Daily Forty-Niner, September 21, 2020

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Vol. LXXII, Issue 5

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Monday, September 21, 2020

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Letter from the editors:

Dear POC, please vote White people are more likely to vote than people of color and it is time to change that.

By Peter Villafane & Giselle Ormeno Special Projects desk

P

redictions say that the 2020 election could have record-breaking turnouts and “the most diverse electorate in American history,” according to the Atlantic.

So, let’s break records.

President Donald J. Trump’s 2016 victory was driven by white voters. White people took up 74% of the 2016 electorate, according to Pew Research Center.

White people do not make up 74% of the American population and therefore should not be the majority of voters electing people into office.

Votes should reflect the needs and perspectives of every American, not just the few who go to the polls.

We should not continue to allow dominant groups to decide our futures for us.

We can no longer cannot assume that these groups want the same things for this country as we do.

Marginalized groups have had to fight for the right to vote. Even after suffrage was granted, voter suppression historically kept Black Americans from exercising their right to vote.

These predecessors’ votes were not considered valuable. They were not given a say.

It is now up to their descendants to honor their struggle.

Voting is an investment in your future.

The policies enacted by elected officials will affect young people for the rest of their lives and it is important to empower ourselves and play a direct role in our democracy.

No matter how disillusioned people of color feel from the government, it is still important to vote. If you hate your officials, this is your chance to create change.

If you hate the people in power, take their power away.

Pew Research Center found that the number of millennials eligible to vote is on the rise, and that one out of 10 eligible voters this November will be from Generation Z. These voters, according to Pew Research Center, are more diverse than the baby boomer generation.

Generation Z accurately represents the diversity of the nation, so it is imperative for them to vote.

Not only are we representing ourselves when we vote, but we are also representing those who cannot vote, including non-citizens and undocumented individuals.

Do not waste the privilege you’ve been given because those who disagree with you definitely do not waste theirs.

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SPECIAL ISSUE 3

Voting rights throughout American history

By Xochilt Andrade The first election took place in 1788 and only white, land owning men were allowed to participate. Over 200 years later, although the right to vote has come a long way, there is still room to grow. As Election Day draws near, here is a brief timeline of voting rights throughout the history of the United States.

1776 America is established as an independent country and land-owning white men 21 and over are allowed to vote.

1790

1868

In 1790, the Naturalization Act went into effect, which permitted free, white men born outside the country to acquire U.S. citizenship and the right to vote. Native Americans, African Americans and women remain unable to vote.

The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution passes, granting full citizenship rights to all men born and naturalized in the United States. This excludes men of color and women.

1869 1870 The 15th Amendment is passed, prohibiting both state and federal governments from denying a citizen their right to vote based on the color of their skin, race or history of being a slave.

However, voting disenfranchisement continues in an effort to exclude people of color through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests and capricious registration requirements that were nothing short of unnecessary hoops to jump through.

These tactics were meant to target people of color, particularly African American voters. Most African Americans and some poor whites were unable to afford the taxes and oftentimes failed the unnecessarily difficult and timed literacy tests that required complete accuracy.

The National Woman Suffrage Association is founded by Susan B. Anthony as she begins her fight to grant women the right to vote.

1920 Fifty-one years after Susan B. Anthony began her fight, women were granted the right to vote under the 19th Amendment. Not all women are included in this amendment, as African American and Native American women are still denied their right to vote at the polls.

1924 Native Americans were granted the right to vote through the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. However, they won’t gain suffrage in all U.S. states until 1962 with Utah being the last state to guarantee them full voting rights.

1964 The federal Civil Rights Act was passed, prohibiting the discrimination of individuals based on the color of their skin, race, religion, sex or their national origin. In addition, the 24th Amendment is ratified, eliminating poll taxes nationwide.

1965 The federal Voting Rights Act was passed, giving women of color the right vote 45 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment. This act allowed Native American, Hispanic and African American women to finally cast their ballots, as well as prohibiting the use of literacy tests.

1975

1971 The voting age is lowered to 18 with the passage of the 26th Amendment.

The federal Voting Rights Act is renewed and permanently bans the use of literacy tests. Section 203 is added to the act, which required the help of translation in areas with a high density of voters limited in English-speaking skills.

1984 Federal Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act is passed, requiring polling locations to be accessible by all.

2000 In compliance to the 1975 Voting Rights Act, voting material must be translated in locations that house a high density of non-English speakers.

4 SPECIAL ISSUE

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What’s on the

By Xochil

Presidential candidates THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY

Presidential Candidate: Jo Jorgensen

Vice Presidential Candidate: Spike Cohen

The Libertarian Party’s focus is to provide the individual more liberal freedoms with less government involvement and censorship. The party’s stance is more laissez-faire in terms of governing, and focuses on the citizen’s right to freedom.

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Presidential Candidate: Joe Biden

Vice Presidential Candidate: Kamala Harris

The Democratic Party’s platform focus is pushing for universal healthcare, background checks before the sale of firearms and cleaner air provisions to fight against climate change. The Democratic Party seeks to impose more taxes on the wealthy and promote equal rights.

THE GREEN PARTY

Presidential Candidate: Howie Hawkins

Vice Presidential Candidate: Angela Nicole Walker

According to its website, the Green Party’s main focus is on working to establish a society that places environmental justice as one of its core focuses. The “four pillars” the Party aligns itself with are peace, ecology, social justice and democracy and supports the Green New Deal.

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

Presidential Candidate: Donald Trump

Vice Presidential Candidate: Mike Pence

The Republican Party focuses on stronger border security, the right for gun ownership, and support for the use of natural fuels such as coal and oil. The Republican Party tends to lean towards minimal government involvement and, in cases such as health care, prefer a free-market system over a universal health care system.

Long Beach Ballot Measure “US”

Long Beach community services general purpose oil production tax increase measure (Barrel Tax) A “yes” vote would make an amendment to the Long Beach Municipal Code and increase the city’s barrel tax from 15 cents per barrel to 30 cents.

A “no” vote would maintain the current cost of the barrel tax at 15 cents.

District 2

District 6

District 8

The second district of Long Beach represents 51,218 residents.

The sixth district of Long Beach represents 49,444 residents.

The eight district of Long Beach represents 53,009.

Challenger: Cindy Allen Cindy Allen, a local resident of Long Beach, said her top priorities are to address problems in the police department, increase accessibility of coronavirus testing and create housing for all.

Incumbent: Dee Andrews Vice Mayor Dee Andrews said in his statement that he promises to expand coronavirus testing, stimulate the local economy by supporting small businesses and develop new policies to benefit the community.

Incumbent: Al Austin II Al Austin II said he promises to invest $45 million of the city’s budget back into the community, provide emergency economic assistance to those struggling with rent and grow school programs for youth.

Challenger: Suely Saro Suely Saro said she plans to help grow local business, address health hazards across the city and manage the city’s budget in a more equitable way.

Challenger: Tunua Thrash-Ntuk Tunua Thrash-Ntuk said she plans to address homelessness, stimulate the local economy and tackle inequality in neighborhoods throughout the district.

Challenger: Robert Fox Robert Fox said he plans to increase transparency between city hall and Long Beach residents, fight special interest groups and tackle homelessness.

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SPECIAL ISSUE 5

e 2020 ballot?

lt Andrade

Propositions Proposition 14: Stem Cell Research Institute Bond Initiative Subject: Bonds A “yes” vote supports the financial backing of $5.5 billion in bonds to the State Stem Cell Research Institute in order to make changes in terms of command structure and programs.

A “no” vote opposes this financial backing of the State Stem Cell Research Institute, which received and exhausted funds acquired in 2019 from Proposition 71, originally voted for in 2004.

Proposition 20: Criminal Sentencing, Parole and DNA Collection Initiative Subject: Law Enforcement A “yes” vote supports adding crimes to the list of felonies. This would make specific types of theft and fraud crimes to be chargeable as misdemeanors or felonies instead of only as misdemeanors.

A “no” vote opposes adding more crimes to the list of felonies.

Proposition 15: Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative Subject: Taxes A “yes” vote supports the requirement of commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their market value over their purchase price.

A “no” vote opposes this modification and thus will continue to tax commercial and industrial properties based on their purchase price.

Proposition 21: Local Rent Control Initiative Subject: Housing A “yes” vote supports local governments to enact rent control on housing that was first occupied 15 years ago.

This provides an exception to landlords with no more than two homes with distinct titles like “single family unit.”

A “no” vote opposes this initiative and would thus continue to prohibit rent control in housing that was occupied 15 years ago and single-family homes.

Proposition 16: Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment Subject: Affirmative Action A “yes” vote supports the removal of Proposition 209, originally on the ballot in 1996, which prohibited government and public institutions from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to people of color, race, sex or national origin in public employment, public education and public contracting. This would make affirmative action legal.

A “no” vote opposes the removal of Proposition 209 and would keep the proposition in place. Government and public institutions would continue to be prohibited from discriminating or granting preferential treatment to people of color, race, sex or national origin in public employment, public education and public contracting.

Proposition 17: Voting Rights Restoration for Persons on Parole Amendment Subject: Suffrage A “yes” vote supports this constitutional amendment, which would restore the right to vote to people on parole who were convicted of felonies.

A “no” vote opposes this constitutional amendment, and would continue to prevent people on parole who were convicted of felonies from voting.

Proposition 18: Primary Voting for 17 Year Olds Amendment Subject: Suffrage A “yes” vote supports the amendment to allow 17 yearolds, who will be 18 during the next presidential election, to vote in primaries.

A “no” vote opposes the amendment, and would continue to prohibit 17 year olds, who will be 18 during the next presidential election, to vote in primaries.

Proposition 19: The Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties Amendment Subject: Taxes A “yes” vote supports the permission of homeowners who are older than 55, severely disabled or whose homes were destroyed by fires or disaster to transfer their property tax base value to another residence of any value. This would allow these individuals to pay the same amount of taxes in an even more expensive home.

A “no” vote opposes this property tax break and will continue to have homeowners who are older than 55, severely disabled or whose homes were destroyed by fires or disaster to transfer their property tax base value to a residence of equal or lower value.

Proposition 22: App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative Subject: Business A “yes” vote supports this initiative and would consider app-based drivers, like Uber, Lyft and Postmates, as independent contractors and enact labor policies related to their app-based companies.

A “no” vote opposes this initiative and would have California Assembly Bill 5, voted for in 2019, decide whether an app-based driver is an employee or an independent contractor.

Proposition 23: Dialysis Clinic Requirements Initiative Subject: Healthcare A “yes” vote supports the initiative to require dialysis clinics to have an on-site physician present while patients are being treated, as well as data of infections reported and state health department consent before closing a clinic. The initiative will also prevent clinics to discriminate against a patient based upon their method of paying for care.

A “no” vote opposes this initiative and would allow dialysis clinics to operate without these regulations put in place.

Proposition 24: Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency Initiative Subject: Business A “yes” vote supports the expansion of California’s consumer data privacy laws including modifications to prevent direct businesses from sharing their consumers’ personal information. A “yes” vote would also support the creation of the Privacy Protection Agency to enforce consumer data privacy laws.

A “no” vote opposes the expansion of consumer data privacy laws and opposes the creation of the Privacy Protection Agency.

Proposition 25: Replace Cash Bail with Risk Assessments Referendum Subject: Trials A “yes” vote supports the replacement of cash bails with risk assessment instead for detained suspects awaiting trials.

A “no” vote opposes this replacement and would maintain the use of cash bail for detained suspects awaiting trials.

6 SPECIAL ISSUE

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SPECIAL ISSUE 7

COVID-19 to impact voter turnout

By Peter Villafane Special Projects Editor

B

efore the coronavirus pandemic, projections showed record-breaking turnouts for the 2020 election, but health and safety guide-

lines may cause voter turnout to fall short, according to Long Beach State political science professor Matthew Mendez Garcia.

“We’re even less certain or less sure about what the electorate will look like because of the greater potential for disruptions to voting,” Garcia said.

Garcia outlined two reasons why predictions initially showed high voter turnout.

The first was Democrats’ unity in their “an-

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tipathy” for President Donald J. Trump.

“They are mobilized because of their opposition to him and his policies and his behavior,” Garcia said. “And that has animated different segments of the party.”

Republicans, on the other hand, are highly motivated by their “intense loyalty” to vote for Trump, according to Garcia.

Political science professor Matt Lesenyie said the public’s concern about staying quarantined may decrease turnout. As a result, there has been more attention on mail-in and absentee balloting this election than there has been in the past.

It is likely that many voters mailing in their ballots will be doing it for the first time.

There is also the option now to track a ballot online, which may be a comfort to voters mailing in their ballots.

According to Lesenyie, voters tend to come out more during presidential elections because they feel more agency in voting for the president than during the primaries.

“People are most likely to flex their muscle because it’s a presidential ticket,” Lesenyie said. “Forget who’s on the ballot.”

Aside from coronavirus-related concerns, the main issue voters have in mind, Garcia said, is Donald Trump, not just his policies and actions as president, but as a person.

People who did not vote in 2016 tended to be younger, democratic-leaning voters and people of color. Garcia said this partially had to do with voters feeling disillusioned by the party after two terms of the Obama administration and a lack of enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton.

As opposed to the 2016 election, Lesenyie said, voters this election season are more likely to have chosen a side when it comes to Trump’s divisiveness.

“Pretty much everybody has their mind made up on Trump,” Lesenyie said. “I mean, there aren’t that many undecided voters left.”

Lesenyie said a possible change to the electorate this year will come from voters motivated by current events.

“What I would expect is that the Black Lives Matter reinvigoration, or the heightened salience of unlawful killings, will probably bring younger voters into Biden’s coalition,” Lesenyie said. “So if there was a change from 2016, I would expect the same racial and ethnic characteristics, but probably a slightly younger average age, largely pertaining to the coalescing of Bernie supporters into Biden’s camp.”

Fourth-year religious studies major Jose Espinoza said it is important for young Americans to go out and vote.

“It’s important that this young generation gets involved in the election process because we have an opportunity to make an impact in our communities and in our country in general,” Espinoza said. “It doesn’t matter what your political affiliation is. What really matters is that you go out and vote because if we don’t go out and vote will not see change.”

A naturalized citizen, Espinoza’s first opportunity to vote was in the 2016 election, something he said made him happy because he felt he was making a big impact on the country. He said he thinks Americans should be thankful for the opportunity to vote, especially since many people in other countries do not have the right to vote.

“As a college student, I vote because I care about the issues that are important to me such as social issues like abortion, the Second Amendment and religious freedom,” Espinoza said. “There is no excuse why you shouldn’t go out and vote.”

“People are most likely to flex their muscle because it’s a presidential ticket...

Forget who’s on the ballot.”

- Matt Lesenyie

Political science professor

8 SPECIAL ISSUE

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OPINION

Why I’m not ridin’ with Biden

By Ryan Mardon Contributor

T

hroughout the Democratic presidential primaries, I saw former Vice President Joe Biden as the lesser of evils among all of the possible candidates who actually had a chance of securing the nomination.

Now that Joe Biden is officially the Democratic presidential nominee, and after seeing him on the campaign trail this year, I simply cannot bring myself to join the Biden camp. My main concerns for a potential President Biden are his cognitive ability, his inability to stand up to the radical left and his ever-changing stances on issues.

At 77 years old, Biden would be the oldest elected president in history. If elected, Biden will be the same age starting his first term in office that President Reagan was when he left office. Whether it be dementia or some other mental impairment, I do not believe that Biden has the cognitive ability to lead the most powerful nation in the world or be tough on countries such as China, Iran and Russia.

His cognitive decline is evident in the multiple gaffes he commits almost on the daily, ranging from not speaking in complete sentences to stating facts that just simply are not true. When Biden was questioned about being the oldest president in American history if elected, Biden miraculously responded with “What about Winston Churchill?”

While, in all fairness, Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during and post World War II, are we really supposed to vote for someone who thinks there was a President Churchill in the United States?

Biden has also somehow managed to incorrectly state that over 120 million people, as well as 6,000 members of the armed forces, have died from COVID-19. He also said during a Democratic debate that he had the support of the only Black female ever elected to the senate, referring to former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, while Senator Kamala Harris, the second Black female elected to the senate, stood next to him on the debate stage.

Perhaps most shocking, Biden also claimed during a radio interview that if you don’t vote for him then “you ain’t Black.”

While I will give Biden the benefit of the doubt that he might have simply misspoken, it gets worse when he tries to formulate complete sentences. When talking about COVID-19, Biden said “COVID has taken this year, just since the outbreak, has taken more than 100 years. Look, the lives, when you think about it, more lives this year than any other year for the past 100 years.”

Additionally, when attempting to recite the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, Biden said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.” It is pretty alarming when a candidate for president refers to the Declaration of Independence, one of the founding documents of our country as “the thing.”

The most frustrating thing about Biden’s cognitive ability is that it appears his campaign team and wife are aware of his struggles, yet continue to push for him to be elected President. This is why they want him to stay in his basement and give safe speeches via teleprompter.

On top of the concern for Biden’s cognitive ability is his inability to stand up for what he truly believes and instead pander to the radical left.

On one hand, we have Jill Biden stating that Biden is a moderate, and on the other we have Biden unveiling his $2 trillion Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-backed Green New Deal, and Senator Bernie Sanders stating how Biden could possibly be the most progressive candidate since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

This also begs the question of what exactly does Biden believe? He doesn’t seem to have his own values, rather he just reiterates what farleft politicians, such as Sanders and Cortez, tell him to say, possibly in a ploy to merely secure the vote of the far left.

This also leads me to my fear of Biden merely being a puppet for these far-left politicians to gain power. Biden himself has even said that he is a “transition candidate to bring the Mayor Petes of the world into this administration.”

I truly believe that, if elected in November, President Biden will either eventually step down and let Senator Kamala Harris assume the presidency, or remain a figurehead and let Harris and other politicians call the shots and run the show.

Recently, Senator Harris herself accidentally referred to a potential Biden administration as a “Harris administration, together with Joe Biden as the president of the United States.”

Joe Biden’s record is also something to be taken into account. Biden has been in office for 47 years, yet he blames the current administration for the problems of the world. He ran for president unsuccessfully in 1988 and 2008.

If Biden was already unsuccessful in his bid for the presidency twice and has been in office for 47 years, why should we believe he’s suddenly the solution to all the problems we face in present-day America?

He has also flip-flopped on many issues, including same-sex marriage. He voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, but later supported same-sex marriage. On issues of national security, he voted for the Secure Fence Act in 2006 for 700 miles of new border fencing, yet has criticized the construction of the current border wall and said there will not be another foot built under his administration.

Most recently, he spoke in Pittsburgh, denying that he ever said he would ban fracking, when he stated multiple times during debates that he would not allow any new fracking and that he would “work it out.”

Biden’s reversal of his views while speaking in Pennsylvania, a state with a large number of fracking jobs, displays his constant pandering to whichever audience is present in order to secure the vote. In this case, he does not want to make it seem like he will cause job loss in Pennsylvania due to his crackdown on fracking.

Another time Biden reversed his stance is when he criticized Trump’s travel ban on China but later applauded the decision. While it is not clear if Biden was explicitly referring to the ban as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, he did criticize the president’s response as xenophobic.

Biden also flip-flopped on whether or not he took a cognitive test and if he would instate a national mask mandate.

While I will not be ridin’ with Biden this November, I still would like to extend an olive branch. I truly believe Biden is a good person and a respectable man who has dedicated his life to serving this country in office.

Come Nov. 3, the citizens of the United States will cast their votes to decide whether to re-elect President Donald J. Trump or elect Joe Biden.

If Joe Biden is elected the 46th President of the United States, I will still respect him and hope for his success, despite not voting for him, as I believe all Americans should do when the candidate they did not support wins an election.

SPECIAL ISSUE 9

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OPINION

It’s time we vote Trump out of office

By Kelli Nakamura Contributior

O

n Nov. 9, 2016, I woke up to the grim reality that Donald J. Trump had been elected as the 45th president of the United States. Like many others, I naively believed that Trump had no chance of winning the presidency.

My hopes were blown to smithereens the moment that I glanced at the newspaper that fateful November morning.

Nearly four years later, I have watched as Trump appointed Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions, two white supremacists, to prominent positions of power, denied the existential threat of climate change, called neo-Nazis “very fine people” and spewed hatred from his Twitter account.

I have watched Trump work to undermine the postal service, ban travel from several Muslim majority countries and attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump has worked to silence Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for presenting information that counters his claims. I have watched as America’s darkest aspects—xenophobia, bigotry and ultra-nationalism—have been uncloaked.

It should be noted that bigotry in America has existed long before the election of Trump.

The United States was built upon land stolen from the First Peoples through the exploitation of labor from enslaved Africans. I should also mention that Long Beach State was constructed upon Puvungna, a sacred site for several indigenous tribes, including the Gabrielino-Tongva people.

Trump is a symptom, rather than a cause, of America’s failings. However, Trump has tapped into the country’s worst tendencies and profited politically at the expense of marginalized communities.

As an Asian-American female, I have heard Trump call the coronavirus “the Chinese virus” and “kung flu” at several press briefings. In doing so, he is assigning the virus to a certain ethnicity, meaning that my face is now what his supporters perceive to be the “face of the enemy.”

Prior to the president’s words, there has been a history of anti-Asian bigotry in the United States. In the mid-to-late 19th century, there was an influx of Chinese laborers who were paid significantly less than their white counterparts but were continuously accused of stealing American jobs.

This led to widespread violence against Chinese individuals, and, at the time, state laws prohibited Asian individuals from testifying against white people. As a result, few perpetrators of anti-Asian hate crimes faced punishment for their actions.

After the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066.

As a result, 120,000 individuals of Japanese descent, two thirds of whom were American citizens, were unjustly sent to

prison camps behind barbed wire.

Today, the president’s racist rhetoric encourages white supremacists to attack individuals of Asian descent. Individuals from 32 states have filed over 1000 reports of hate crimes to the Stop-AAPIHate website since his election.

These incidents include harassment, discrimination in the workplace, assault and refusal of service at establishments, including an instance in which, several individuals in Brooklyn set an 89-yearold woman on fire. This incident in New York City is not a statistical anomaly, but, rather, it reflects the rising tide of bigotry resulting from “Trumpism.”

I worry for my safety and that of my loved ones.

However, despite America’s numerous failings, I still believe in my country.

There have always been individuals who have refused to accept the status quo.

Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas, among others, worked to dismantle the dehumanizing institution of chattel slavery. Fred Korematsu challenged the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which unjustly imprisoned 120,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry living in the United States.

Dolores Huerta and César Chávez led a multi-ethnic coalition of members of the Latinx and Filipinx communities to protest brutal labor conditions. Black Americans are still leading a movement to end police brutality and systemic racism.

This summer, I began phone banking for Felicia French and Coral Evans, two candidates running for Arizona Legislative District Six. I was fortunate to interact with a community of diligent and determined phone bankers dedicated to flipping the Arizona state legislature blue. These courageous individuals have reminded me that we are not powerless against the tide of bigotry and hatred unleashed by Trump.

If we choose so, we can make government work for the many, not the few.

However, if we truly want America to live up to its ideals of liberty and freedom for all, we must first turn out and vote for Joe Biden this coming November. Admittedly, Biden was not my first choice. Ideologically, I am to the left of him. However, Biden is far more likely to take the country in the direction that I want.

Biden’s platform includes a clear plan to address the coronavirus pandemic, such as expanding access to testing, ensuring that frontline workers receive personal protective equipment and providing guaranteed sick leave for infected workers to receive an income.

He also plans to implement consistent national standards regarding the reopening of schools based on infection rates in local communities. This is a significant shift from the disastrous policies enacted by the Trump administration, which have repeatedly demonstrated a lack of regard for human life and dignity.

In comparison, Biden, a six-term U.S. Senator, is more than capable of meeting the moment and providing us with a vision forward.

For the sake of your country, I strongly urge you to turn out and vote for Joe Biden on Nov. 3.

10 SPECIAL ISSUE OPINION

Trump? Biden?

None of the above.

Why voting won’t change the status quo.

By Amber Ottosen Contributor

W

hen it comes to voting, many people see it as a way to use your voice, partake in democracy, do your civil duty and

make a difference.

To classical liberals, it is simply a way to keep people at bay while the government commits acts of injustice daily.

Really, it is a way for people to force their beliefs on others, using the coercive tactics of the government.

Many will say that not voting, or voting for someone who has no chance of winning, is a vote for the worse of two evils.

However, even if both candidates are “good,” the act of voting itself is immoral.

It is essentially asking the government to force others to live a certain way because apparently the voter knows what’s best for everyone else.

People shame others for not voting because “people died for your right to vote” and “it’s your civil duty to the country you live in,” but when you tell them who you voted for, they berate you, accuse you of being morally inept and an idiot and blame you for the state the country is in.

It is a lose-lose situation.

When it comes to election season, we should make our voting choices according to our conscience and not simply vote for who our peers, family, teachers and the media are pressuring us to vote for.

In fact, choosing to not vote in the face of criticism might even be more “American” than following the crowd and casting a vote because it is taking the path you want, rather than the one others are pushing you toward.

It is resistance against the system—rebellion in the name of individual choice.

This upcoming election is an example of how voting doesn’t inherently lead to a positive result. Most people would say that neither candidate is qualified to be the leader of the most powerful country on the planet, yet most are not doing anything about it.

They simply vote for the lesser of two evils and feel good that they did their part to prevent the really awful candidate from being elected. They keep playing the game in hopes of things not getting too bad.

But if you wait until things get “too bad,” it is too late.

I am against voting because I don’t want you to have to live by what I think is best for you, because I don’t know you.

I don’t want you to tell others what to do either, or to vote for someone else to do it.

People should be able to do what they please, as long as it doesn’t forcibly infringe on the ability of others to live freely. Just like animal activists protest against keeping animals in captivity, we protest against keeping humans in the coercive bonds of the will of others.

Voting also normalizes ideas that allow an oppressive system to take hold. One of these ideas is that the president has and should have the power to change the fabric of the country with the stroke of a pen.

The saying goes, “if it matters that much who becomes president, then the president has too much power”.

Unfortunately, those in Washington, D.C., have a major impact on every aspect of life here in California. People cannot exist without the overbearing hand of others, who don’t even know them, interfering in their lives. We have no control over this, because whether a Democrat or Republican wins, they will simply execute their version of the more-government-control plan.

Voting quite literally gives the power to those in office to rule over us.

With power comes responsibility, so not only is power given, but so is responsibility. Consciously or subconsciously, when we support the voting system, we are taking on less responsibility for the condition our country is in.

Too many people vote just one day every four years then complain about those in charge for the other 1,460 days, without doing much to make things better themselves.

They blame the president, the opposing political party, the person they argue with on FaceBook, immigrants, white people—virtually everyone else but themselves. Although the government is doing real things that harm and oppress us, focusing on what we can do ourselves is key.

Taking ownership is empowering. Voting shifts power and responsibility away from citizens and instead toward those who make the rules and take our money.

Activists can holler at me all they want, but I will not partake in a system that strips people’s money, family, choices, freedom and life away from them every day, for the illusion that I am actually making a difference or doing my “civil duty.”

If you keep playing the game, the game will go on. This game of complaining about the smaller issues, ignoring the bigger picture and acting as if voting will actually change things is one that will lead nowhere. No innovation comes out of it, no higher standard of living, no relief from poverty, no freedom.

The only way to change the game is to get more people to realize that the system itself is flawed and to stop supporting it by participating in the endless cycle of government oppression. We as Americans need to take control by ignoring unjust laws and protecting each other when they come after those that do.

We need to get to know our neighbors and focus on creating great communities rather than worrying about what people in another state are doing. We need to stop playing the race game because skin color doesn’t make someone more or less valuable. We should treat people based on their actions and merit, not in things they can’t control.

This fall, it doesn’t matter which of the two candidates become president, what their intentions are, or if they’ve performed horrible actions in their personal lives. The outcome is still the same.

America will continue playing this same game that robs us daily of our potential and blame it on the other boot, while the one they voted for is stomping on our throats until the next one does the same in the next four or eight years.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM

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SPECIAL ISSUE 13

OPINION

It’s not about Joe or Donald

By Bella Arnold Contributor

U

nlike Vice President Mike Pence at any press conference ever, I am going to give you a straightforward answer.

Your vote matters. Especially now, with President Donald J. Trump’s attempts to defund the United States Postal Service and suppress voters casting their ballots by mail. The 2016 election shocked us and this rollercoaster of delegates and emotions caused American voters to wonder “does my vote matter?”

First, let’s demystify the shitstorm that is the electoral college.

A 2018 Time magazine article explained that the Electoral College was first established by the Framers of the Constitution who first implemented it in the hopes of accurately selecting a president based on the choice of the people.

When I put myself in their ugly shoes and crusty powdered wigs, though, I can understand the allure of the Electoral College.

At the time, Electoral College enthusiasts worried that a win based on the popular vote would give larger states more voting power than the less-populated states, which was a valid fear.

Another thing important to note is the absence of the two-party system at this point in history. It wasn’t until decades later that the two-party system emerged.

The idea of the Electoral College doesn’t even bother me, truth be told. My feelings about the Electoral College are like my feelings about low-rise jeans: good in theory, but a colossal disaster in practice. However, we have evolved as a country and as voters, and it’s time to get rid of the Electoral College.

This can only be done if we vote for representatives and administrators who will advocate for this desire.

Grab your tissues and take a deep breath. We are going to travel back to the 2016 election.

The 2016 election was a prime example of voters being forced to choose a candidate that they believed to be the lesser of two evils, instead of a candidate they were enthusiastic about. Regardless, Hilary Clinton’s supporters thought that she had grabbed the presidency like Trump had grabbed… well, you know the rest. The winner of the popular

Illustration by CHARLIE CRESPO vote had not won the Electoral College.

This failure can be attributed to a number of things, the first being the massive amount of write-in votes. A message to everyone who wrote in “Harambe” in 2016: I hope you’re happy now.

Next is the lack of unity among the Democratic Party. The lack of

support for our Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, caused many voters to avoid the polling stations on election night and, as a result, most swing states swung in favor of Trump. Most of all, we can thank the Electoral College for this.

Trump lost the popular vote by nearly three million votes, but

since he was the first candidate to reach 270 electoral votes, he was elected as the 45th president of the United States of America.

American voters had finally been slapped by Uncle Sam and felt like their votes didn’t matter.

This sent America into a spiral of protests advocating for recounts and the dismantling

of the Electoral College. In fact, according to a CNN article, Senator Barbara Boxer introduced a bill calling for a constitutional amendment that would effectively end the Electoral College not even a week after the 2016 election.

Now that you know why people hate voting, let’s discuss why it is not only a privilege to vote, but our duty. Especially now.

This election isn’t about Donald Trump or Joe Biden. This is a fight for our democracy and for our planet.

Voting is a privilege that not all Americans are entitled to.

Women and minorities have been fighting for the right to vote since the creation of our Constitution.

Yes, women can vote now, and we’ve gotten rid of literacy tests, but that does not mean that the issue has disappeared.

Voter suppression is a problem that plagues our voting booths and negates the very idea of a “fair and free election.” It comes in the form of extreme vetting, racial gerrymandering, voter ID laws and more.

Now is not the time to turn our noses up at the chance to make our voices heard. It is our responsibility to vote for those who are being silenced.

Various propositions, state assembly elections and local representatives are also featured on your November ballot. While the presidential race is detrimental, local government is just as important.

The only way we can save ourselves from our impending authoritarian doom is to vote.

I’d be lying if I said that the Biden-Harris ticket didn’t give me stress pimples, because it does. As appealing as writing in “Bernie <3” sounds, any vote that is not for the Democratic Party this November is a vote that advocates for the separation of families at the border, COVID-19 conspiracies and white supremacy.

Yes, you could argue that our votes don’t actually matter in the name of electoral colleges, California politics and two-party systems, oh my. However, we cannot afford to pledge neutrality in the face of a dictatorship.

Our best weapons in defending ourselves and our democracy are our ballots.

Remember to send your ballots two weeks early, by Oct. 20, do your research and vote like your life depends on it. Because it

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SPECIAL ISSUE 15

Photos by JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

About 100 mourners stand on the steps in front of the Gov. George Deukmejian Courthouse in Downtown Long Beach to pay tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Remembering Ruth Long Beach residents remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg at a vigil outside the Gov. George Deukmejian Courthouse on Saturday.

By Madalyn Amato Editor in chief

M

ourners gathered on the steps of the Gov. George Deukmejian Courthouse in Downtown Long Beach Saturday evening to pay their respects to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

About 100 people participated in the candlelit vigil in remembrance of Ginsburg, who died Friday at 87.

Marie Cartier, professor of women and gender studies at California State University Northridge, came to participate in Long Beach’s vigil to pay tribute to one of her heroes.

“I’m out here because I believe in America, I believe in the American experiment and I feel like it’s in danger,” Cartier said. “Without her, without Hillary Clinton and the entire feminist movement…[we] don’t get to be here, the way we are, right now.”

The group began the vigil with a prayer, known as a Kaddish in Hebrew, for Ginsburg.

Naida Tushnet, mother of a former Ginsburg staffer, said that without the justice, her grandchildren wouldn’t have been born. Tushnet

said that her daughter and son-inlaw both worked for Ginsburg and that the justice encouraged them to get together.

“When I see my grandkids, I want this world for them because she would want this world for them,” Tushnet said.

Mourners took turns expressing what Ginsburg meant to them and how her legacy impacted their lives.

James Dowding, teacher of global logistics and entrepreneurship at Cabrillo High School, called for those in attendance to “take action,” just as he tells his students everyday, he said.

“This is what I tell these 13 year olds when I see their faces, they need to be part of the future,” Dowding said. “Take what you’re hearing, spread it to the people that you know. Let’s take some action.”

Finally able to marry after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of samesex marriage, Michele Patterson and Constance Jackson recalled when they were able to meet the Justice Ginsburg and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, both proponents of equality.

“I felt honored that I got to be in her presence,” Patterson said about Ginsburg. “She will be missed, but she did what we needed her to do.

Now she’s passing the baton to all of us.”

A mourner (above) pays tribute to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Mourners leave behind signs and flowers (below) as part of a memorial.