THURSDAY, OCT. 8, 2020 VOLUME 95 â– ISSUE 8
Find polling locations close to campus on pg. 2
Read about the Lubbock mayoral candidates on pg. 5 Learn about the electoral college on pg. 7
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ELECTION GUIDE
OCT. 8, 2020
WWW.DAILYTOREADOR.COM
POLITICS
Election official explains polling locations, guidelines By AUTUMN BIPPERT Multimedia Editor
For a lot of students, the upcoming election will be their first time voting in a federal election. In Texas, early voting begins Oct. 13 through Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3. According to Dorothy Kennedy, Lubbock County elections administrator, the first step to take before heading to the polls, is knowing if and what county you are registered to vote in. The deadline for this election was Oct. 5. There are a few ways to check your registration online. To check voter registration in Texas, voters can use the Texas Secretary of State’s website, votetexas.gov or the Lubbock County Elections Office website, votelubbock.org. Vote.org is another resource that allows users to check their voter registration in whatever state they may reside in. Kennedy said that once voters are at the polls, they
EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS • • •
Texas Tech Student Recreation Center - Hartford Avenue & Main Street Lubbock ISD Administration Office - 1628 19th St. Market Street - 4425 19th St.
will need a form of photo identification. In Texas there are several forms of ID that are accepted at polling locations. Accepted forms are a driver’s license, election identification certificate, personal ID, handgun license, concealed handgun license, U.S. Military ID, U.S. citizenship/naturalization certificate or an U.S. passport according to votetexas.org. For early voting in Lubbock County, there are 25 polling locations across the county. Polling locations on or close to Tech’s campus are the Student Recreation Center, Market Street (4425 19th St.) and the Lubbock ISD Administration Office (1628 19th St). Kennedy said that many
United Supermarket locations will be early voting locations. On Election Day there will be 43 polling locations. They will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Voters in-line by closing will still be allowed to vote. Locations on or close to Tech’s campus are Texas Tech University Library, Roscoe Wilson Elementary School (2807 25th St.), Cavazos Middle School (210 N University Ave), Guadalupe Elementary School (101 N Avenue P) and Broadway Church of Christ (1924 Broadway). For a full list of locations and hours, visit the Lubbock County Elections Office. Kennedy said that when at a polling location there are rules that voters have to follow.
“A lot of people don’t know that is a rule is that you can’t use your phone. When you’re in the polling area, or in line, getting ready to vote,” Kennedy said. “You can’t have conversations or anything like that while you’re in line getting ready to vote or when you get to your booth.” Along with using your phone for conversation, voters are also not allowed to take photos or videos at a polling location. According to the Texas Election Code wearing anything that communicative preference to a candidate, measure or political party appearing on the ballot is also prohibited. Kennedy said that protocols for COVID-19 safety have also been implemented into the voting process to make it as no touch as possible. “When you come in, you’ll show the clerk’s your identification and you can hold it, or we have a little box a little tray that you can just lay it down in,” she said. “They’ll (voters)
ELECTION DAY LOCATIONS • • • • •
Texas Tech University Library - 2802 18th St. Roscoe Wilson Elementary - 2807 25th St. Cavazos Middle School - 210 N University Ave Guadalupe Elementary School - 101 N Avenue P Broadway Church of Christ - 1924 Broadway
show their ID, the clerk will look them up on the laptop, get all their information, then they’ll go to the next step, which is where you pick up your little five-digit code that opens a ballot up when you go to one of the machines.” Lubbock County uses Verity Touch voting machines for elections according to the Elections Office’s website. To use these machines voters will enter their access code they received to active their ballot after they have selected their preferred language for voting. The Verity Touch ballot uses a touch screen. Kennedy voters will be given a brand-new unsharpened pencil to use as a stylus, so there is no physical contact
with the screen. The Verity Touch ballots can also be customized. Voters can change screen contrast, font size and audio volume and speed. Once voters select begin voting, they can mark their choices by clicking the candidates name and then selecting the next button. Voters can review their choices or change selection at any point during voting by using the navigation buttons on the screen. Once done selecting their candidates, voters will select “cast your ballot” to finish.
@AutumnBippertDT
THIRD PARTY
Libertarian, Green Party on ballot for Nov. 3 By RYAN MCCULLAR Staff Writer
In the upcoming federal
election voters are likely to vote for either the Republican nominee, President Donald Trump, or the Demo-
cratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden; however, there are other choices through third parties. Often overlooked, thirdparty candidates can offer a different platform than those from the major two parties in the United States. This can give voters an alternative to vote for that is closer to their set of beliefs, while also engaging in their civic responsibility to vote. Jo Jorgensen of the Libertarian Party is running to open barriers on trade, remove tariffs, a free and open market, cutting government spending to decrease taxes, legalizing marijuana and pardoning all nonviolent, victimless offenders in federal prisons. “If there is no victim, there is no crime,” she said in a Tweet. Jorgensen wants to re-
lieve overcrowded jails of inmates with drug possession charges. This ideal goes along with her push to legalize marijuana. Howie Hawkins, Presidential nominee for the Green Party, has said on his campaign website that he is running to create a Green New Deal, 100 percent clean energy by 2030, guarantee Medicare for all, set a minimum standard of income and raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour for all Americans. Hawkins is also a supporter of legalizing marijuana for many of the same reasons. Through Twitter, Hawkins has stated he wants to end the war on drugs and reduce the number of people incarcerated for drug violation, so he is believes in legalizing marijuana. Recently, the topic on
what to do with the police has become more prominent in American politics. Both Jorgensen’s and Hawkins’ campaign websites said they want a decrease in the presence of the police. Hawkins platform page states that he’s running to implement community policing. To do this, he has suggested reviving the Black Panther Party’s program for community control. Jorgensen said police reform should come from the community, according to her Tweets. “Taking federal funding out of the equation lets communities reform their own policing systems to better reflect their needs,” Jorgensen said in a Tweet from June 10. “Decentralize the power. Empower the people. The results speak for themselves.”
Both candidates have plans for U.S. environmental policy. Hawkins’ biggest issue he is camping for is zero carbon emission by the year 2030. His plan is through a Green New Deal, with organic agriculture, banning fracking and implementing new ecological taxes. According to Hawkins’ website, the Green New Deal will create millions of jobs. “Our eco-socialist Green New Deal will create over 30 million new jobs, while restructuring the economy in a more sustainable and egalitarian way,” Hawkins said in a Tweet. Jorgensen wants to transition to using nuclear power to replace coal and oil-burning power plants, bringing cleaner energy, according to her website. @RyanMccullarDT
BALLOTS
Absentee ballot option for students away from home By CHASE SEABOLT Editor-in-Chief
One may be registered to vote in their hometown but live in Lubbock while at-
tending Texas Tech. Another way to vote, other than going home, is to apply for an absentee ballot. There are many misconceptions between absentee
ballots and mail-in voting. Absentee ballots only can be requested by someone who physically will not be at the polling location during the voting dates, whether one may be at college, traveling or out of the county in which they are registered to vote. “In Texas, there’s only four reasons to get a mail-in ballot,” Dorothy Kennedy, Lubbock County Elections Office administrator, said. “One is you have to be 65 and older. The second one is you have a disability.” To get a mail-in ballot one will have to be out of the county in which they registered to vote during the early voting
days of Oct. 13 through Oct. 30, Kennedy said. The last reason to get a mail-in ballot is if one is confined to jail. Kennedy said if one falls into any of the four categories, they can call the Lubbock County Elections Office at (806) 775-1338 to acquire an application. “The first step of the application in which you write down which of the four reasons you fall into,” Kennedy said. The county elections office has to receive the paper application by Friday, Oct. 23, so one should plan ahead when sending it in. @ChaseSeaboltDT
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ELECTION GUIDE
OCT. 8, 2020
3
HEALTH
Pandemic warrants precautions among voters By ADÁN RUBIO News Editor
Despite a pandemic hindering multiple aspects of life, voting in upcoming presidential and local elections still is a must for most Americans. Although, knowing certain health precautions before rushing to the polls may be necessary to keep oneself and others safe. Washing one’s hands, using hand sanitizer, wearing a mask and practicing social distancing are health recommendations for voters, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dorothy Kennedy, administrator at the Lubbock County Elections Office, said hand sanitizer, gloves and masks will be provided to voters who come unprepared. Workers at the polls also will be required to wear a face covering and will have access to the same resources voters have available. In addition, workers will strive to keep voting polls a place where there is little physical touch, Kennedy said. One way of doing this is having voters show their identification or place it in a little tray. After getting the necessary information from the ID, Kennedy said the workers will provide voters a five-digit code needed to open a ballot on the voting machine. “So, [voters will] pick all of that up, put their ID back in their wallet, take their five-digit code, and you’ll be given a pencil, an unsharpened pencil,” she said, “and you’ll take the eraser, and that’s going to be your stylus to work through the ballot, so you don’t have to actually have physical contact with the screen.” Once one finishes voting, Kennedy said voters will drop the pencil in a Ziploc bag in front of each machine and get some hand sanitizer. “We were able to roll that out in July since the primary runoff got pushed back from
May to July,” she said. “So, it was a good dress rehearsal for us to practice all these things, and the response we got from the voters who voted in July was that they felt safe, the workers said they felt safe, and so, that was good.” For those who do not feel comfortable with voting in person, Kennedy said they can arrive at the north side of the Lubbock County Elections Office building at 1308 Crickets Ave. to do curbside voting, which will take place during early voting from Oct. 13 to Oct. 30 and on Election Day on Nov. 3. “So, there’ll be a frame sign that’ll be sitting out on the curb, and there’ll be a phone number, and they can call that phone number and say they’re there to vote,” she said. “Then, our workers will come out and get their identification, go in and check them in and bring the machine, actually the tablet, pulled out of the machine, and they’ll take that tablet out to the car and allow the voter to vote in privacy and independently in the car.” The pandemic has made curbside voting a popular option for voters, Kennedy said. “So, that is what we’ve rolled out in July. It has always been part of the Texas law, but nobody really ever asked for it until we hit this COVID thing,” she said, “and then once COVID came in, then we had to start being very diverse and opening up different avenues, and so, curbside voting really moved from the backseat to the front seat, if we will, of how things were being done.” Other health recommendations for voters include knowing who one wants to vote for prior to arriving at the polling location and having the necessary identification and documents needed to vote, according to the CDC. Utilizing early voting is one way Kennedy said can be beneficial to avoid long lines
GRAPHIC BY ABBEY DOUGLASS/SOURCE: CDC.GOV
and large crowds at voter polls on Election Day. Filling out a sample ballot prior to going to the polls is another way voters can be prepared. One can print a sample ballot from the Lubbock County Elections Office website. Despite some people, such as students, being able to maneuver really well through the touchscreens on the voting machines, Kennedy said coming prepared to vote still is important, especially for these upcoming elections. “But sometimes, it’s always good to study the candidates ahead of time and
Curbside Voting •
•
Located at the north side of the Lubbock County Elections Office building at 1308 Crickets Ave. Park at curbsidetitled frame sign, call the provided number and say “I’m here to vote.”
know who you want to vote for,” Kennedy said, “and so, that’s the reason sample ballots come in handy because this is a much longer ballot
than in typical presidential years because you have all the cities and schools that would have had an election in May, but the governor postponed that and pushed them to November.” Jeff Dennis, assistant professor of public health at the Tech Health Sciences Center, said one who knows the candidates they want to vote for will not spend too much time at the polls. In addition to common health guidelines, such as wearing a mask and following social distancing rules, keeping in mind the number
of people at a polling location may be necessary. “I think in terms of keeping oneself safe, what I’ve heard a number of folks say is to expect early voting to be more busy than normal,” Dennis said. With opportunities to get a head start during early voting, Dennis said most people will have the mentality to vote at times when there typically are not large groups of people waiting in line. After a few days of early voting, a person can get a better idea about the number of people at the polls at certain times. “If you ever end up in a situation where you feel like it’s too crowded, I think you should, ideally, put yourself in a position to come back another time if you feel like it’s not an appropriate place for you to be,” he said. To avoid any uncertainty with how voting will be conducted, researching how polls will implement certain guidelines and different voting options are other ways to prepare for this election, Dennis said. Anyone who is symptomatic should try to find voting alternatives, such as curbside voting, instead of going to the polls. Regardless, Dennis said utilizing common sense also is important when staying healthy amid the pandemic. The biggest health recommendation is following the health guidelines that election workers will implement at voting polls. “I think be kind and courteous and helping them out any way we can is going to hopefully make it a smooth process for everyone,” he said. One needs to realize the people working at polling locations are people who also live in Lubbock and who have jobs in the city, Dennis said. “People just need to be prepared,” he said. “Do our best to be cooperative and help the folks wanting to make this run smoothly.” @AdanRubioDT
OPINIONS
Page 4 Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020
POLITICS
@DailyToreador www.dailytoreador.com
Students debate on candidate platforms Tech Student Democrats Jackson Birdwell is the secretary for Tech Student Democrats
T
he 2020 American presidential election nears with every day, and with political divides running deeply through America at the moment, this may be the most contentious election in recent history. Republican incumbent Donald Trump will be seeking re-election as president, while former Vice President and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will be seeking to be the first candidate to defeat an incumbent since the 1992 election. With the divisiveness of American politics right now, I know many students and people my age often wish to or actually do check out of politics entirely, and while I fully understand how exhausting politics can be, it is vitally important to American democracy that we all play our part in our government and its elections. To that point, I am encouraging that above all else, what you should take away from reading this is to vote in every election you can. It doesn’t matter who it is you vote for; the importance of using your voice to vote cannot be overstated. According to the United States Census Bureau, in the 2016 presidential election, only 61.8 percent of the eligible American population cast a vote, and just 46.1 percent of those aged 18-29 voted, the lowest of any age group. You, me, our peers; we tend to not have our voices
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heard nearly as much in American politics because we simply do not turn out and vote. We need to change that. Checking out of politics is almost entirely impossible anyways, and it is certainly something that I would advise against. Like it or not, the decisions of American politicians affect every aspect of all of our daily lives, although some of us more than others certainly.
It doesn’t matter who it is you vote for; the importance of using your voice to vote cannot be overstated. We must stay involved in the politics so that we do not lose the values of our nation and our community, so we can keep our elected officials in check, and so we can ensure that no disadvantaged groups in America are ever taken advantage of or discriminated against by law. The Texas Tech Student Democrats will be endorsing Biden for president in 2020, as it is our belief that Biden will be more decisive and effective in helping America through current crises and preparing us for future ones that will face our nation. Biden plans to enact climate change legislation on day one of his presidency, legislation that will go further than any that was created during the Obama administration in terms of establishing milestone targets, making historic investments in clean energy and incentivizing the development of renewable energy and jobs to create and maintain that energy. As a looming and disastrous issue that has been ignored for too long, Biden’s
Tech College Republicans plan for U.S. combat of climate change is essential to our future. But while Biden is looking to the future, he is also keeping a focus on current issues in America. Biden understands we must reign in the spread of COVID-19 throughout our country, and he is prepared to do what must be done to combat this pandemic. This includes widening the availability of free testing nationwide, the full focus on and development of a vaccine and the establishment of a permanent, organized and well-funded pandemic response team that will allow the deployment of rapid testing capabilities and increased biomedical research. It is important we continue to do our part to eradicate COVID-19 and ensure that a disease like this never again takes hundreds of thousands of American lives.
Ian Walker is the vice president for Tech College Republicans
W
ith the presidential election in full swing and election day close at hand, elections are on every American’s mind. Whether on social media, the news and even the “Go Vote!” flyers stuck on the milk coolers at your local supermarket, the reminders are there. However, how many of us really spend time understanding the candidates that we may vote for? More importantly, how well do you really know the candidates and what they stand for, such as Donald Trump? Trump’s platform for president is not as simple as some claim it to be. In fact, it is many of the accomplishments and goals of his administration that set him apart from the career politicians we have all grown to dislike.
V S.
These are certainly not all the issues, but they are some of the biggest ones facing Americans today. If you want a full breakdown of Biden’s campaign promises, I encourage you to visit his website and read about the issues you care about directly from there. I would also encourage you to visit the Trump campaign site to see his promises on these and other issues, as it is important to be informed about the plans of every candidate in an election. Remember to stay informed on the candidates and their policies, and remember to vote on Nov. 3 as well as in future elections. Only together can we make our voices heard. @TechDemocrats
His slogan of “Promises Made, Promises Kept” is one of genius. From the stimulation of jobs, corporate tax reform and a sweeping criminal justice reform package, Trump has delivered more in the past four years than anyone could have imagined. American optimism and the belief in the everyday American is what the Trump campaign is all about. When asked, many young people such as myself cite issues like the environment, criminal justice and having a job in the future as some of the top priorities as a voter. With these issues, Trump has done quite a lot in making sure that the next generation of Americans is better off than the last. One such thing is the
First Step Act, helping fix the mass incarceration of people from the 1994 Crime Bill. That 1994 Crime Bill was ironically authored in part by Joe Biden, the current Democratic Nominee for President. Allowing individuals to participate in society once again, First Step offers a second chance at the American Dream, something not possible under the 1994 Crime Bill.
Remember that this election is more than just slogans, it’s about the American future that you want to see. With Trump, the EPA has done more in cleaning up polluted Superfund sites than in the past 18 years. Just in 2019 the EPA under Trump finished and removed 27 sites from the list of polluted places. The last time the EPA completed that many was in 2001, all while getting rid of regulations that did little to protect and only enlarged a federal bureaucracy. If you ever listen to Trump, one thing he always mentions is jobs. It is true that pre-COVID-19 the U.S. had one of the lowest unemployment records for Americans ever. Job prospects for minorities grew as well, with African American and Hispanic unemployment reaching record lows. Supporting business opportunities for every American is a top priority for the Trump Administration, giving every American the ability to work for themselves, without burdensome taxes holding us back. Trump also supports energy independence, made largely possible by the shale revolution from horizontal fracking. Just in Decem-
ber of 2018, the U.S. had become a net exporter of oil for the first time in over 75 years, creating jobs and enriching areas we know well here in Lubbock, such as Midland and Odessa. Combined with the use of natural gas, the American energy sector has gotten much cleaner, and it’s all thanks to fracking. However, some in the environmentalist lobby have talked about banning fracking, which would not only cost thousands of jobs but could cost us our energy independence. It would make us reliant upon foreign governments once again for oil, a dangerous position. Under Trump, this ban will not occur. Another issue many voters consider is foreign policy, especially interventionism. In 2019, the Trump administration pulled almost all its troops from the country of Syria, and with good reason, as Trump found no strategic interest in staying there. Like most Americans, I do not like getting involved in foreign conflicts with no benefit to the U.S., especially in a country that most Americans probably could not find on a map. A U.S. president has hardly ever taken this type of position, and America is all the better because of it. Many other things such as the appointment of originalist judges, supporting law enforcement, enriching school choice for families and sensible immigration reform are all apart of the Trump Administration’s plans for America. Remember that this election is more than just slogans, it’s about the American future that you want to see. Please, go and vote this November and exercise an ability very few in the world have, the ability to have a voice. @TexasTechCRs
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Voter beware: US tells public how to avoid election mischief WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency have issued a series of advisories in recent weeks aimed at warning voters about problems that could surface in the election — as well as steps Americans can take to counter the foreign interference threat. The issues identified in the public service announcements run the gamut from the spread of online disinformation about the electoral process to cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure. Taken together, the advisories make clear that American agencies are tracking a broad range of potential threats that they believe voters should know about — not just for transparency's sake but also so voters can be prepared. The warnings come even though U.S. officials as recently as Tuesday expressed confidence in the integrity of the vote despite repeated efforts by President Donald
Trump to denigrate it. Some of the announcements from the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: D I S I N F O R M AT I O N THROUGH BOGUS INTERNET DOMAINS AND EMAIL ACCOUNTS It's not hard to set up a fake, or spoofed, email account or website to closely resemble a legitimate one. That's precisely what the FBI and CISA are warning may take place to trick Americans during the election. Cybercriminals routinely forge websites with slight misspellings or other barely perceptible alterations to dupe internet users. In the context of an election, for instance, a bogus website ending in “.com” instead of “.gov” that purports to have legitimate voting information or results could trick people who visit the page into thinking that what they're reading is an authentic, trustworthy government source. Besides spreading false
information, officials say, such spoofed websites and email accounts can gather personally identifiable information and spread malicious software. One precaution voters can take, officials say, is to verify the spelling of websites and email addresses that may at first glance look legitimate but are actually not. D I S I N F O R M AT I O N THROUGH ONLINE JOURNALS Foreign intelligence services could use websites like pseudo-academic online journals to cause confusion around the election and undermine confidence in the legitimacy of its results. That could include promoting claims of voter suppression and ballot fraud, denigrating individual political candidates, disseminating information about cyberattacks — both real and alleged — and spreading otherwise misleading or unsubstantiated assertions to manipulate public opinion,
cause divisions and discredit the election process. U.S. officials are encouraging voters to rely on trustworthy sources of information, including state and local election officials, and to verify through credible channels reports about problems with voting before recirculating them online. FA L S E C L A I M S O F HACKED VOTER INFORMATION How someone voted is private. But information about who is eligible to vote, how often a person votes and for which party is publicly available through a variety of sources. That’s why authorities said there was nothing to be concerned about several weeks ago when Russian media reported that some U.S. voter registration information was available on a hacker’s forum. The FBI and CISA issued a reminder not long after that unnamed “foreign actors” and cyber criminals are spreading false information
intended to discredit the American electoral process, including by falsely claiming to have hacked and leaked voter information. Even if those foreign actors or cyber criminals had such information, there's no indication it would do anything to stop an American from casting a ballot or provide a way to manipulate the vote. The U.S. agencies say they have no information that any attack targeting election infrastructure has compromised the integrity of election results or the accuracy of voter registration information, prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot, or prevented an election from occurring. CYBER THREATS TO VOTING SYSTEMS The advisories describe possible threats to election infrastructure that they say may slow voting, or impede access to voting information, but that should not compromise the integrity of the results.
VOTING
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ELECTION GUIDE
WWW.DAILYTOREADOR.COM
OCT. 8, 2020
5
LOCAL
Lubbock mayoral candidates talk platforms, plans if elected
FILE PHOTO/The Daily Toreador
Stephen Sanders, a junior advertising major from Lubbock, is running for Lubbock mayor. Sanders is a father and keyboardist looking to improve the Lubbock community.
By ADÁN RUBIO News Editor
The presidential race is not the only election locals have been anticipating, as incumbent Dan Pope and Texas Tech student Stephen Sanders will face off for the position of Lubbock mayor. In this year’s Lubbock mayoral election, which was pushed from May to this November because of the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanders and Pope have worked to garner support for their respective campaigns. Heading into this election, issues, such as operating the city during the COVID-19 pandemic, representation for underrepresented individuals and more, can affect which candidate Lubbockites want to support. As COVID-19 continues to impact multiple aspects of life in the City of Lubbock, public health and how the city continues to function can be a concern for some voters. Sanders, a junior advertising major from Lubbock, said the city needs to listen to what doctors recommend to stay safe during the pandemic. He said he would make any decision based on those recommendations. “I would never shut businesses down, that’s for sure,” he said. “We would never shut down businesses because we know more about COVID-19 now, and we know how to combat it and how to keep things safe and work with the health department and all the different entities we have.” Being able to open all businesses is a goal Sanders said he would love to reach to better the city’s economy. If re-elected, Pope said the city will continue to respond to the pandemic with the safety of Lubbock citizens being the priority. “So, anything we do will be sort of looked at through that lens,” he said, “and, right now, I think reopening right now is more at [Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s] pace and desires. We made some decisions early on, but he took the keys away from us, and that’s good; we support that. But we want to safely do all we can to get our economy back open.” Pope will continue to encourage citizens to practice good hygiene, whether that be washing hands or wearing a face covering, he said. City involvement regarding public safety is another issue voters may consider when selecting a leader for their city. With national discussions about police brutality and funding for police in recent months, how a prospective mayor addresses certain public safety issues could impact a voter’s decision. Even though police, fire and emergency management report to the city manager, Pope said the mayor has responsibility over the budget. Regarding the fiscal year 2020-21 budget passed in September, he said public safety is fully funded. “We had no discussions
of defunding police,” he said. “We think that our citizens want safe homes, neighborhoods, businesses, churches, whether it’s police, fire, emergency services. So with that in mind, I would mention that our practices have changed.”
I have a motto, and my motto is to leave no one behind and make sure that everyone has a voice. STEPHEN SANDERS MAYORAL CANDIDATE The 8 Can’t Wait campaign, which encourages cities to enact eight policies aimed at changing policing strategies, is a movement Lubbock has responded to after the death of George Floyd last May in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pope said. Updating certain policing tactics is a task the city has been working on for years. “Our citizens expect that policing and fire work keep up with the new practices but all with that foundation of providing safety,” he said. Similar to Pope, Sanders said defunding the police is a step he would not undertake. “I’m going to stand on that and make that promise to the community that will never happen,” he said regarding defunding the police.
Even though the budget already is put in place, Sanders said the city has to be conservative in how it spends its money, especially regarding public safety. “So, I think that we’re gonna probably tighten our belts a little bit,” he said. “Probably, won’t be buying anything new or extra right now just because COVID-19 being still in place.” In addition to these issues that have impacted many cities within the nation, certain local issues still may be a point of discussion when voting for a mayoral candidate. The need to provide support for citizens in east and north Lubbock is another issue Sanders said he wants to focus on if elected. “So, what I’m going to do is make sure that we have to clean up those areas and get them nice and get them prepared,” he said, “and then, once we do facelifts on those areas, then we are able to put together a team to go and advocate before other businesses to come set up shop in east and north Lubbock.” City leaders need to address the fact that those areas always have been overlooked and are in need of cleaning and support, Sanders said. Money needs to be put directly into those city communities. “I want to make sure all the money that’s allocated to east Lubbock and allocated to north Lubbock actually makes it to east and north Lubbock,” he said, “Because that hasn’t always been the case, and we know that when we drive through there and look at those areas, they are not as nice and they’re not as kept as the other areas are.” Laying the groundwork for these areas to have restaurants and easy access to city and Citibus routes is what Sanders said he wants to do to help east and north Lubbock. Regardless of areas in need of certain infrastructural changes and services, Sanders said all parts of Lubbock deserve attention and help from the city.
“We’re gonna definitely look at it and make sure that we’re doing the best we can by all people in Lubbock,” he said, “not just southwest Lubbock, but east Lubbock, north Lubbock, south Lubbock, west Lubbock, everybody. Everybody needs to get a piece of the pie.” Taking care of the city’s existing assets while allowing for growth is a difficult task a mayor or a member of the Lubbock City Council faces, Pope said. In Lubbock, Pope said he believes the city government’s job for the community is to create an environment that is safe and has a maintained infrastructure where people want to invest. “Now, there are parts of our community where it sometimes takes a bit of a push, and we’ve done that successfully in downtown with some incentives we’ve done downtown,” he said. “We’re doing that, and with our east Lubbock-targeted incentives, so that’s if a business wants to make improvements to their business, inside or outside, we’ll invest if they’ll invest.” As Lubbock mayor, Pope said he will continue to work on these incentives for these city areas. East and north Lubbock are parts of the city’s community Pope said are very important to him. He said these areas are not foreign to him. “I think we have a great asset there,” Pope said, “and we’ll continue to do all we
RYAN MCCULLAR/The Daily Toreador
Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope speaks about his platform for the upcoming mayoral election. The Lubbock mayoral election was moved to Nov. 3, 2020 after the COVID-19 outbreak. can to better connect all parts of our community.”
I believe that change happens at the speed of trust, and you’ve got to trust each other, we’ve got to know who we are. DAN POPE LUBBOCK MAYOR Representation for citizens, especially underrepresented groups, within all parts of the Lubbock community is another factor that may be important for voters this election. When being elected as mayor, Pope said one is meant to represent everyone, even if certain individuals did not vote for that candidate or did not vote at all.
“We’ve worked hard on building better relationships in this community, particularly relationships with our communities of color and police,” he said. “We started in the summer of 2016 with our Community Engagement Task Force.” This task force consisted of working with the Lubbock Police Department, members of the faith community and local business leaders, Pope said. He wants to continue working on this initiative. “I believe that change happens at the speed of trust, and you’ve got to trust each other, we’ve got to know who we are,” Pope said. “We’ve got to understand what’s important to us, we have to be able to pick up the phone and call each other. We’ve got to trust each other before we can really change.”
SEE MAYOR, PG. 6
6
ELECTION GUIDE
OCT. 8, 2020
WWW.DAILYTOREADOR.COM
MEDIA
Professors stress media literacy during elections By AMANDA HAMPTON Staff Writer
During election season, the variety of political information available can make it difficult to determine what is accurate and what is not. Kevin Banda, Texas Tech associate professor of political science, said a lot of misinformation can be traced to the increase in news sources and media fragmentation, which has allowed the public to opt into choosing how they will receive their political news. This typically leads to people receiving one-sided news from a source who agrees with their opinions, Banda said. “They want to hear is that their team is good, and the other team is bad. So, people are probably opting into receiving junk news,” Banda said. “They’re predisposed to ignore news that suggests that the other team is good.” Nick Bowman, Tech associate professor of journalism and creative media industries, said the major-
MAYOR
CONTINUED FROM PG. 5 One example of significant change can be seen in Lubbock protests following the death of Floyd, as the protests in Lubbock were peaceful and respectful, Pope said. Regarding the need for representation of different individuals and groups, Sanders said he will listen to the concerns of different parts of the Lubbock population. “I have a motto, and my motto is to leave no one behind and make sure that everyone has a voice,” Sanders said, “and so, I’ll be in those communities working with those com-
ity of false information is spread in closed, tight-knit circles where people can latch on to an idea without verifying it. “I see a lot of misinformation on Reddit and smaller sub-Reddits because you have like-minded people who are gathering together to discuss things,” Bowman said. It is easiest for false information to be spread when people do not question what they are reading, Bowman said. One way to prevent being influenced by misinformation and repetitive news is by practicing media literacy. Rauf Arif, associate professor of journalism and creative media industries, said media literacy is the process of receiving information and then going and verifying that information with another source. “What media literacy does to us, it tells us what reliable media is and what is the credible source of information,” Arif said. Media literacy is important when consuming political information because it
helps voters make informed decisions, Arif said. To understand media literacy, people also must understand the role of the media, Arif said. The media creates messages, disseminates messages and then ensures messages are conveyed as clearly as possible, Arif said. There are multiple skills the public can incorporate into their daily news routine to become more media literate. One way is by lateral reading, which is a way to confirm the accuracy of information, Bowman said. If there is a story that seems too good to be true, try to find the information from another source. The general public also could see if they can find the same quotes and images being used in other stories. Another skill of media literacy is being able to recognize persuasive attempts, Bowman said. If the news source is being persuasive, understand what their end goal is and what they are trying to make the reader think.
Media consumers also should check to see if the news they get is making them overly-emotional, Bowman said. “If your daily news routines just makes you fired up in the morning, you have a bad routine,” he said. The news is generally boring, and if it makes one overly emotional, it is probably not based on facts, Bowman said. Media consumers should also find their own credibility scale and find a daily news routine to stay informed, Bowman said. Organizations, such as allsides.org, keep track of the credibility of various news sources, Bowman said. This is a good way to see how various news sources are ranked in terms of their credibility. Another tip is to talk politics with friends and family, which allows greater understanding of how individuals interpret the news, Bowman said. “Media literacy is not easy, but it is not hard either,” Bowman said. “It does require you to be in-
terested in the news and to recognize the value of being an informed citizen not just
on the facts but on the many perspectives and realities.”
munity leaders, finding out what their needs are and then bringing that before the city council and making sure that their voices are actually heard.” In addition to making sure people’s voices are heard, Sanders said he wants to act on concerns, whether it be by working with the Lubbock City Council or certain advisory boards in the city. “There’s got to be some love shown and some resources given to the people who are voiceless and who don’t really understand how all of this stuff works,” he said. “I’m definitely going to be paying attention to that.” Letting communities, such as those in east and
north Lubbock, know about city council meetings and other opportunities to voice concerns is a task Sanders wants to undertake if elected. In addition to accommodating different groups living in Lubbock, focusing attention on college students, whether they are from Lubbock or not, is another aspect of representation the mayoral candidates considered. Sanders wants Lubbock to be a fun city that college students can enjoy, he said. To better understand the needs of college students, he said he wants to build a relationship with Tech. “Because I don’t know everything that those students want to do, but I want
to know, and I want to find a way to connect to them, and I want to be on campus, I want to hear from them, I want to know their hearts, I want to know what they need,” he said. Knowing what will prompt students to stay in Lubbock after graduation can be a way to keep students in the Lubbock workforce and impact the city’s economy, Sanders said. This starts with mentoring and getting to know the students. Similar to Sanders, Pope said being able to keep college students in Lubbock is necessary. “We think that that’s important to young people, who many come to Lubbock for an education and
realize Lubbock is a pretty good place, and they would like to have a job and a career and raise a family here, so we want to continue to create those kinds of opportunities.” Having a city that is affordable and safe is important for keeping college students in Lubbock after graduation, Pope said. Prior to 2020, he said the city created 10,000 net new jobs in four years, most of which are being absorbed by college graduates. Regardless of the different plans Pope has if reelected for his position, he said his business and leadership experience sets him apart from his opponent. “I know what it’s like to borrow money and take
risks, I know what it’s like to make a payroll; I know what it’s like to make a really hard decision,” Pope said. “So, I think that experienced leadership that people can trust is what I would run on.” Being able to connect with younger people and being a Lubbock native are factors Sanders said separates him from Pope. “My whole thing is about empowerment and in helping people meet their expectations and beyond,” Sanders said. “Lubbock is the city of tomorrow, and I will help us to have a bright tomorrow and a bright future, and I’m gonna work my butt off to make sure that happens.”
GRAPHIC BY MARIBEL TAVAREZ Source: Nick Bowman, associate professor of journalism and creative media industries
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ELECTION GUIDE
WWW.DAILYTOREADOR.COM
OCT. 8, 2020
7
POLITICS
Electoral college plays role in presidential election By HANNAH ISOM Staff Writer
As Election Day draws closer, exploring the different aspects of government and their role in the election can be helpful to first-time voters. The electoral college is one aspect of the election that some have trouble understanding. Matthew Ellison, online professor in the Texas Tech Department of Political Science, said when a person is voting for president, they basically vote for their preference to the electors, and then the electors vote. “They’re actually going to be the ones who select the president,” Ellison said. Forty-eight states use a winner takes all system in the electoral college, Ellison said. This means whoever wins the popular vote in that state will win the electoral vote as well. A president needs 270 out of 538 electoral college votes to win most of the electoral college and therefore the presidency. However, Ellison said the electors are still bound to what happens in the statewide races. “Most states’ laws say that electors have to vote for the statewide popular vote,” Ellison said. Knowing the history of the
electoral college also could be beneficial when attempting to understand its purpose. Mark McKenzie, associate professor in the Tech Department of Political Science, said the electoral college represents a compromise between direct election of a president and election by congress. The U.S. does not have a direct election for president, McKenzie said. Instead, states host small elections within the state, and then the electoral college casts their votes based on the popular votes of their state. “It was sort of like a convenient solution,” McKenzie said. The electoral college was a compromise in two ways, McKenzie said. First, it allows for a popular election if the state wants one. Most states allow for popular election of electoral college members. When it was created, the electoral college gave slave states and small states compromise, McKenzie said. Each state is promised two votes because of the two senators, McKenzie said. The amount of electoral college members for a state is based on the number of representatives from the state plus the two senators. For Texas that
would be 38. With this system it is possible to get a wrong winner, McKenzie said. A “wrong” winner is when a candidate wins the electoral college vote but loses the popular vote. This situation occurred in 2016 when President Donald Trump won the electoral vote but not the popular vote and became president. “If we have that happen a bunch more times, then I think people will start to question the value of the electoral college system,” McKenzie said. A disadvantage of the electoral college is the occasional situation of a “wrong” winner, McKenzie said. Although, the advantage is the forcing of presidential candidates to campaign. The Founding Fathers could not decide on a way to elect the president at the Constitutional Convention, McKenzie said. They explored two other options before settling on the electoral college. The first option was to have Congress elect president, similar to Parliament electing a prime minister, McKenzie said. “What many people were afraid of with that kind of
solution for a president was that the president would be connected to Congress instead of independent of Congress,” McKenzie said. The three branches of government are based off the separation of powers, McKenzie said, and having Congress elect the president conflicts that. The other option was to have a popular vote, McKenzie said. “Not many Constitutional Convention attendees were necessarily in favor of that,” McKenzie said. There were concerns over small states and lack of representation due to small populations, McKenzie said. Additionally, communication was lacking in the late 1700s, meaning it was difficult for people to get information about presidential nominees. “Obviously right now there wouldn’t be any problem with a direct election of the president if you wanted one,” McKenzie said, “access to information is easier and more speedily ready at our fingertips.” Kevin Banda, assistant professor in the Tech Department of Political Science, said, in terms of the presidential election, the electoral college
GRAPHIC BY MARIBEL TAVAREZ/Source: constitutioncenter.org
is all that matters. He said the electoral college does not make sense with a contemporary view of what democracy is. Additionally, Banda said the founders did not want people to vote and did not think about a popular vote
because it did not exist. “It is this weird, archaic system that almost never matters, but has mattered more recently because the partisan tilt of states is more visible now,” Banda said. @HannahIsomDT
POLITICS
State, national representatives up for election Nov. 3 By EMMA SIPPLE Copy Editor
In the Nov. 3 general election, there are a number of candidates up for reelection on the national level and state level. For United States Senators John Cornyn, a Republican, and Mary “MJ” Hegar, a Democrat, are on the ballot, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
U.S. House District 19 has Jodey Arrington, a Republican, is running against Tom Watson, a Democrat, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website. Republican Charles Perry is running for the Texas Senate District 28 seat, according to the website. For Texas House District 83, Democrat Addison PerryFranks is running against
Republican Dustin Burrows, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
John Frullo, a Republican,
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OCT. 8, 2020
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DIVERSITY
Experts discuss history of women in politics By EMILY STRENSKI Staff Writer
While the diversity in gender in politics has been increasing slowly, it’s still a bit of a struggle for women to launch a successful political campaign and hold an office. As of February 2019, only 24.3 percent of parliamentarians across the nation were made up of women. This number reflected an increase that started at 11.3 percent in 1995, according to UnWomen.org. Worldwide, only 27 States house less than 10 percent of female parliamentarians, and as of February 2019, three of those chambers don’t house women at all, according to the website. “The 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, and the organization and support of the bill in order to get it passed as a Constitutional Amendment was critical,” Political Science Professor, Frank Thames said. “There were states that allowed women to vote before that, but this was the first time there was a Constitutional Amendment requiring it.” The ratification of the 19th Amendment meant that women themselves could also run for office and be listed on voting ballots. “This was the first time that there would be a national ballot and a woman could be on it,” Thames said. “At the time, there were also restrictions placed on property and divorce for women and allowing women on the ballot and allowing them to hold office could change that. It was really a key moment for America.” As women made advancements on the ballots and toward offices, their viewpoints on political activities began to evolve. “Women used to be reliably conservative voters up until the late 1950s and 60s,” Thames said. “Now they tend to skew leftward, and that’s been true for a while. Things are definitely changing. Women used to have trouble getting elected in the United States, but now that seems to be less the case, though that’s relatively recent. 2016 and 1992 were big years for women in office.” Thames said that he believes young women seeing female politicians can be inspiring and can bring in
more voters and potential politicians. “We used to associate women with the leftward policies, but a lot of what women represent is what their constituency is from,” he said. “We don’t tend to think that gender really matters much in a political sense, but that women politicians do tend to push policies on women’s issues, as well as healthcare and childcare. I think that seeing a successful woman in a politician’s office will definitely spark some imagination and make an impact. By electing more women, you encourage more women to run.” When it comes to the man in politics, and to the woman in politics, stereotypes typically tend to run rampant, especially during elections. “I think the question is how many stereotypes still exist and how much they matter,” Thames said. “Recent research shows that the stereotypes that surround women don’t necessarily affect voting when it comes to female candidates as much as we thought. Women do still tend to win, and there’s no clear discrimination toward female candidates from voters. There’s this disjuncture where we know that there’s lots of stereotypes that votes have, but it’s not clear that affects their vote totals.” An example Thames used to make his point on stereotypes was Hillary Clinton. “She had lots of stereotypes that surrounded her political campaign, and yet she still won 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, and the only reason she lost was because of the electoral college,” he said. “It’s very complex to see how those stereotypes actually translate into voting outcomes.” On a more local scale, City Council Representative for District 6 Latrelle Joy said that even though the City Council is nonpartisan and don’t really label themselves as any party, some citizens wish they did. “When you look at the ballot, you won’t ever see any party,” Joy said. “The City of Lubbock has a charter, and it gives us our responsibilities and our duties, and what we can and can’t do. We are also subject to legislative action from time to time. For example,
they changed the percent that we could increase property taxes in a year. We are also subject to any orders the state legislature might have. Governor (Greg) Abbott has made numerous orders regarding the pandemic, and all of them are binding on the city.” The role of being a City Council member requires actions regarding policymaking and laws. “We don’t really oversee the day-to-day operations of the city,” Joy said. “We leave that up to the City Manager. There are three employees of the city that the City Council hires and fires. The City Manager is one. The City Attorney is in charge of legal, and the City Secretary is in charge of permits, elections, and taking records and minutes of meetings. We’re the policy makers, and so if some things come before us, we have the power to make changes.” Even though the City Council is strictly non-partisan, citizens of Lubbock would still like to see candidates’ parties listed on the ballots for voting purposes. “They want us to take a stand on a state issue, or just a personal issue,” Joy said. “However, we simply can’t always do that. We need to be true to the charter, which mandates that we maintain all ordinances necessary to protect life, health, and property. Those are our basic charges underneath the charter. We do those on a local level for the city of Lubbock. We cannot be in conflict with laws that have been passed by Texas Legislature.” Despite efforts to keep issues non-political, occasionally politics will get involved. “Sometimes it can be impossible to control political issues, and though it’s not appropriate, politics will try to get involved with local policies,” Joy said. “I’m elected, in my opinion, to do two things: one is to represent the citizens in my district, and the other is to do what’s in the best interest of all of the people in Lubbock, including Texas Tech students.” The representation of women on councils have begun to increase, the City Council of Lubbock currently only has two women serving as council members. “I’ve always hoped that people would vote for those who are most
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qualified for the position they’re running for,” Joy said. “What we’re finding now is that more women are actually qualified for those positions, and I don’t think the citizens in general are saying that they wouldn’t vote for a woman simply because she’s female.” Joy is also a lawyer and said that it’s never been her goal to be better than all the male lawyers in her field. “I became a lawyer to be the best lawyer in my field,” she said. “Not just the best female lawyer, but the best lawyer. I feel the same way about the City Council positions. I think it’s good that we have women on the council. I think we bring a different perspective to some of the issues we’re confronted with. I think seeing more women has become a very positive thing and has had a positive impact. It’s not just a good old boys’ club.” To anyone seeking office in the future, Joy provided some advice on how to run a successful campaign, and on how to run a successful term in office.
“Anyone wanting to be in an office position for the City of Lubbock should definitely educate themselves on the City of Lubbock,” she said. “They should get to know their city from all sorts of perspectives. Unfortunately, many of our citizens now don’t read the newspaper or listen to the radio. Sometimes the information they get in social media isn’t correct, so people need to be careful. They need to educate themselves and make sure they know the facts.” Joy went on to say that the City Council is an excellent source of education for those seeking office positions. “You can pick up the phone and call our office at any time, and the staff with connect us with you,” she said. “We will answer any questions, and we like to get out and see the community and see what’s going on. So, I think it’s important that if you’re seeking political office, or even if you’re not seeking political office, you still need to educate yourself.” @emilystrenskidt