THE STANDARD
Contents Table of
03
Voter Identification
04 05
What is the Electoral College? Greene County polling places
06 08 09
Presidential candidate book reviews
10 11 12 13
Letter from the Editor
Polling place COVID-19 precautions
Presidential candidate Joseph Biden Presidential candidate Donald Trump Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris Vice presidential candidate Mike Pence Missouri Governor candidates Mike Parson, Nicole Galloway
Missouri District 7 candidates Billy Long, Teresa Montseny
14 Missouri Lieutenant Governor candidates Mike Kehoe, Alissia Canady
15
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Missouri Attorney General candidates Eric Schmitt, Richard Finneran
16 Missouri Secretary of State candidates 17 Missouri Treasurer candidates John Ashcroft, Yinka Faleti
Scott Fitzpatrick, Vicki Englund
18
Missouri District 132 candidates
19
Missouri Amendments
Crystal Quade, Sarah Semple
Amendment 1, Amendment 3
As a young voter, participating in the upcoming 2020 General Election is extremely important to me. Election 2020 is a new, digital-only tabloid from The Standard’s staff. When brainstorming ideas for tabloids to publish this school year, we didn’t initially have Election 2020 on the calendar. However, as Nov. 3 continued to near, I knew The Standard needed to publish more than just online stories. Election coverage deserves its own tabloid. Thus, the concept of an online exclusive - a first for The Standard - was born. Election 2020 is more than just election coverage though, it was an opportunity for The Standard’s edi-
tors to explore unique page design ideas. We stood around the newsroom table with our heads together - masked of course, pages were printed and reprinted, sighs of frustration and then relief echoed through Clay Hall. We were challenged, and that is what I wanted from this publication. I wanted us, as an entire staff, to be challenged. Thank you Jack, for supporting my idea in creating something entirely new and different. Thank you Desiree, Todd, Stephen, Jaylen and Diana for being such hard working section editors and sticking with me as I asked for font sizes to be changed again, again and again. Thank you to all of staff, each reporter and visual artist, who made this publication possible. Amid this chaotic semester I am reminded how lucky I am to work alongside each and every one of you. We are such powerful journalists. Now, stop reading this sappy letter and look how beautiful this publication is! Greta Cross, Editor-in-Chief
Standard staff Advertising staff
Kayla Thompson advertising sales director Joel Grieshaber advertising representative Madison Harper advertising production director Anne Roberts accounting director
Editors
Greta Cross editor-in-chief Desiree Nixon news editor Todd Dearing life editor Stephen Terrill sports editor Diana Dudenhoeffer digital editor Jaylen Early visual editor Allison Davis copy editor Kaitlynne Atchley copy editor Maquelle Huntley copy editor Shannon Noonan copy editor Victoria Conway copy editor
Reporters
Afton Harper breaking news reporter Ash Garza arts reporter Blake Haynes staff reporter Brayden Ash sports reporter Britney Huish academia/campus clubs reporter Caroline Mund health reporter Cole Sutton sports reporter Cole Trumble food reporter Jack McGee sga reporter Jade Morrow, sports reporter Kamran Choudry staff reporter Lauren Johns music reporter Noah Tucker sports reporter Paige Nicewaner staff reporter
Reginald Lee Jr. sports reporter Scott Campbell general assignment reporter T.J. Scott senior sports reporter Tinsley Merriman msu admin reporter
Columnists
Blake Haynes columnist Gianna Kelley critic Lillian Durr columnist Paige Nicewaner columnist Olivia Davis columnist
Visual Staff
Caleb Stafford designer Dayton Chambers, photographer Katie Batliner designer/illustrator Sydney Arlt designer Lainey Sanders videographer Leah Stiefermann photographer Russ Bray photographer Jadie Arnett designer Madison Harper designer/illustrator Kaitlyn Stratman senior photographer
Distribution
Sarah Longworth distribution director Shania Wolf distributor Kara Smith distributor
Professional staff
Jack Dimond faculty adviser
ELECTION 2020
is published by The Standard, Missouri State University’s student-produced newspaper. The university has not approved and is not responsible for its content, which is produced and edited by The Standard staff.
Cover design by Madison Harper
2 • | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020 | ELECTION 2020
The Standard 901 S. National Avenue • Springfield, MO 65897 417-836-5272 • Standard@MissouriState.edu the-standard.org
3 • | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020
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Voter Identification Greta Cross | Editor-in-Chief |
@gretacrossphoto | Graphics by Sydney Arlt/THE STANDARD
Voters must bring a form of voter identification to a polling place to receive a ballot. According to the Missouri Secretary of State website, acceptable forms of identification include:
Identification issued by the United States government, such as a passport Identification issued by the state of Missouri, agency of the state or a local election authority of the state, such as a driver license or nondriver license
A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document that contains your name and address Identification issued by an institution of higher education, such as a BearPass
4 • | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020 | ELECTION 2020
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Greene County central polling places Diana Dudenhoeffer | Digital Editor |
@kisstein | Photo by Leah Stiefermann/THE STANDARD
The polling place closest to most Bears is JQH Arena,
Hospital at 1235 E. Cherokee St. All polling places are open
located at 685 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway. Other polling
6 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the Missouri Secretary of State
places include CU Transit Center at 211 N. Main Ave., Cox
website. For a full list of polling places, visit the Greene
South Hospital at 3801 S. National Ave. and Mercy
County Clerk Office’s website.
What is the Electoral College and how does it impact elections? Desiree Nixon | News Editor |
@DesireeNixon17 | Illustration by Jadie Arnett/THE STANDARD
In the United States, the founders ity Missouri has the set up an election process in Article same number of electors as it does memTwo of the Constitution. This set up the Electoral College, the United bers in Congress: eight States’ way of electing the president. electors for the eight The general election happens every members in the House of Representatives, four years, when citizens go to cast plus two Senators. their vote; however, their vote is not The U.S. has what what determines who wins. Instead, is called a ‘first-pastthe Electoral College determines the the-post’ democracy, outcome of the general election. According to the National Arwhich means whoever gets the most votes chives, the Electoral College is a process, not a group. This is a process even if that total is less that involves a group of people from than 50% of all votes each state called electors casting a cast- wins the elecvote for who they think deserves to tion,” Beatty said. “It be president. is not a direct democ“It is not a direct democracy beracy.” cause that’s not the way the founding Although the Unitfathers set up our electoral system,” ed States election sysNick Beatty, political science profestem is not a direct desor at Missouri State University, said. mocracy, typically the “They were concerned ignorant votThere are a certain number of electors in popular vote and electoral votes have the same outcome. ers would select bad candidates for president, each state. Missouri has ten electoral votes. “There have been instances when the person The Electoral College has 538 electors, acso they created the Electoral College for presidential races, which was supposed to protect cording to the National Archives. To elect the who won the popular vote did not win the elecpresident, the college needs a 270-vote major- toral vote – 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000 and of us from our ignorant selves.”
course, 2016,” Beatty said. In 2016, Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes compared to Hillary Clinton’s 227. However, Trump only received 46.1% of the popular vote while Clinton received 48.2%, according to the Federal Election Commission. Although there have been more recent examples of conflicts between the Electoral College versus the popular vote, there are many people who support it. “Proponents of the Electoral College claim it preserves some degree of representation – a voice – for the less populous states in the country,” Beatty said. “Otherwise, the states with high-population cities would control the outcome of elections.” Through our election process, there are two main parties that dictate the majority of election outcomes. “We have a two-party system that reduces the viable options available for voters, so anyone on the right of the political spectrum feels compelled to vote Republican and those on the left feel compelled to vote for Democrats,” Beatty said. For more information on the Electoral College, visit the National Archives website.
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Polling places take safety precautions for Nov. 3 With the upcoming 2020 General Election, polling places are taking into consideration the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Shane Schoeller, Greene County Clerk, said the polling places have been taking precautions since March. “When voters come in, they are going to see that there are at least two people dedicated to cleaning the hard table wooden surfaces and door handles, as well as social distance markers so that people keep 6 feet apart,” Schoeller said. “There will also be plexiglass shields between them and the election judge.” Another new thing voters will see is the recycling of pens after each use. These pens will be used on paper ballots, and touch screen devices for voting and will help limit contact, according to Schoeller. Masks will be handed out to voters who need them. “We cannot require masks if it’s not a requirement of the city limits of Springfield,” Schoeller said. “However, all the election judges are required to wear them unless they have a health related reason that they cannot wear it.” This year, Missouri State’s on-campus polling place will be in JQH Arena, instead of the Welcome Center to help ensure proper social distancing. “When I voted in August, everyone had a mask on and everyone was socially distancing both in line and at the voting booth. I expect it will be the same in November,” said Allee Clendennen, junior political science major. While the polling places have a system in order to help with COVID-19 precautions, people are still able to vote through a mailin ballot, absentee vote in person and curbside vote. “I have certainly encouraged people that can vote absentee in person to do that,” Schoeller said. “The less crowds we have at any polling location across Greene County, the better option we have to prevent the spread.” Clendennen, said she was considering taking a different route of voting. “I have definitely considered doing a mail-in or absentee ballot, but with so much talk about voter suppression, I would feel more comfortable voting in person than I
Caroline Mund | Health Reporter |
would mailing in a ballot,” Clendennen said. People do have the federally protected right to vote, temperature checks will not be required at the door, according to Schoeller. “We recognize that when we get people
@cemund32 | Illustration by Madison Harper/THE STANDARD
into a room, even with social distancing and all the efforts we are taking, that can potentially impact more people,” Schoeller said. “We are certainly not fearful of it, but we are certainly concerned and that’s why we are trying to do what we can to make
sure voters are protected.” Contact the Springfield-Greene County Health Department with any questions or concerns about voting by calling 417-8641658.
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PRESIDENTIAL CANDI
Judging a candidat
“The Art of the Deal”by Donald Trump (1987) Who I’d recommend it to: Aspiring venture capitalists, real estate visionaries, hospitality gurus, political critics and all libertarians Who I wouldn’t recommend it to: Anyone who isn’t 100% pure-blooded capitalist, students who aren’t innately passionate about business and hospitality and those who believe in ethics-driven politics Summary: Trump reveals his personal vision of deal-making through a series of accounts of his greatest business ventures and transactions, shining light onto his business methods and inner character as his career progresses and his dominion expands.
The first reasonable question is why I think a 33 year-old book can be used to judge someone and their future. Trump answers this for you in his personal introduction to the audiobook, which he made when it was published in May 2016: “I don’t do it for the money; I have enough, much more than I’ll ever need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form. That’s how I get my kicks. My book was made almost 30 years ago and its words still ring true today, in fact truer than ever.” That solves the question. We can see the character of the book’s introduction being applied by some of his very first acts of presidency: withdrawing the United States from the Paris Accord, an international agreement on climate change, and withdrawing from the Transpacific Partnership, an economic trade agreement between 11 countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. The deals were not good enough for Trump; different deals would have to be struck. Now back to the actual book. Let me further clarify who this book is for: those who want the primary aspect of their career to be making deals. Unlike the blanket term “negotiation,” this means top-to-top, head-to-head maneuvering to reach an end-product most to one’s own advantage. This thins the herd of most business majors – Trump makes it clear in his book he doesn’t work with information systems, he specifically dislikes accountancy and distances himself from “number crunchers,” and he doesn’t himself rely on quantitative marketing skills. He doesn’t manage things either; he invests in hiring the best of the best to manage for him. That leaves us with finance majors. Trump makes his endgame clear: He wants
to sit down in a room with the head of the other organization, play his best positions, move a lot of money around and not walk away until the deal is cemented. The bigger the better, and the sooner it’s over with the sooner he can start making the next deal. In this book you’ll get business tactics, strategies and personal philosophies: always go to the head of an organization instead of the em-
ployees. Vet someone’s personal life before doing business. When in doubt, stick with the proven winner and always send thank you, congratulations and condolences cards. Some of this may feel generic, but perhaps the success of its source will prove its validity to you. You’ll also get details into Trump’s style and personal traits, the little things that set him apart from mere mortals like the rest of us. He doesn’t drink. He dislikes parties and small talk. He favors spontaneity over rigid structuring. He has a fixation for cleanliness. Most of all, he believes skill at deal-making is something instinctual that individuals are either born with or incapable of learning. The bulk of the book consists of detailed accounts of his ventures in establishing an ever-expanding presence in Manhattan, building the Trump Tower, moving into the casino and gaming industry, foraying into professional football franchise ownership, etc. These chapters are reminiscent of case studies from business course textbooks for graduate classes, but with the disadvantage of losing relevance as the decades have passed and the nature of the industry has shifted. This has mixed tie-ins with being the president of the United States. Who can make bigger deals in the world than the leader of a country with the largest economy and military in the world? The real answer is the same president but with the backing of Congress, the senate and the judiciary system. Business as it is presented in this book has only one divine authority: money. And if money is the god, the company presCourtesy: Random House Books ident is the prophet telling the people how to
worship. It turns out presidents don’t only answer to one entity and are at the mercy of an array of political checks and balances. This is where the book is no longer able to keep track of its subject – the uncharted territory is so different from Trump’s stomping grounds in real estate that this book can no longer be an effective indicator of what his future actions might be.
Character
As far as explaining the essence of Trump’s character, this book tells how his charisma and attitude brought him to where he is today. It’s all narrowly focused on what he does best and cares about most. Given that “The Art of the Deal” doesn’t explain much the philosophies or histories of deal-making, it’s a fair assumption that the author believes his own experience is enough to define the art. “The Art of the Deal” raises the grand question: is Trump making deals on behalf of the United States and for the welfare of its citizens, or, as he stated in this book’s introduction, is he doing it for the sole sake of enjoying making lavish deals?
Verdict
If you’re a fervent Trump political supporter or take Warren Buffet as a role model and you have 15 bucks to spare, download the audiobook and you’ll learn something. If you don’t know who Warren Buffet is or are opposed to shrewd capitalist tactics, you will be at best disinterested and, at worst, repulsed.
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IDATE BOOK REVIEWS
te by their writings
Scott Campbell | Reporter |
@ScottCa81380794
“Conversations with Joe” by Joseph Biden (2019) Who I’d recommend it to: Joe Biden’s extended family Who I wouldn’t recommend it to: I feel everyone else can sit this one out since I’ve got you covered. Summary: Through audio excerpts from a series of interviews Biden took while touring the country in the fall of 2017, Biden candidly addresses his political views, personal life and future plans with leaders from a diverse variety of fields. It’s a little bit of a cheat to call this a book in the traditional sense. It’s a series of edited conversations Biden held throughout his 29 city U.S. tour with a variety of industrial innovators, artists, writers and performers. Think of the audiobook as an interview-based documentary without a narrow focus, but also not quite an autobiography. One of my first questions before starting the audiobook was about why Biden talks the way he does. Throughout his campaign he’s had some stick-out moments: rambling past his train of thought and away from the subject at hand, calling a voter a “dog-faced pony soldier” (compliment?) and challenging another voter to a pushup contest. The current president has attacked his demeanor by referring to him as “Sleepy Joe.” His conversations throughout this compilation shed light on this for me. When he addresses an audience, he speaks just the same as he does in a one-on-one interview or conversation with a friend. I would describe it as a “stream of conscious” style that works better when he receives and responds to reactions than in a speech where he’s the only one talking. This style naturally befits the interview format of “Conversations with Joe.” We all knew going in that he would discuss things like being a champion of the middle class, having a close relationship with Barack Obama, encouraging youths to be active in local government and the like. It’s a politician’s prerogative to show us the best side of themselves the entire time, and these are the aspects he’s consistently shown. I think the intention of using interviews instead of writings is that
Courtesy: Amazon
it would show us how he feels when talking about these topics, not just what he has to say.
Character
A large portion of the substance of these interviews is about Biden’s family life, specifically the death of his son Beau Biden to brain cancer in 2015. Another large part of the discussion is about his memoir “Promise Me
Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose,” which is also about his son’s death. These subjects cater to a specific audience but still provide a window into his character, which from what I can tell is a vibrantly positive, personable and idealistic civil servant. The real bamboozle is the consistency of the interviewers — there hardly are any. There’s billionaire philanthropist Melinda Gates, award-winning actor Leslie Odom Jr., The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, fiction author John Green and 14 other distinguished persons from a wide assortment of fields. This variety of unique characters is great, and it might lead you to think there are going to be as many unique conversations, but the array of topics doesn’t fluctuate very much. For some conversations, there just isn’t enough back-and-forth. If the interviewer only ekes out four questions in a 20-minute session,
there’s no interplay between personalities and the author might as well be reading from an email. This even stings expectations a little. With interviewers like Constance Wu, actress and the star of “Crazy Rich Asians,” I was hoping to hear some of what the former vice president’s thoughts on the film or entertainment industries are, but instead he spends the bulk of the conversation regaling her with the account of how they sacked Bin Laden. The conversations also have a lot of fluff about miscellaneous things like Irish heritage and Thanksgiving dinner traditions – things I can’t imagine anyone besides a professional biographer wanting to know. They’re nice little details if you’re really trying to truly understand every nook and cranny of his character, but certainly nothing you should feel guilty for fast-forwarding over. Let me wrap up with addressing my initial mission for the review: what insight have I gained into the essence of Joe Biden’s character? Not as much as I’d hoped, to be honest. The diversity of content just isn’t enough. Within the first few interviews, you can tell what kind of person Biden is; the rest just reinforces and adds minute details to it. Repetition for the sake of emphasis is understandable, but at some points it’s just Biden telling the exact same advice over again to different people.
Verdict
“Conversations with Joe” provides a lot of the same information and probably won’t change many minds about the author.
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Joseph Biden Democratic presidential candidate Tinsley Merriman | MSU Admin Reporter |
@merrimantinsley
Running as the Democratic nominee for United States president is Joseph “Joe” Biden. His running mate is Kamala Harris. Biden is the former Democratic vice president of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama from Jan. 20, 2009 to Jan. 20, 2017. Biden was born on Nov. 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Delaware where he graduated with history and political science degrees. He then went on to graduate with a law degree from Syracuse University in 1968. According to Ballotpedia, from 1968 to1972, Biden was a defense attorney in Wilmington, Delaware. He then served on the New Castle County Council in Delaware from 1970 to 1972. At 29, Biden was elected as Delaware’s state senator and remained in the Senate from 1973 to 2009. While there, he chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Foreign Relations. Biden has previously run for president twice, once in 1987 and again in 2008. He dropped out of the former and became Barack Obama’s running mate in August 2008 after being placed fifth
Source: Boomer Jack Boomer/Flickr
at the Iowa Caucus. Biden has written several books, including “Promises to Keep,” “Promise me, Dad” and “Conversations with Joe.” Ballotpedia reports Biden announcing his run for the 2020 presidency on April 25, 2019. He was officially selected by the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 18, 2020 after candidate Bernie Sanders dropped out of the running in April. Biden’s policies include building better jobs for the economy, maintaining racial equality in businesses and creating a “clean energy future.” A full list of his policies can be found on his campaign website. Votesmart has a database of Biden’s past speeches, funding and votes on bills. These include his time as both a senator, committee chair and vice president. More information about Joe Biden can be found at joebiden.com
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Republican presidential candidate
Running as the Republican nominee for United States president is incumbent Donald Trump. Trump was born in Queens, New York in 1946. He attended Fordham University in the Bronx before transferring to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1968. Following his graduation, Trump joined his family real estate business and was involved in a variety of both real estate and other ventures in the following years. These ventures included hosting “The Apprentice” on NBC from 2004 to 2015, owning the Miss Universe organization and writing his business-focused book entitled “The Art of the Deal.” According to Ballotpedia, the encyclopedia of American politics, Trump ran as a Reform Party presidential candidate in 1999 but withdrew in February 2000. According to its website, the Reform Party seeks to build a political infrastructure that can “match the Democrats and Republicans in voters, in donations and in offices held without succumb-
ing to the special interests and self-serving behavior that have corrupted America’s government.” In April 2012, Trump registered as a Republican and declared his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election. He was nominated on July 19, 2016 by the Republican National Convention, elected president on Nov. 8, 2016 and was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2017. Trump’s policies have included building a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, issuing tax cuts to the American population and creating a new branch of the U.S. military for space-based operations. A full list of his policies can be found on his campaign website. Votesmart has a database of Trump’s past speeches, funding and votes on bills. These also include the vetoes he has declared during his time in office. More information about Donald Trump can be found at donaldjtrump.com
Source: Shealah Craighead/White House
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Kamala Harris Democratic vice presidential candidate M. Todd Dearing | Lifestyle Editor |
@mtodddearing
Kamala Harris is the vice presidential candidate of Democratic presidential candidate Joesph “Joe” Biden. Harris currently serves as a senator in Calif., and before joining the Biden campaign she was campaigning on her own for president, which started January 2019. Harris was born and raised in Oakland, Calif. She graduated in 1986 from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics. She later earned her law degree in 1989 from Hastings College. Harris served eight years as a prosecutor in Alameda County after graduating college, and in 1998 was hired to be the managing attorney for San Francisco District Attorney’s Career Criminal Unit. In 2003 she was elected San Francisco District Attorney and would win re-election in 2007. In 2010 Harris was elected State Attorney General of California. Harris held the position until 2016 when she was elected to her current position in the senate. Two major issues for Harris are immigration reform and healthcare. During her run for president, Harris’ campaign website said, “KamaSource: United States Library of Congress
la will fight to pass immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million people living in our communities and contributing to our economy. “While she wages that fight, she will immediately reinstate DACA and implement DAPA to protect DREAMers and their parents from deportation.” Her campaign also made the statement that healthcare in the U.S. currently costs too much. Her proposed plan was the option between public medicare and private insurances. Harris also wrote a book in which she outlined potential changes to the criminal justice system titled “Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer.” For more information on Kamala Harris, visit harris.senate.gov
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Michael Pence Republican vice presidential candidate
Republican Mike Pence is the incumbent vice president on the ballot with President Donald Trump. Before he was sworn into office, Pence was Indiana’s 50th governor from 2013 to 2017. Pence is from Columbus, Ind. where he was born in 1959. In 1981, he graduated from Hanover College in Hanover, Ind., with a bachelor’s degree in history. He later graduated from Indiana University School of Law where he received his J.D. in 1986. Pence is most known for his stances on infrastructure, religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights. During his time as governor in Indiana, more than $800 million was invested in the roads and bridges across the state known as “The Crossroads of America. This was accomplished while also giving record tax cuts to Indiana citizens. Pence signed into law a 5% individual tax cut, which applied to all residents. When Pence signed into law the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015, supporters of the bill claimed it would protect business owners’ freedom of religion. Such as the 2012 in-
cident involving a cake shop refusing to make a cake for a gay wedding. Pence has been public about his beliefs regarding the LGBTQ+ community, supporting an amendment in 2006 that would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. In 2007 Pence also voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which was to prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 2017, Pence became the first vice president to confirm a cabinet member by tiebreaker when he confirmed Secretary Betsy DeVos. In total during his term as vice president, Pence has cast 13 tie-breaking votes. For more information on Mike Pence, visit whitehouse.gov/people/mike-pence
Source: D. Myles Cullen/White House
Governor
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The position of governor can be held up to eight years, across two four-year terms. The governor manages executive roles such as budgeting, official appointments and legislation. They can have considerable impact on college students through policies that address higher education, housing and the job market, among others. Jack McGee | SGA Reporter
Mike Parson
Mike Parson is the incumbent and Republican nominee for Governor of Missouri. According to Votesmart, Parson is from Clinton but made Bolivar his home. He served over six years in the Military Police of the U.S. Army and attended night classes at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the University of Maryland during this time. Formerly lieutenant governor, Parson assumed the role of Governor following Eric Greitens’ resignation in 2017. Along with his positions in the governor’s office, Parson has been the sheriff of Polk County, a Missouri State Senator of District 28 and a Missouri State Representative of District 133, according to Votesmart. One of Parson’s platforms is economic recovery amid COVID-19, detailed in the Show Me Strong Recovery Plan. Following the statewide Phase 1 lock down and further extension of that, Parson elected to reopen Missouri in May to help reestablish economic growth in the state, according to the Missouri Governor’s website. “We have learned and accomplished so much since March,” Parson said in June, according to a press release on the governor’s website. “Knowing what we know now, we are much better prepared to deal with COVID-19 going forward, and we are fully confident that Missouri is ready to reopen.” Parson is also an advocate for law enforcement, following his years in the service. Parson is riding on a campaign that seeks to address infrastructure needs, lower an unemployment rate that got hit by the pandemic, build on Missouri’s wage growth, decrease healthcare costs, accelerate a strong economic comeback and lower crime rates across the state, according to his campaign website. More information about Mike Parson can be found at mikeparson.com
Nicole Galloway
Nicole Galloway is the Missouri State Auditor and Democratic nominee for Missouri governor. Galloway is from St. Louis but has made Columbia her home. Before being appointed as state auditor in 2015, she served as the Boone County Treasurer for five years. Galloway has an MBA and degree in accounting from the University of Missouri and a Bachelor’s in applied mathematics and Economics from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, according to Votesmart. She is also a certified public accountant and fraud examiner. One of Galloway’s platforms is adopting a different statewide approach to COVID-19, according to Vote 411. She said the current strategy threatens to destabilize a full economic recovery and the state should be more unified in its response to the pandemic. Galloway is in support of a statewide masking ordinance, referencing Springfield’s Mayor Ken McClure call for this action to help limit the spread of the virus. Galloway is also an advocate for government transparency and openness, following her years as an auditor. She claims to have never accepted a lobbyist gift, according to her campaign website, and seeks to lessen the power and influence of lobbyists in Jefferson City and represent the interests of the taxpayer. She also seeks to expand government lawmaking outside of the state capital. Galloway is riding on a campaign, according to her website, that seeks to expand medicaid protection and access to healthcare, invest in education, adopt common sense gun legislation and criminal justice reform and provide more and better opportunities for Black Missourians. “There are only nine women governors in the United States,” Galloway said in a tweet on Oct. 15. “After election day, I’ll make it 10.” More information about Nicole Galloway can be found at nicolegalloway.com
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District 7 According to the House of Representatives’ website, “The House is one of Congress’ two chambers (the other being the U.S. Senate) and part of the federal government’s legislative branch.” For simplicity, the legislative branch deals with lawmaking. Desiree Nixon | News Editor |
@DesireeNixon17
Billy Long
Republican incumbent candidate Billy Long from Springfield is running for re-election for U.S. Representative of Missouri’s seventh congressional district. Long has been in the House of Representatives since Jan. 5, 2011, according to Ballotpedia. Long received his education at the University of Missouri in Columbia from 1973-1976. However, he dropped out before graduating from the University of Missouri to go to the Missouri Auction School. He currently owns Billy Long Auctions, LLC. As for politics, according to Long’s government website, he holds traditional conservative values. “For each piece of legislation I vote on, I ask myself a number of questions such as: does it reduce the size of government, promote personal responsibility, strengthen the family, reduce the tax burden and promote personal freedom?” Long said on his website. “While running for this seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, I campaigned on those principles and continue to work to uphold them today.” Currently, Long is on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives. “Congressman Long sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee where he serves on three crucial subcommittees: Communications and Technology, Health and Environment and Climate Change,” Long’s candidate biography on his website states. Long’s Democratic competitor Teresa Montseny dropped out of the race in mid-September. For more information on Long, visit his government website, long.house.gov and campaign website at billylongforcongress.com.
Teresa Montseny
During the 2020 General Election cycle, Congressman Billy Long is up for re-election. Running against him was Democratic candidate Teresa Montseny. However, in mid-September, Montseny unofficially dropped out of the race, according to Ballotpedia. Before she dropped, Montseny was planning on promoting civil rights in Southwest Missouri. “(Montseny) noticed the neighborhood was all white, but on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and those same neighbors ran out into their front yards and the street celebrating his murder,” Montseny’s website says. “She was shocked, and that began her civil rights activism. Political activism also became key to her everyday life.” Montseny does not have prior political experience. However, she did volunteer on Gabby Gifford’s, a house of Representatives representing District Eight in Arizona and John McCain’s, a former US senator’s, campaign, her website states. Her website states she supported common-sense gun legislation and also believed climate change is real and will affect the rural areas of the country. Finally, she thought reproductive rights should be protected. For more information on Montseny, visit her campaign website, montsenyforcongress.com
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Governor Lieutenant
The main duty of the lieutenant governor is to assume governor responsibilities if they are absent from the office, and they assume that role if the governor dies, resigns, is removed from office or otherwise fails to qualify. In Missouri, lieutenant governors serve four-year terms and have no term limits, according to the official Missouri State website. Diana Dudenhoeffer | Digital Editor |
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Mike Kehoe
Republican Mike Kehoe is the incumbent candidate for lieutenant governor of Missouri; he assumed office in 2018. Previous to his current position, Kehoe was a state senator for District 6 — the northwestern part of the state, including Cameron, St. Joseph and Maryville — from 2011-2018. He was born in St. Louis. During his eight years in the Missouri Senate, Kehoe served as the Senate majority leader, chair for the Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions & Ethics Committee and vice-chair for both the Administration Committee and the Gubernatorial Appointments Committee. According to his biography on vote411, Kehoe said he will work “to bring companies to the state, advocating for pro-family, pro-jobs policies and helping our entrepreneurs create opportunities for working Missourians.” Votesmart lists Kehoe’s most recent votes on House and Senate bills during his time as a state senator. He voted: • Yes on HB 2171, which aimed to amend eligibility requirements for a blind pension. The bill passed in the Senate with amendments in May 2018. • Yes on SB 782, which aimed to amend the Department of Natural Resources regulation. The bill passed in the senate in May 2018. • Yes on SB 917, which aimed to authorize the state to establish coal ash regulations. The Bill passed in the senate in May 2018. More information about Mike Kehoe can be found at mikekehoe.com
Alissia Canady Democrat Alissia Canady is the challenger candidate for Missouri lieutenant governor. From 2015-2019, she was a member of the city council in Kansas City. Born in Kansas City, Canady’s educational history includes a Bachelor of Science in Management/Finance from Park University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law. Included in Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, Canady listed promoting access to healthcare, reducing violence in Kansas City and supporting small businesses as some of her biggest commitments. According to her biography on vote411, Canady said her top priorities for Missouri include the health of Missourians, economic prosperity and “reducing the number of gun-related deaths of children and Black men.” Canady also listed the children’s division of the Department of Family Services as a compelling policy challenge she expects to face, should she be elected. More information about Alissia Canady can be found at canadyformissouri.com
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General Attorney
The duties of the attorney general include acting as attorney for the state, prosecuting and defending all appeals instituting all civil suits in the best interest of the state, and deciding on constitutionality instituting quo warranto against the unlawful or those who’ve committed wrongdoings in office, according to Ballotpedia. Lauren Johns | Music Reporter |
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Eric Schmitt Republican candidate Eric Schmitt is running for re-election as Missouri State Attorney General this November. According to the official Missouri State website, Republican Eric Schmitt served as state Treasurer and state Senator and was eventually appointed to the role of Attorney General by Governor Mike Parson in January 2019. Schmitt was born in St. Louis County and has a Bachelor’s degree from Truman State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Saint Louis University’s School of Law. Proceeding the start of his role, Schmitt announced that he wanted to work more closely with federal authorities regarding violent crimes such as carjacking, noting that the St. Louis Metro area has been hit particularly hard by this issue. This legislation is moving through the legislature. During his interview on the podcast “Politically Speaking,” he spoke of wanting to ban abortion after a heartbeat or brain activity is detected, therefore making this procedure illegal after the eight week mark of pregnancy. This has the potential to directly impact various college students if needing to use these services. More information about Eric Schmitt can be found at schmittformissouri.com
Rich Finneran
Democratic candidate Richard Finneran was born in St. Louis. He received a Juris Doctor degree at Washington University’s School of Law and a Bachelor’s in Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, according to Votesmart, Prior to running for this position, he was an attorney from 2008-2010, worked as assistant to the United States attorney in the eastern district of Missouri from 2010-2017 and has worked as an adjunct professor teaching law at Washington University since 2008. According to the Missouri State website, Finneran was a guest on the “Politically Speaking” podcast and discussed reorganizing the attorney general’s office to recruit new staffers. He also hopes to look into the role an Attorney General should have when it comes to police accountability and looking into cases where deadly force was utilized, as stated in the podcast. In other matters, Finneran hopes to defend the Chinese against allegations of lawsuits regarding COVID-19 and to reverse Eric Schmitt’s decision to keep the United States in a lawsuit that could potentially overturn the Affordable Care Act. More information about Rich Finneran can be found at richfinneran.com
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Secretary of State According to the official Missouri State website, the Secretary of State and the rest of their office are in charge of the state’s public records. In Missouri, the Secretary of State is also in charge of organizing state elections, which includes presidential, General Assembly and amendment votes. For college students, the Secretary of State publishes a list of regulations surrounding student aid every year on the official Missouri State website. Stephen Terrill | Sports Editor |
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Jay Ashcroft
Republican Jay Ashcroft is running as the incumbent Secretary of State in Missouri. According to Ballotpedia, Ashcroft has served as the Secretary of State since 2017. This was his first political position. Prior to his political career, Ashcroft received a bachelors and masters degree in engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla and his Juris Doctor from St. Louis University. Before taking office, Ashcroft worked with his father at Ashcroft Law Firm. As stated on his campaign website, he learned a lot during his time as a lawyer. “I’ve seen firsthand how too much bureaucracy and over-regulation can make it nearly impossible for small businesses to even get started, let alone thrive,”the website stated. Ashcroft’s campaign website includes a page about making a state-issued voter ID a requirement to vote in Missouri. According to the official Missouri State website, currently things like driver’s licenses, school IDs or a bank statement are acceptable forms of ID to present at polls. Those without any form of identification can cast a provisional ballot that can be verified by bringing a photo ID at a later date or a signature that matches the voter’s registration card. Ashcroft was recently endorsed by the Missouri Farm Bureau. More information about Jay Ashcroft can be found at ashcroftformissouri.com
Yinka Faleti
Yinka Faleti is the Democratic challenger running for Secretary of State. According to Faleti’s campaign website, he was born in Lagos, Nigeria before immigrating to America at the age of seven. He graduated from United States Military Academy West Point after high school and attained the rank of Captain as an officer in a tank unit in the Middle East in the early 2000s. According to Ballotpedia, after his time in the Middle East, Faleti graduated from law school at Washington University in St. Louis. He was a prosecutor for the Circuit Attorney’s Office in St. Louis, director of fundraising for United Way of Greater St. Louis and executive director of Forward Through Ferguson. Forward Through Ferguson is a non-profit organization established to address issues in minority communities in the time after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. Faleti’s campaign website lists healthcare, preserving safe and accessible elections and removing bureaucracy surrounding small businesses as issues he would address as Secretary of State. Faleti is endorsed by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and the editorial board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. More information about Yinka Faleti can be found at yinkafaleti.com
Treasurer
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The State Treasurer is the state’s chief financial officer, overseeing revenue and finances. According to Ballotpedia, a State Treasurer’s duties include debt management policy, disaster preparation, pension fund administration, oversight to prevent fraud with public money, payroll matters for public employees and investing public funds and managing portfolios. Greta Cross | Editor-in-Chief |
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Scott Fitzpatrick
Republican Scott Fitzpatrick is running for re-election as Missouri State Treasurer this November. Fitzpatrick is from Springfield and received his bachelor’s degree in business management and finance at the University of Missouri in Columbia. According to Votesmart, at age 33, along with serving as Missouri Treasurer since 2019, he also had a seat in the Missouri State House of Representatives from 2013-2019. He has also chaired the House Budget Committee and Employment Security Committee. Fitzpatrick is the founder and operator of Maricorp U.S., a floating boat dock manufacturing and construction firm located on Table Rock Lake. According to his campaign website, Fitzpatrick is the fastest Treasurer in Missouri state history to return $1 million in unclaimed property to Missouri taxpayers in nine days. As state treasurer, he also created a system to return unclaimed property to children owed child support if an owing parent has unclaimed property held by the Treasurer’s Office. More information about Scott Fitzpatrick can be found at scottfitzpatrick.com
Vicki Englund
Democrat Vicki Englund is running for Missouri State Treasurer against Republication incumbent Scott Fitzpatrick this November. Englund is from Sunset Hills, Missouri and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science at American University in Washington D.C. According to Votesmart, Englund served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2008-2010 and 2012-2014. She is also the founder of GiftPakExpress.com, an eBay assistant for St. Louis customers. According to her campaign website, Englund supports the need for an Economic Recovery Plan to move through COVID-19, along with the expansion of Medicaid, promotion of the MOST 529 Education Plan and installation of online treasurer actions. “I was the first in my family to go to college, and I know there are more kids out there like me who need a savings plan like Missouri’s MOST 529 Education Plan,” Englund said. “We need to do a better job of promoting this great program to our kids and grandkids.” As the founder of an online shopping service, Englund states on her website that she believes transitioning the Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Auctions online could “save taxpayer dollars in operating costs and make more money by widening the auction audience worldwide.” More information about Vicki Englund can be found at vickienglund.com
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House District 132 The Missouri House Representative for District 132 serves the 132nd district of Missouri, which is located in Springfield. The Missouri House Representative for District 132 may impact college students directly with the passing of bills in state Congress. Greta Cross | Editor-in-Chief |
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Crystal Quade
Democrat Crystal Quade is the current representative of the 132nd district in the Missouri House of Representatives — including Springfield — and is running for re-election this November. Quade is a Springfield native and received a bachelor’s degree in social work at Missouri State University. According to Votesmart, at the age of 35, Quade is also the Missouri State House of Representatives Minority Leader, which she was elected into in 2019. She has also served on multiple House committees, including the Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect and Subcommittee on Appropriates — Health, Mental Health and Social Services. With an education in social work, two of Quade’s prioritized issues throughout her campaign include access to healthcare and affordable childcare. Since her election to the House in 2017, Quade has sponsored bills that combat the child care cliff effect, as stated on her campaign website. The child care cliff effect occurs when a “family’s income is above the eligibility limits for an assistance program, but the increased income is not adequate to replace the value of the lost benefit,” according to the Missouri Department of Social Services. More information about Crystal Quade can be found at crystalquade.com
Sarah Semple
Republican Sarah Semple is running against incumbent Democrat Crystal Quade for the representative of the 132nd district seat in the Missouri House of Representatives, which includes Springfield. According to Ballotpedia, Semple is from San Luis Obispo, California and received her associate degree from Ozarks Technical Community College. Semple is currently a realtor in Springfield. In her response to the 2020 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Semple said she understands she is an “everyday person,” not a professional politician, but she believes that is what connects her to voters. “Like the people in my district, I work hard to make a good life for myself and those I love,” Semple said. “I know the struggles of trying to afford housing, living with crime in my neighborhood and seeing the effects of poverty on the community.” In her survey response, Semple stated education, housing and crime as areas of public policy she is personally passionate about. More information about Sarah Semple can be found at facebook.com/Sarah4MO/
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Missouri amendments up for vote in election Amendment 1: Proposes more term limits Diana Dudenhoeffer | Digital Editor | On Nov. 3, Missouri voters will see two proposed constitutional amendments, including Amendment 1, also known as the State Executive Term Limits Amendment. A yes (make the yes/no words in bold or a different color maybe) on Amendment 1 limits the attorney general, lieutenant governor and state treasurer positions to two terms in office, according to Ballotpedia. A no on Amendment 1 would keep the twoterm limit for governor and treasurer but no other offices. The amendment began as SJR 14, a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer and was approved by the Senate last year, according to The Missouri Times. Luet-
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kemeyer said the bill would assure a fresh perspective in Missouri’s legislature. “Amendment 1 brings consistency to our state’s term limits by ensuring that all statewide elected officials are subject to the same limitations imposed on the governor, treasurer, and legislature,” Luetkemeyer told The Missouri Times. The amendment is not without opposition, though. Republican Sen. Ed Emery said he is against the amendment because it is good for those elected to build up expertise. “We want people in there who are experienced and know the job and know what they’re doing,” Emery told the Springfield News-Leader in October.
Amendment 3: Could alter district shape M. Todd Dearing | Lifestyle Editor | Amendment 3, a part of the Nov. 3 ballot in Missouri, aims to return the state government to using bipartisan commissions appointed by the governor for redistricting. This would eliminate the role of a nonpartisan state demographer, which was created with the confirmation of Amendment 1 in 2018, according to Ballotpedia. These bipartisan commissions would be called House Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission and the Senate Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission. These commissions would consist of 20 members each, selected by the governor. Amendment 3 would also change the criteria from the current system that takes population
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and contiguous districts into account to draw district maps. The threshold for gifts from lobbyists would be lowered from $5 to $0, and campaign contributions for state Senate campaigns from $2,500 to $2,400. A yes on Amendment 3 would give governor-appointed commissions power to redistrict. Gifts from lobbyists and senate campaign contributions would be lowered, according to Ballotpedia. A no on Amendment 3 would allow a nonpartisan demographer to remain in charge of redistricting. Gifts from lobbyists and senate campaign contributions would stay the same, according to Ballotpedia.
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