginia also has one at (703) 838-7774. The Central Virginia Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute is offering rides to the polls at (804) 228-1744.