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T h u r s d a y, O c t o b e r 2 7 , 2 0 1 6 | U s i s h i e l d . c o m | v o l . 4 7 i s s u e 1 1
CAMPUS HOLDS FINAL GOVERNOR’S DEBATE Candidates discuss social issues, health care
Photo by megan thorne | The Shield
Junior political science and economics double major, Rachel Johnson has a microphone put on her dress minutes before channel 14 News aired Midday with Mike Tuesday morning in the Performance Center. Johnson and Vergilio Paulino a junior political science and philosophy double major with a pre-law minor spoke about the election and talked about the advice they would give to the presidential candidates.
by riley guerzini news@usishield.com @Guerzwinski
The University Performance Center hosted the third and final gubernatorial debate Tuesday night. Libertarian candidate Rex Bell, Democratic candidate John Gregg and Republican candidate Eric Holcomb squared off in the final debate before voters go to the polls Nov. 8 to pick the next Indiana governor. The debate focused on health and social issues with the previous debates centering on Education and the Economy. The moderator for the debate, Mizell Stuart III, is a news executive with Gannett and the USA To-
day Network. He was an editor at the Evansville Courier & Press from 2007 to 2012. The debate began with Stewart and the candidates commending each other on the civility of the previous debates and the campaigns. It quickly delved into a policy debate as questions were taken from audience members on community health and social issues affecting the state. “My plan for Indiana is to get government out of the way,” Bell said. Bell, whose two children graduated from the university, said much of the social issues are up to society to change and not the government. Bell’s carried this same demeanor into his disapproval of Indiana’s decades-old ban on Sunday carryout
alcohol sales. “I’ve always maintained that anything that is legal on Saturday should be legal on Sunday,” he said. Bell’s opponent, John Gregg, holds a similar approach to government involvement on social issues. Gregg said he supports the legalization of medical marijuana and believes drug abusers should not be thrown in jail but be given rehabilitation treatment. Gregg said he identifies as a prolife democrat on a personal level, but will continue to support abortion laws and Planned Parenthood. “Our plan is based on what is best for Indiana, not ideology,” he said.
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Watch party draws 11 students by sarah rogers sgrogers@eagles.usi.edu
The university hosted a watch party for the final Indiana Gubernatorial debate in Carter Hall Tuesday night. Former house speaker John Gregg, R; Rex Bell, L; and Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, R were asked questions from the public regarding health and social issues. The debate covered a series of issues, including,the legalization of medical marijuana, how the candidate’s religion might play into their decision-making, the effectiveness of the needle exchange program and how the power of pardon should be used. All three candidates identified as Christians, but said they will respect all religions. All three candidates agreed it is not the government’s place to stand in between a mother and her doctor. However, not all the candidates agreed on the issue of buying alcohol on Sunday. Holcomb said people were capable of planning ahead to buy their alcohol before Sunday, while Bell said anything legal on Saturday should be legal on Sunday. Alex Logan, a junior environmental sciences major, said she has been following all the presidential and gubernatorial debates thus far. “I thought this debate was a good change in tone from the presidential debates,” Logan said. “All the candidates seemed to respect each other and they all did a nice job of answering the questions while staying on topic.” Logan was one of the eleven students that made it out to Carter Hall for the watch party. “Obviously, I would have liked to watch the actual debate in the performance center,” Logan said, “But the tickets were taken pretty quick. My environmental politics teacher told us we could still watch it in Carter Hall if we could not get a ticket.” Logan said she will be voting for Democrat John Gregg because she tends to lean more toward the liberal side. “I liked how much enthusiasm Gregg had about helping people,” Logan said, “I think that is really important as a leader in Indiana.”
SGA seeks new Indiana Secretary of State visits Chief Justice by riley guerzini news@usishield.com @Guerzwinski
The Student Government Association reviewed applications for a Chief Justice position and tabled resolutions to expand veteran representation. SGA president Ashley Wright said she received four applications so far for the Chief Justice position. Nov. 1 is the last day to apply for the position. Only two members of the university court will vote on the Chief Justice, because one of them is running for the position. The SGA General Assembly has nothing to do with the appointment of the Chief Justice. “I am normally not in those meeting, but since there are only two people, I have to be there,” Wright said. Wright said that if any ties were to occur, she would be responsible for breaking the tie. The former Chief Justice, Dion Taylor, stepped down from the position after he was accepted into
university to talk voting laws, importance
the police academy “He chose the police academy, which is perfectly fine and I’m actually really happy for him,” Wright said. The Chief Justice is voted based on whether or not they are able to meet the criteria of the Chief Justice, which are listed in the bylaws of SGA. Some of the qualifications include three semesters of coursework at the university, they must be enrolled in a minimum of six hours, and they must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. It is the duty of the President of SGA to check all the qualifications for the candidates and make sure they are eligible. Wright said the university court would look for a candidate that the associate justice position would want to work with. “It just depends mainly on the personality and of course the qualifications,” she said. Wright said the SGA is required in its bylaws to post applications for the position in several different locations.
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by riley guerzini news@usishield.com @Guerwinski
Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson visited the university Oct. 20 to speak to faculty, staff and students about updates on voting laws and the importance of voting. T h e Secretary of State is Lawson the Chief Elections Officer for the state, which means they ensure the integrity of all state elections by safeguarding against hackers and voter fraud. Lawson, who has served as Indiana Secretary of State since 2012, said she realizes that print ballots are a thing of the past and she only received about 50 print ballots in last year’s election. “Hoosiers have embraced the technology of online voter registration,” she said.
She said over 100,000 voters have registered online for the upcoming elections Nov. 8, including 52,250 people in a one-day period. Lawson said voter security is also an important issue facing Indiana voters. She referenced the Help America Vote Act , which reforms aspects of voting by budgeting billions of dollars to improve elections equipment and establish election standards. The election equipment is tested by the Voting System Technical Oversight Program , which is a nonpartisan organization based at Ball State University. The VSTOP team advises the Indiana Secretary of State and the Indiana Election Commission on the certification of voting machines and electronic poll books in Indiana. “I think it was really good to hear, especially on the security of our voting machines that those have been audited and Indiana is one of the top states in terms
of our security,” president of the Master of Public Administration Society Travis Dickison said. The voting machines are not online, but connected to each other. “I thought it was really interesting that they’re not connected to the internet,” he said. “I always assumed that it was all connected and so it was really nice to know the security of all that.” Lawson said there has been a problem with online voter registrations as first names and birth dates of voters were changed without their knowledge. She said that she has told voters that it is her top priority to make sure they are still eligible to vote on election day. “As Indiana’s Chief Elections Officer, I have a duty to ensure these voters are not disenfranchised because they think they are no longer registered,” she said. Lawson said the case is currently in the hands of the state police. “With these facts in mind,
for anyone to suggest I am playing politics with voter registration is absurd,” she said. Lawson also stressed the importance voting makes in the state and the country. She told a story about the Harry Burns, a Tennessee state legislator who changed his vote that led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in the United States. “If you look at the lower ballot races, if you don’t go out and vote for your congressman, that congressman is going to vote on a law and that law will have an impact on you later on,” Dickison said. “You might not realize it, but there’s going to be a law that affects you later on or a tax that will be increased or some sort of benefit that you will stop receiving that people don’t think about in the long term, but if you consider that this stuff happens then you can appreciate how one vote is really important.”
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