TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2014 VOLUME ME M E1 21 2 1 | ISSUE 52 121
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SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA SINCE 1894
Football Notebook
3 Homecoming
8 Sonic Frontiers
Coming off a bye week, the Alabama Crimson Tide is preparing for its last road trip of the regular season, a night game in Death Valley against LSU. Left tackle Cam Robinson is recovering from an ankle sprain, but may play Saturday.
Homecoming is drawing near, but this year’s festivities will be a bit different from previous years. The Tide Division will allow small groups or individuals to compete in homecoming as well.
Sonic Frontiers, a New College-sponsored series, will hold its first remote concert Wednesday when UA and University of Colorado musicians collaborate over the Internet.
2014 BALLOT BREAKDOWN
NEWS | ELECTIONS
ROBERT BENTLEY
VS
Statewide executive offices contested, congressional candidates unopposed
PARKER GRIFFITH
REPUBLICAN
By Andy McWhorter and Katie Shepherd | CW Staff
DEMOCRAT
Robert Bentley is Alabama’s 53rd and current governor. He was elected in 2010 after defeating then-Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks by 17 percent of the vote. Bentley promised he would not accept a salary as governor until the state of Alabama reached full employment, defined as less than 5.2 percent unemployment. To date, he has not accepted a salary as governor. Before beginning his career in politics, Bentley established his own dermatology practice in Tuscaloosa.
Alabamians across the state will head to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in the 2014 elections. When voters in Tuscaloosa County step into the booths, they will have a chance to vote on four statewide executive offices, five amendments to the state constitution and several other local offices. Polls across Alabama will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Registered voters can look up their polling location at alabamavotes.gov. Starting in 2014, voters will be required to provide a valid photo ID.
Parker Griffith is a former representative to the United States House of Representatives for Alabama’s 5th congressional district. Griffith was elected in 2008 as a Democrat, but switched to the Republican Party in 2009. He ran for re-election in 2010, but was defeated in the Republican primary by current Representative Mo Brooks. Griffith returned to the Democratic Party in early 2014. Griffith was a physician before embarking on his political career.
U.S. Congress The United States Senate is up for grabs this year, but the composition of Congress will not be decided in Alabama. Sen. Jeff Sessions, Republican, is running unopposed for an office he has held since 1996. Rep. Terri Sewell, Democrat from Alabama’s 7th District, is also running unopposed. Sewell is currently the only Democrat in Alabama’s congressional delegation. She first took office in 2011 after winning 72.4 percent of the vote, becoming the first black woman elected to Congress from Alabama.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR KAY IVEY
REPUBLICAN VS DEMOCRAT
Kay Ivey is Alabama’s 30th and current lieutenant governor. She was elected in 2010 when she defeated incumbent Jim Folsom, Jr. by 3 percent of the vote. Ivey was state treasurer before she was elected lieutenant governor.
JAMES FIELDS
James Fields is a former representative in the Alabama House of Representatives. Fields worked as a supervisor for the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations for nearly 30 years and is a minister in the United Methodist Church.
Governor of Alabama
ATTORNEY GENERAL LUTHER STRANGE
REPUBLICAN VS DEMOCRAT
JOHN MERRILL
JOE HUBBARD
Joseph Lister Hubbard is currently a member of the Alabama House of Representatives. His campaign platforms include support for small businesses, support for Alabama’s education system and ethics reform within Alabama’s state government.
SECRETARY OF STATE REPUBLICAN VS DEMOCRAT LULA ALBERT-KAIGLER
John Merrill is a member of the Alabama House of Representatives representing District 62. He previously served as chairman for the Republican Party and has served as an executive committee member for the State Republican Executive Committee since 2009.
Lula Albert-Kaigler ran uncontested for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State in the June 3 primaries. She previously ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013 representing the 1st Congressional District of Alabama and was defeated by Burton LeFlore in the primary elections.
INSIDE briefs 2 news 3 opinions 4 culture 8 sports 10
Photos from Wikimedia Commons. CW / Belle Newby
Luther J. Strange III is Alabama’s 49th and current attorney general. He was elected in 2010 after defeating Democratic candidate James H. Anderson with 60.1 percent of the vote. During his first term as attorney general, Strange focused his attention on public corruption and consumer vulnerability to cybercrime.
Incumbent Robert Bentley, Republican, will face Parker Griffith, Democrat, in Alabama’s 2014 gubernatorial elections. Bentley, a physician from Tuscaloosa, was elected to the office after defeating then-Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks in 2010. Parker Griffith is a former representative to the United States House of Representatives for Alabama’s 5th congressional district. Griffith was elected in 2008 as a Democrat, but switched to the Republican Party in 2009. He ran for re-election in 2010, but was defeated in the Republican primary by current Representative Mo Brooks. Griffith returned to the Democratic Party in early 2014.
State Executive Races Several other statewide executive offices will also be contested Tuesday. Incumbent Kay Ivey, Republican, will face James Fields, Democrat, to decide Alabama’s next lieutenant general. In what has been one of the more contentious races in Alabama this year, incumbent Luther Strange, Republican, SEE MIDTERMS PAGE 7
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