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THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY November 5, 2020
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Vol. 150 Issue 22
Jewish students file complaint against UI inated against on the basis of national origin, as their Jewish identity falls under the domain of “shared ancestral or ethnic characteristics,” according to Alyza Lewin, president of LDB. Brad Schneider, U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 10th Congressional District, says there has been a rise in antiSemitic incidents across the country and the University in particular. “In my mind, there’s no question that Jewish students are facing a greater number of anti-Semitic events on campus, and the University can do a better job at addressing them,” Schneider said. Multiple incidents of antiSemitism on campus dating back to 2015 are listed in a summary of the complaint. This includes the vice chancellor removing a Jewish student from the Campus Student Elections Commission during a discussion about divesting from Israeli companies and a debate
BY AMRITA BHATTACHARYYA STAFF WRITER
MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI
“I think just it’s something I’ve always felt is apart about being a mindful citizen and caring about something other than yourself. I wanna do my best to show up” said Kashara Bennett, junior in FAA.
Mail-in votes deadlock elections BY ETHAN SIMMONS AND MARK CAPAPAS NEWS EDITOR AND SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
On Election Day 2020, UI students flocked to the polls, helping Champaign County gear up to set a new turnout record. Students brought myriad issues to their ballots this year, from national policies to the highly personal. “A lot of my family are DACA members, and they can’t vote, so it’s important for their voices to be heard through me,” said Briana Perez, junior in ACES. UI was rife with first-time voters, eager to give political participation a shot at one of the campus’ three main voting locations. “It’s important because now that I have an option, I want to use my voice,” said Emilie Duquet, freshman in Engineering. “Not enough people vote and I want to help fix that.”
Some were compelled to vote through their civic duty. “I think just it’s something I’ve always felt is a part about being a mindful citizen and caring about something other than yourself,” said Kashara Bennett, junior in Fine and Applied Arts. “I wanna do my best to show up.” There were around 4,000 mail-in ballots yet to be returned in Champaign County on Wednesday morning, according to County Clerk Aaron Ammons. If they’re postmarked by Election Day, these ballots will be counted if returned by Nov. 17. In Champaign, the outstanding mail-in ballots could swing the balance of several local elections. According to Champaign County’s unofficial results, 92,463 votes have been cast, with 41,830 people voting early, 26,156 voting on Election Day and 24,507 voting by mail so far.
Locally, Democrats led most races, with Cassandra “CJ” Johnson winning Champaign County Treasurer over Republican Ted Myhre, and Democratic incumbent George Danos retaining his seat as Auditor. Other races, like county Coroner, Recorder of Deeds and Circuit Clerk, are far too close to call. Republican incumbent Duane Northrup leads by a little more than 2,400 votes, while Democratic Circuit Clerk Candidate Susan W. McGrath leads by just 52 votes. Joe Biden won Illinois’ 20 electoral votes for the presidential election, while Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin won reelection. Republican Rep. Rodney Davis of District 13 beat Democratic challenger Betsy Dirksen Londrigan a second time, winning 55% of the vote with 599 of 602 precincts reporting. The Fair Tax Amendment to change the Illinois Con-
stitution and allow for the implementation of a graduated income tax is unlikely to pass. With 98% of precincts reporting, 55% of counted Illinois voters said “no” to the proposal. Hopes for a national blue wave or landslide victory were mostly squashed by Tuesday evening, marked by a tight presidential race that will likely be decided by millions of mail-in ballots in key states. By Wednesday morning, the Associated Press had called all but seven states’ presidential picks, with the electoral vote total at 238 to 213 in favor of Democrat Joseph R. Biden after a win in Arizona. Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania hadn’t yet been called.
Jewish organizations have publicized a Title VI federal complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the University for inadequately addressing a hostile environment of antiSemitism on campus. The complaint, filed March 27, was publicly shared on Oct. 23 by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a non-profit organization that engages in legal advocacy to combat anti-Semitism. Merriam-Webster defines anti-Semitism as “hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group.” Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin by educational institutions that receive federal funds. The complaint specifically alleges that Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus have been discrim-
SEE COMPLAINT | 3A
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Sports: Cheer program unable to attend games
buzz: Local artist expresses individuality
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LONGFORM: PART 1 OF 2
Election week creates high-stakes atmosphere on campus vative justices before a potential transfer of power. “I don’t agree with the confirmation in the Supreme Court, mainly because of the precedent set in 2016,” said Amelia Chavez, freshman in LAS. “McConnell said that Obama couldn’t appoint a Supreme Court justice until after the election, and somehow that just doesn’t matter now.” It’s election week in Champaign, and you can feel it in the air. It’s difficult to walk around campus without a reminder of the election. Posters urging students to vote line the windows of Campustown businesses. A cluster of campaign signs sits on the northeast corner of the Main Quad, right in front of the Illini Union, where early voting has occurred since Oct. 19. Reminders of the election even extend to the digital world, where social media campaigns to get out and vote are at the top of every newsfeed. The constant reminder
BY MATT TROHER LONGFORM ASSISTANT EDITOR
Tuesday, Oct. 27: It’s a cold, overcast day in Champaign. It rained for a short while and the cold air still lingers, forcing students to turn on their heaters for the first time this school year. Perhaps Champaign’s weather is somehow influenced by another shift — albeit an ideological one, taking place some 680 miles away, in Washington, D.C., where judge Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed as the most recent Justice of the Supreme Court. Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court has been the subject of much political debate, occurring just eight days before the election. Those on the right view Barrett’s confirmation as a win for conservative thought, specifically prolife advocates. Those on the left, however, view her confirmation as the result of an illegitimate push to pack the Supreme Court with conser-
coupled with the high stakes of the election can be felt across the student body. “I feel like a lot of people that I talk to are kind of walking on eggshells,” said Tyler Swanson, senior in ACES. “The general feeling I have is a feeling of tension and nervousness, and hopefully that goes away the day after the election’s over or the week after the election is over. But until then I think everybody’s on the edge of their seats watching to see what’s going to happen.” Swanson spends a lot of his time thinking about politics. He’s the president of the Political Discussion club (formerly the Political Science club prior to a name change), political director for the Illini Democrats, a senator in the Illinois Student Government and hosts a political podcast called “The Bi-Partisan” with three of his friends. The Daily Illini reached out to the Illini Republicans twice by email, but did not get a response for a comment.
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
Students stand in line to vote at the Illini Union polling place on Tuesday. Many students feel anxious about the election result in relation to future policy implications.
Understandably, the election weighs heavy on Swanson’s mind. But the election isn’t just something for politically-minded people to pay attention to. Even those who don’t regularly keep up with updates in the political world cannot look away. Jacob Berry, junior in Business, is not the most politically-minded person. Admittedly, he spends most of his time studying or hang-
ing out with friends instead of thinking about politics. Still, the magnitude of the presidential election is so farreaching, even the layman cannot escape being engaged. “I definitely think this election will make or break the next four years,” Berry said. “The social and economic impacts that are going to occur over the next four years, especially because of the recent Supreme Court
nomination that just took place will help define our nation, for better or for worse.” College campuses are known for being politically charged hotspots. The 2020 presidential election is perhaps the most consequential presidential election in students’s lifetimes. The vast majority of college students SEE ELECTION | 3A
Get ahead by taking a Media winter session course online Dec. 21, 2020–Jan. 15, 2021 | Earn 3 credit hours | online.illinois.edu/winter
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