Issuu

Trump hopes to reclaim Oval Oﬃce after 2020 loss to Biden

“MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”

Donald Trump Former President of the U.S. Republican candidate for President

1. On the Economy “End inﬂation, and make America affordable again”

2. On Labor: “Stop outsourcing, and turn the United States into a manufacturing superpower”

3. On Healthcare: “Fight for and protect Social Security and Medicare with no cuts, including no change to the retirement age

4. On Foreign Policy: “Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders”

5. On the Military: “Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world”

DAKOTA OSWALT News Editor | @doswalt_NWMSRN

Former President Donald Trump announced he was once again running for president Nov. 15, 2022.

Trump squared oﬀ against his primary opponent, Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris, at the presidential debate Sept. 10 to share his views. The candidates had two minutes to answer questions, two minutes to make rebuttals and an additional minute for follow-ups, clariﬁcations or responses.

The top issue for voters in 2024 is the economy, according to the Pew Research Center. The moderators, ABC News’ David Muir and Linsey Davis, posed the question “Do you believe Americans are better oﬀ than they were four years ago?” in reference to the economy.

“Look, we’ve had a terrible economy because inﬂation has — which is really known as a country buster,” Trump said at the debate. “It breaks up countries. We have inﬂation like very few people have ever seen before. Probably the worst in our nation’s history. We were at 21%. But that’s being generous because many things are 50, 60, 70 and 80% higher than they were just a few years ago. This has been a disaster for people, for the middle class, but for every class.”

The highest annual inﬂation rate in U.S. history was 17.8% in 1917, according to The Balance. It was 8% in 2022, according to USA Facts.

Another topic in the debate was immigration and border security, which ranks sixth among the top issues for voters in 2024.

Trump alleged Haitian immigrants were eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio. Springfield police and officials said there are no credible reports of this happening.

“What they have done to our country by allowing these millions and millions of people to come into our country,” Trump said. “And look at what’s happening to the towns all over the United States… In Springﬁeld, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”

A full list of policies supported by the Trump-Vance campaign can be found on the “Platform” page of Trump’s website.

Harris seeks seat, would become ﬁrst female president if elected

DAKOTA OSWALT News Editor | @doswalt_NWMSRN

“WE’RE NOT GOING BACK”

Kamala Harris Vice President of the U.S. Democrat candidate for President

1. On the Economy: “Grow Small Businesses and invest in Entrepreneurs”

2. On Taxes: “Cut Taxes for Middle-Class Families

3. On Healthcare: “Stregthen and Bring Down the Cost of Health Care”

4. On Foreign Policy: “Stand With Our Allies, Stand up to Dictators, and Lead on the World Sage”

5. On Climate Change: “Lower Energy Costs and Tackle the Climate Crisis”

Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate for the 2024 General Election.

Harris squared oﬀ against her primary opponent, Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump at the presidential debate Sept. 10 to share her views.

“So, I was raised as a middle-class kid,” Harris said at the debate. “And I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America. I believe in the ambition, the aspirations, the dreams of the American people. And that is why I imagine and have actually a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy.”

She said she intends to extend a tax cut for middle-class families of $6,000, as well as oﬀer a $50,000 tax deduction to start up small businesses.

Another topic in the debate was immigration and border security, which ranks sixth among the top issues for voters in 2024. Muir said illegal border crossings reached a record high in the Biden Administration, and that this past June, Biden imposed new asylum restrictions — refugee laws — that have caused those numbers to drop signiﬁcantly.

Harris said she was in support of a border security bill from the U.S. Congress that would place 1,500 more agents on the border, claiming it would have also stemmed the flow of fentanyl coming into the country through it. She said many conservative members of the U.S. Senate supported the bill, but Trump got it killed.

“I’m the only person on this stage who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations for the traﬃcking of guns, drugs and human beings,” Harris said.

A full list of policies supported by the Harris-Walz campaign can be found on the “Issues” page of Harris’ website.

MAIL-IN VOTING DATES AND INFORMATION

Missouri Nebraska

Must be received by Nov. 5 before 8 p.m. Must be postmarked by Nov. 5 and received three days after.

Election Day is Nov. 5.

be received by the time the polls close Nov. 5.

Important instructions on ballot casting requirements in Missouri

HANNAH CLAYWELL Managing Editor | @Hannah_9504

There are a few pieces of important information for Missouri voters, regarding acceptable forms of ID, voting with a paper ballot, voting with election machines and accessible voting. In Missouri, polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election day — Nov. 5.

ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF ID

There are four IDs accepted: a nonexpired driver’s license or a non-driver’s license, a nonexpired military ID — including a veteran's ID — a nonexpired U.S. passport or another nonexpired ID issued by ei-

ther the U.S. or the state in which the individual is registered to vote.

VOTING WITH A PAPER BALLOT

On past paper ballots, there has been the opportunity for straight-ballot voting, which is voting for every candidate aﬃliated with the voters' party. Missouri no longer accepts this form of voting and each candidate must be marked individually.

VOTING WITH ELECTION MACHINES

The Missouri Secretary of State John R. Ashcroft said to research how to use the voting equipment on his website. There is second-chance voting. If a voter accidentally over marks their ballot, there is an opportunity to correct it.

ACCESSIBLE VOTING

There is curbside voting available to those who have limited mobility. Voters need to ask a poll worker to bring a ballot out to them.

If the voter is assigned an inaccessible polling place, they may request a different assignment.

All polling destinations are required to have an accessible voting system for voters with disabilities, including audiovisual accessibility.

If a person has a permanent disability, they can request to be on a permanent absentee voting list to automatically receive an absentee ballot before each election.

Professor hosts lecture on voter suppression

FARNAN Missourian Reporter | @TheMissourian

A group of people gathered to listen to a talk about the people’s civic duty, and how that duty had been suppressed throughout history last Thursday.

Meeting Room A of the J.W. Jones Student Union housed a preelection talk on voter suppression, and how it aﬀects marginalized people. Jessica Gracey, an associate political science professor at Northwest, was the speaker at the event and discussed why voting itself is important. Anyone was invited to go to this event.

“Political participation is measured by voting, which is extremely important for this generation,” Gracey said. “Voting is a habit, start making that habit.”

Gracey went on to speak on ways voter suppression began and has continued in history.

Voter suppression was created in response to the end of the Civil War with the creation of Jim Crow Laws. Black males were targeted. Jim Crow Laws created poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses — all invented to keep Black men from voting. As time has moved on, Jim Crow Laws have been disbanded, but suppression has not.

Black Americans were overcriminalized after slavery, which today has led to the mass incarceration of mostly Black men. After being incarcerated on charges of a felony, people are not allowed to vote.

Most voter suppression tactics now are less noticeable, but still there. Voter registration be-

gan as a suppression tactic because not everyone was able to acquire all the requirements to register. Not all people are able to obtain a driver's license or form of government identiﬁcation due to medical reasons or previous criminal infractions.

Long lines at polling places have deterred people from voting due to the amount of time people will have to wait. The lack of polling places and information about where people can vote has caused people to not vote in elections.

Gracey focused on the student-aged marginalized groups and spoke about how those people should get out and vote this year.

“When there is a decrease in voter turnout, it usually is a decrease in marginalized communities,” Gracey said. “The harder the government makes it to vote, the less likely people are to vote, which is why we see less marginalized communities in the polls.”

People tend not to vote because of feelings of it not mattering in the big picture, that their one vote doesn’t change anything. However, there are 8 million new eligible voters for the 2024 presidential election, according to Columbia Magazine, and officials say Generation Z has the power to tip the scale in voter turnout.

Voter suppression may affect marginalized communities and make it more difficult to get to the polls, but it is not always impossible.

Jessie Peter, senior coordinator of diversity in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said

the

oﬃce is willing to help anyone with questions.

“If you need help with registering or ﬁguring out where to vote, please come in and ask,” Peter said. “We are more than welcome to help.”

This year's presidential election with Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump as the main candidates, takes place Nov. 5. Polling places are open at varied hours depending on the state. For Missouri voters, all in-person votes must be made by 7 p.m. that night. If the voter arrived at their polling place prior to these hours and are still waiting in line come closing time, you are still allowed to vote. Along with in-person, there will also be mail-in voting available. For Missouri and Kansas voters, all polling places will be open until 7 p.m., while polling places in Nebraska will be open until 7 p.m. Mountain Time and 8 p.m. Central Time. Iowa polling places will be open until 8 p.m.

INFOGRAPHIC BY EMMALY MURPHY DESIGNER

Northwest Associate Political Science Professor Jessica Gracey hosts a talk on voter suppression and how it affects marginalized groups Oct. 10. Gracey explained voter suppression tactics still exist, although they may be less noticeable.

AARON HARE PHOTO EDITOR

BROOKLYN

CRYSTAL QUADE

Democratic Missouri

Governor Candidate

Crystal Quade contends for position

HANNAH CLAYWELL Managing Editor | @Hannah_9504

Crystal Quade is the Democratic candidate and one of four major candidates running for Missouri governor.

The Missouri Press Association hosted a candidate forum Sept. 20 for those running for senator and governor in Springﬁeld, Missouri. Quade, as well as her opponents, showed up to discuss their viewpoints on Missouri ballot issues.

“I’m running for governor, frankly, because we deserve better than what we’ve been getting,” Quade said at the forum.

Mike Parson is the current governor in Missouri. Quade was elected for her ﬁrst term as the House Minority Floor Lead-

er for the 100th General Assembly in 2016 and was reelected for the 101st General Assembly.

Two topics she said were important for her to discuss were public education issues and abortion policies. Quade said she supports Amendment 3 — the right to reproductive freedom in Missouri.

“Over 800 doctors just signed a letter this very week saying that they supported Amendment 3 because they’re scared to go to prison to give access to health care,” Quade said. “While my opponent (Republican Mike Kehoe), most recently, said that he is willing to sacriﬁce his own campaign to make sure Amendment 3 goes down. I will be the governor that will listen to the willing voters and get politicians

out of your doctor’s oﬃces.”

Another issue affecting Missouri voters is a minimumwage increase, from its current amount of $12.30 an hour, to $13.75 next year and $15 an hour in 2026. Quade disagrees with most of her opponents on this issue, specifically when Kehoe and Libertarian candidate Bill Slantz describe minimum wage jobs as entry-level jobs. She said the reality is many adults are working minimum wage jobs, sometimes multiple, to make an income because they can’t find good quality jobs.

“A minimum wage for Missouri citizens is absolutely what we need and we should be striving for that,” Quade said.

Something else Missouri voters can expect to see on the bal-

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe runs for governor

@Hannah_9504

Managing Editor |

Republican Mike Kehoe is running for Missouri governor. Kehoe was sworn in as the lieutenant governor June 18, 2018. Under the Missouri constitution, the lieutenant governor is the president of the state Senate.

He was born in Saint Louis, and throughout his life, has worked in various positions in several workforces outside of politics. In 2010, he was elected to the Missouri Senate.

Some of the issues Kehoe is focused on in this campaign are the job market, taxes and investing in the police.

“I think all Missourians should be able to live the American dream, no matter what

their background is, or what neighborhood they grew up in,” Kehoe said.

When asked about his stance on Amendment 3, Kehoe said he believes it could be the most harmful constitutional amendment he has seen on a ballot.

“I think that Missourians and elected officials’ number one priority is protecting innocent life, the life of who can’t speak for themselves,” Kehoe said.

Kehoe said he is a businessman and someone who has created hundreds of jobs over the 35-year period of his business. When it comes to the minimum wage petition, Kehoe said he would not be able to support it.

He said raising the minimum wage would cause prices to rise on basic products and

leave a void for those starting at entry-level jobs.

“I believe that government should not be setting wages for people,” Kehoe said. “I think the economy and business should.”

Since Kehoe is in support of improving the Missouri economy, he said he also agrees with the legalization of sports betting because it will improve the amount of money circulating in Missouri. Kehoe said it is something surrounding states have already legalized and their citizens have taken advantage of it.

“I think this is something that’s time for Missouri,” Kehoe said. “I’m not a fan of gambling. But I believe it’s a tool that we need for Missourians.”

He is also in support of funding public education with

the proceeds from sports gambling and said he has always been a big fan of making sure public education in Missouri receives funding.

“We need to make sure we continue to fund and we have continued to fund our essential services of public safety and education,” Kehoe said. Kehoe has been a part of the Missouri budget process and has watched it grow in size, but he believes it has grown too much. He said the Missouri people should vote for him because he understands the budget and what goes into creating it.

“First we need to keep our Missourians safe,” Kehoe said. “We need to keep our community safe. That will be the priority for me on day one.”

lot is a measure to legalize sports betting in the local ballot. Quade is in support of this measure.

“We do have a shortage of funding in our state for things like education, mental health care and all of the things that we desperately want to support,” Quade said. “So I do support this measure and the money that will come in from that.”

She said there is a lot of revenue Missouri is losing out on by outlawing sports betting, especially since there are people crossing the state border to place bets.

“I got involved in government because there weren’t enough regular people at the table making decisions,” Quade said. “But I’m ready for governor because we deserve better than what we’ve been getting.”

Bill Slantz supports small government

HANNAH CLAYWELL Managing Editor |

@Hannah_9504

The Libertarian candidate for governor in Missouri is Bill Slantz. As a Libertarian, Slantz said he believes in a limited government and allowing the people to make choices for themselves.

Slantz is originally from New York and is the owner of the W.G. Slantz Company, specializing in rights for music performance. He relocated to Saint Charles County in Missouri in 1997, where he has been living since.

“I’m asking you to stop letting the government drive,” Slantz said. “Sit up in your seat, pay attention to what’s going on and let’s limit the government to its most basic functions.”

Slantz’s main focus going

into his campaign is taxes. In most cases, Slantz said he would get rid of or reduce taxes and government funding. Slantz said he is personally opposed to abortion, but believes it is an individual decision. He believes abortion should not receive government funding.

“Each individual out there has a unique, an individual decision to make,” Slantz said.

As for the minimum wage raise on the Missouri ballot, Slantz said he is opposed to it. He said there should be no minimum wage in the State of Missouri.

Slantz said entry-level jobs are not meant to be supportive of a family, but rather be a way to learn skills and ﬁnd a way into the workplace.

“This is a completely upside

down, backwards way of looking at things,” Slantz said. “I strongly oppose the minimum wage of any kind.”

Continuing with his thoughts on taxes and where money goes, Slantz is in support of legalizing sports betting in Missouri, but he is against the proceeds going to education. He said sports betting isn’t going to hurt anyone, but the regulations are only going to help the large casinos or major entities, not local or smaller businesses.

“If you’re going to legalize sports betting and you’re only going to allow these major casinos to do sports betting, you’re still going to have your bookies out there, still doing it for people,” Slantz said. “I’m greatly of-

Paul Lehmann seeks political race win

Paul Lehmann ran for Missouri Secretary of State in 2020 and was unsuccessful. This election year, he is running for Missouri governor.

Lehmann is a retired farmer in Fayette, Missouri, and was a minister at a church for more than three decades.

“I want to run for governor to be able to be the ﬁrst green governor of the State of Missouri,” Lehmann said. “The big gorilla in the room is the need for green economy.”

When asked about his position on abortion policies, Lehmann said the Green Party has been supportive of women’s rights since day one. He agreed

with Libertarian Bill Slantz, that it is not a government decision, but up to the woman.

“I strongly endorse that measure so that we can have some kind of order and some kind of justice support for women who are facing these very difficult decisions,”

Lehmann said.

The Green Party has historically supported worker’s unions, and Lehmann said he is in full support of the minimum wage amendment. The Green Party is working toward a $25 minimum wage goal.

He said people need to be compensated for what they do, and that it is suppressing workers more by not giving them a decent minimum wage.

“I strongly support this

and hope that we can use this as a platform for doing even more support in our economy,” Lehmann said.

One of the ballots Lehmann opposes is the legalization of sports betting. He said he believes that betting or any kind of gambling is a sin.

“Now we’ve come to a point where we want to endorse that type of activity by the state, by the government, and so it goes against the will of the people in the past,” Lehmann said.

He said using the funds for education is deceptive because the money would go into the education fund where legislators will promise to make improvements without actually going through with it.

As for the funding and budget of Missouri as a whole, Lehmann said he believes the budget is not big enough. He said the education system is largely underfunded and broken, and he believes there needs to be more of the Missouri budget going towards it.

He said rural areas in Missouri are in need of more ﬁnancial support, with both education and health care.

Another issue Lehmann said was important to discuss was the war in Gaza and in Palestine, and the gun violence involved with it.

“We have to change the environment and change our attitude about people, and stop treating people as the other, or as the enemy,” Lehmann said.

fended…with the whole sports betting with the proceeds going to education. I think that’s a nonsense idea.”

Keeping with his stance on funding cuts, Slantz said the Missouri budget should be cut in half, if not more. He said stopping taxpayer-funded education and social services will help cut the budget.

Slantz said education and social services taxes should be handled locally and communities can take care of their own needs.

“I’m going to finish with what I started with, I think it’s very important to the state would be to focus on eliminating most of the burdens of taxes,” Slantz said.

GUIDE TO GOVERNER AND SENATOR POSITIONS

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Crystal Quade’s campaign focuses on public education and abortion policies.

HANNAH CLAYWELL

HANNAH

Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Kehoe’s campaign focuses on jobs, taxes and investing in the police.

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Bill Slantz’s campaign is centered around limited government and taxes.

Green Party gubernatorial candidate Paul Lehmann’s campaign focuses on abortion policies and workers’ rights.

MIKE KEHOE

Democratic U.S.

Senator Candidate

Lucas Kunce ﬁghts for seat on senate

HANNAH CLAYWELL Managing Editor | @Hannah_9504

Unlike the candidate forums for Missouri governor, the debates for Senator had more discourse, specifically between Democrat candidate Lucas Kunce and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.

Kunce is one of the four main candidates running for the position, hoping to take it from Hawley.

“I’m going to make sure that I serve the people of this state, the people of that neighborhood, take care of them, bring the money home and help them make their own decisions in their lives,” Kunce said.

The senator’s debate started with a question about Amend-

ment 3 and the abortion ban currently in place in Missouri.

Kunce said he is against the ban. He said he will codify Roe v. Wade if elected because he believes it’s wrong to have no exceptions for rape and incest.

“I think that’s wrong,” Kunce said. “I think Missourians are smart enough to make their own decisions about how they live their lives, how they build and protect their families. As a U.S. senator, I’m going to promise you, right now, I will codify Roe versus Wade.”

Another issue discussed during the debates was immigration. The candidates were asked what they believed Congress could realistically do to help manage the ﬂow of immigrants at the southern border

of the U.S.

Kunce said he served 13 years of active duty with the Marines, and a part of it was being on the border team. He said he believes there are simple solutions.

“We need to stop the ﬂow of fentanyl,” Kunce said. “Go for fentanyl machines. We have fentanyl scanners. Most of it comes through.”

The debate then moved on to tax raises and if any of the candidates supported tax cuts. Kunce and Hawley support many of the same policies including the Child Tax Credit program. However, Kunce supports investing in other energy sources outside of fossil fuels.

He said the U.S. needs to invest in the next generation of energy, and it will be a national

Sen. Josh Hawley hunts for reelection

HANNAH CLAYWELL

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is running for reelection as the Republican candidate in Missouri. Hawley has been in his seat since 2019. Hawley and Democratic candidate Lucas Kunce spent most of the Missouri Press Association’s candidate forums addressing each other. Hawley said he wanted to know which candidate Kunce was supporting for president.

“It’s crazy,” Hawley said. “It’s nuts. It’s a nutty agenda. Now he’s (Kunce) trying to run away from it. He won’t even say who he’s going to support in this election.”

When asked about Amendment 3, Hawley said he doesn’t

NATHAN KLINE

Green Party U.S.

Senator Candidate

support a nationwide ban, but does support reasonable federal restrictions and limits on abortion.

He said he doesn’t support the amendment because of the taxpayer funding going towards it.

“They (Kunce and his allies) talk about reproductive health, but what it really does is it allows transgender surgeries for minors without parental consent,” Hawley said. “I think it’s nuts. I think it’s absolutely crazy. I voted against it in the Senate.”

Hawley had a simple response on what to do about immigration issues at the southern border of the U.S. — close the border and reinstate the Remain in Mexico program. This policy requires those seeking asylum in the States to return to Mexico to wait for their hearing in the U.S.

immigration court.

He said the bipartisan border bill Kunce supports would let 5,000 people across the border every day before it would close.

“It would have increased the number of green cards by an astronomical number,” Hawley said. “It would have mandated taxpayer funding for illegals’ lawyers, so you bet I voted against it.”

The debate then moved on to tax raises and if the candidates supported tax cuts. Hawley said he favors increasing the Child Tax Credit program, which helps families with qualifying children to get tax breaks.

He does not support the energy tax Kunce could impose for not using fossil fuels.

“The taxes that that will result on for Missouri families

are astronomical,” Hawley said. “The loss of industry in the state will be unimaginable and if you think we’re too dependent on China now, wait until he (Kunce) gets his way.”

Hawley said some of the main issues he will focus on if reelected are immigration policies and inﬂation prices.

“So my question for you is simple, ‘Do you like the direction of this country?’” Hawley said. “Because if it’s working for you, go ahead and vote for him (Kunce) and his friends, but if you want a change, if you think that we can do better, if you think we can bring jobs back to America, if you think that we can get good paying jobs back in Missouri… I ask for your vote.”

security issue the States needs to take control of for its future.

“We’re going to swap out a cartel of energy (companies) run by the Saudis, the Venezuelans and the Russians, for China if we don’t make the investments in the next generation of energy,” Kunce said. “He (Hawley) doesn’t want to do that because he’s owned by the oil companies.”

Kunce said Hawley is willing to lie during his campaign and he is not the right choice.

“So if you want to fundamentally change who has power in this country, if you want to bring money back to our state, if you want to make it so everyday people can make their own decisions about their lives, I’m the only guy who’s going to do that for you,” Kunce said.

JOSH HAWLEY

Republican U.S.

Senator Candidate

Nathan Kline pursues senate position

HANNAH CLAYWELL Managing Editor | @Hannah_9504

For the Green Party, Nathan Kline is running for senator. Kline currently serves as the outreach officer for the Green Party of Kansas City, Missouri. Some issues Kline wants to focus on, if elected, are raising taxes on the wealthy, establishing a living wage and investing in public education.

“I myself am not running against the other candidates on the stage,” Kline said. “I’m running against the pay-toplay political system that has sold out democracy to the highest bidder.”

Kline said he supports Amendment 3. He said the Green Party is not pro-abor-

tion, but for women’s right to be in charge of their own bodies.

He said the rights can either be given to the woman or the infant, and that it’s a hard choice, but the living woman needs to be in charge of her own body.

“The Green Party and I continue to work hard to make sure that that right of women to be in charge of their body remains enshrined in our law,” Kline said.

As for immigration policies, Kline said the immigration crisis is driven by the climate crisis. He said farmers’ land is drying up because of drought and other natural disasters, and it is only going to get worse.

He said the U.S. needs immigrants because they are coming to the United States to work, and having working immigrants is

one of the best strengths for the U.S. to utilize. He said there is no need for border guards or to militarize the border.

“They’re running for their lives and the United States has always been the most welcoming place in the world for growth,” Kline said.

The debate then moved on to tax raises and if any of the candidates supported tax cuts. Kline said the wealthiest Americans need tax raises.

He said he supported something closer to former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and former President Richard Nixon’s tax rates of the 1950s, which was a higher tax rate under both presidencies.

“That is a moral crisis and the root of the struggle of Amer-

Jared Young represents Better Party

Managing Editor | @Hannah_9504

The newly founded Better Party is being represented by candidate Jared Young in the upcoming election for Missouri senator. Young represents independents in Missouri and said he wants to be a candidate without extreme ideas on each side of issues. He said he would not refer to himself as a career politician.

“Our system is broken,” Young said. “Our leaders have completely lost the ability to disagree productively and engage with each other to solve problems. The two parties have decided that hatred and anger and contempt are their best tools for winning elections and we need leaders who reject the party playbook.”

Young has a strong stance on Amendment 3, being against it.

He said he does, however, believe the pro-life movement does itself a disservice by taking all or nothing positions. He said Missouri struck down on abortion access in the most extreme way it could, and is seeing backlash from that decision.

“I think we need to find a place where we’re preventing as many abortions as possible, but still leaving room for compromise,” Young said. “That’s an area where most Missourians can be comfortable and if we can actually sit down and discuss it like reasonable people, that’s the solution we’ll reach.”

When asked about immigration issues in the U.S., Young

said there are two truths; ﬁrst, there needs to be more secure borders and second, the United States needs legal immigrants.

Young said legal immigrants are an important part of the economy and culture.

“It should be possible for us to form policy that acknowledges both of those truths,” Young said. The debate then moved on to tax rises and if any of the candidates supported tax cuts. Young said neither party — Democrat or Republican — are talking about the national debt and the increasing deﬁcit spending.

He said the debt is like a ticking time bomb that is going to blow up.

“I’m in favor of things like raising the Social Security cap

on high-income earners,” Young said. “I’m in favor of things like means testing (for) Social Security, so that we get that program back on a solvent path, but I’m also never a fan of raising taxes.”

Young said throughout his time polling Missouri residents, it has been clear they want a change and another option.

He said watching U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and candidate Lucas Kunce argue on stage during the candidate forums showed why people are desperate for sensibility.

“What we’ve discovered is that 43% of Missouri voters are independents,” Young said. “We are the largest voting block in Missouri by far…They need to know they have a viable option in this race.”

NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN

ican families,” Kline said. “We need to go back to the era of redistributed progressive taxation that led to the greatest era of American shared prosperity, and I’m the only person on this stage that will stand up for that.”

As the Green Party candidate, Kline said the choice between the red and blue party has caused a lot of Americans to not vote anymore because of the lack of diﬀerence the parties would make.

“Our society needs big changes,” Kline said. “We all know it. There’s only one change agent on this stage. There’s only one change party and that’s the Green Party because we don’t take corporate money, the way it should be.”

JARED YOUNG

Better Party U.S.

Senator Candidate

Managing Editor | @Hannah_9504

HANNAH CLAYWELL

U.S. Senate nominee Josh Hawley’s campaign is focused on immigration, taxes and abortion policies.

U.S. Senate Green Party candidate Nathan Kline’s campaign focuses on taxes, jobs and public education.

Better Party candidate Jared Young’s campaign centers around abortion policy, immigration and taxes.

LUCAS KUNCE

Politics are not a popularity contest

SAVANNAH ATHY-SEDBROOK Editor-in-Chief

@SavannahAS2

To be eligible as a candidate for the presidency, a person only has to meet the following Constitutional requirements: they must be at least 35 years old, a “natural born” U.S. citizen or citizen of the United States and must have been a resident for at least 14 years. This is absurd. The Constitution needs to evolve with modern times and create stricter presidential requirements.

If we have to require a minimum age, a maximum age should also be in place. The older a candidate gets, the more outof-touch they are with current issues and younger generations.

Many young adults will be voting in their ﬁrst presidential election this year, including me, and I’ve noticed how outdated some candidate’s viewpoints are.

It’s 2024, why are we still ﬁghting for the same rights that have been debated since before I was born?

Typically, among the 57% of young people most likely to vote, recent elections have shown strong support for Democratic candidates.

The job of the president is to implement and enforce laws written by Congress. On top of this, they also appoint the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet, according to the White House.

A presidential candidate should not be voted on like high school Homecoming.

If we held then President Richard Nixon accountable during his Watergate scandal in 1972, then we need to do the same for other candidates.

Politics are no longer about our country and the people living in it, but instead a popularity contest in which voters blindly support a candidate simply because of their political party.

Former President Donald Trump has 116 felony charges and has been convicted of 34 from the Hush Money case May 30, according to CNN Politics. The four cases he’s being charged for include two federal and two state cases as of Oct. 2.

The president of the United States is the face of our nation, and honestly, this is embarrassing. Having a convicted felon seated at the head of the White House will leave other countries either laughing at us, pitying us or taking advantage of us.

The Constitution is a living document meant to adapt so our laws may best serve America. What we require out of a president now is not what was needed then — and it shouldn’t be.

It’s time to ensure the systems in place elevate serious candidates who can truly lead our nation into the future. The stakes are too high for anything less.

Voting third-party can’t be a viable option; pick a side

We’re coming up on the presidential election; the ﬁrst many students will be able to vote in. As always, there are several candidates people can vote for, including those belonging to third-parties — candidates that are neither Democrat or Republican. Voting third-party is a great choice — if they had been campaigning for years and there was a consensus on who to vote for. The U.S. has had a two-party system since the 1800s, and since it’s been set up this way for so long, it would take an extremely long and strenuous eﬀort to change or challenge it.

At this point, a vote for third-party is a wasted one. It will not go toward anything and, to be honest, there is no world in which a third-party candidate will win the U.S. general election this year.

People who vote third-party tend to vote for the candidate that best supports their values. While this is a great way of thinking, no thirdparty candidate has ever won the presidential election.

We all need to determine our priorities and which of the Democrat or Republican candidates — Vice Presi-

YOUR VIEW:

Would you vote for a third-party candidate?

We cannot waste our votes and you should vote for the one you consider the better option. Not voting for one of these two candidates may just give the win to the option you deem lesser.

The Editorial Board recommends that everyone research third-party votes and how third parties work. Third-party or independent candidates do not win presidential elections. Even in Missouri state and local elections, third-party politicians don’t win. The Better Party candidate Jared Young for Missouri has received almost $1 million, but is nowhere near the amount the Democrat and Republican candidates have raised.

If this is something you seriously want to have as an option, it needs to be a conversation earlier than a couple of months before the election. Campaigns like this take years of planning. Nothing like this can happen at a national level in a couple of months, especially with no structure.

TikTok has been pushing names of third-party candidates, almost all

EMMA NAIMOLI Freshman Special Education and Elementary Education

“I’m not really sure what a third party is, but I probably would not vote for a third party. I would just go with more of a majority vote.”

JEREMIAH RAINEY-DUNLAP Sophomore Graphic Design

of which people were hearing about for the ﬁrst time during those videos. Relying on social media inﬂuencers to tell you who to vote for isn’t going to cut it.

Both Harris and Trump have established campaigns. Whether you agree with them or not, they have put more money and time into their platforms than any of the third-party candidates would be able to.

Money is extremely important to elections and campaigning. The 2020 election cost around $14.4 billion, according to OpenSecrets. Ads, logos, stickers and everything politicians use to get their name out costs money. Third-party candidates don’t have the same resources to raise enough money to win a presidential election.

We all need to vote within the blue and red parties. It may not be exactly what you want, but we need to choose the candidate you would rather win and vote for them. The Editorial Board is not telling you who to vote for, but that you shouldn’t waste your vote.

“I’m not really a big fan of third parties, they don’t resonate with me. Growing up, your parents are your biggest inﬂuence and we never really talked about it. I would vote for a third party if it was something I stood for and it resonated with me, then I would think about it.”

“I would probably not vote for a third party. It just doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. If I were to vote for them, it would be like, yeah, I did it, but they are never going to get elected.”

Your Bearcat loves meeting, talking with politicians whenever they can THE STROLLER:

Nothing will ever compare to the adrenaline rush of talking to politicians, even if I don’t agree with their ideals. Now, I wouldn’t say I love politics, but I do love politicians. Politicians are, of course, some of the worst people I have met, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t insanely entertaining. There’s just something about the way they speak that makes me want to listen for hours. It’s not that they have soothing voices or are saying anything remotely interesting, it’s that they are speaking so aggressively and conﬁdently while saying the most absurd statements. I know my way around poli-

tics. It’s a topic I’m interested in and study, but have you noticed they hardly ever talk about actual policy? It’s great. I have no idea why I should vote for them, but if they speak entertainingly enough, they’ve got my vote. Watching them argue with each other is so special. I love drama, and politician drama is on a whole other level. They get on stage and tell everyone watching them all of their drama. They make up lies about each other and spread rumors on a professional level and it’s just expected.

Being in the presence of politicians and having them talk directly to me was the same as if your favorite celebrity came up

and spoke to you. A few of them even know my name now and I smile just thinking about it. I’m smiling right now writing this. My favorite is when they try to make small talk. I know they have no idea what to say to a college student they basically can’t relate to at all, but they try their best.

Meeting eight politicians in one day really made my whole year amazing. I have never felt so happy, so free, so glad I’m not a politician.

OUR VIEW:

ANNA CASE CARTOONIST

MICHAEL GERETY Freshman Marine Biology

dent Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump — best ﬁts them.

Voters to decide state abortion laws

ANNA BAILEY Asst. News Editor | @AmBailey1

During this election, the Missouri ballot will bring voters’ attention toward reproductive health care. A vote in favor of or against Amendment 3 will decide if Missouri’s ban on abortion will stay.

Since June 2022, when Roe v. Wade was overturned and the decision of whether or not abortion would be legal was sent to the states, amendments and votes like Amendment 3 have been on ballots across the country.

Along with removing the ban on abortion in Missouri, Amendment 3 would establish the right for an individual to make decisions about their reproductive health care, according to the Missouri Secretary of State.

The amendment would require the government to not discriminate against any person who is looking for forms of reproductive health care, and allow regulations of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of a patient. It will also allow abortions to be banned or restricted once a fetus can survive without the uterus, with exceptions in cases of protecting the health of the carrier of the fetus.

There are two major groups who are on either side of this conversation, according to the University of Missouri School of Medicine: those who consider themselves pro-life and those who are pro-choice.

The pro-life group believe abortion is unethical because life begins at conception, according to Britannica ProCon. This group also believes that the legality of abortion creates a culture that promotes the disposal of life.

Abortion is the killing of an unborn child, according to the Pro-Life Action League.

“The Pro-Life Action League opposes abortion because abortion kills an inno-

cent unborn child, a human person at one of those early stages of human development through which each one of us passes before birth,” the Pro-Life Action League said on its website.

Presidential Republican candidate Donald Trump said the Democrat stance on abortion is radical and allows for abortion to occur within the ninth month of pregnancy, as well as after the baby is born. ABC News moderator Linsey Davis said there are no states where the latter is legal. He also said when Roe v. Wade came about over 50 years ago, all parties wanted it sent back to the states.

“But what I did is something for 52 years they’ve been trying to get Roe v. Wade into the states,” Trump said. “And through the genius and heart and strength of six Supreme Court justices, we were able to do that. Now, I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. I believe strongly in it. Ronald Reagan did also. 85% of Republicans do. Exceptions. Very important.”

On the other side, the pro-choice group look at abortion as a safe medical procedure and believe an abortion ban endangers the lives of those who are pregnant. This position argues the life of the carrier needs protecting rather than that of an unborn fetus.

The ability to choose if an abortion is the best option for a pregnant person should be the decision of that person, according to Planned Parenthood.

“Decisions about whether to choose adoption, end a pregnancy, or parent should be made by a pregnant person with the counsel of their family, their faith, and their nurse or doctor,” Planned Parenthood said on its website. “Politicians should not be involved in anyone’s personal medical decisions about their reproductive health or pregnancy.”

A “yes” vote:

•Removes Missouri's ban on abortion

• Removes on

• Allows

•Allows regulation of reproductive health care

•Establishes a constitutional right to make decisions about reproductive health care

• Establishes a constitutional to make decisions health care

•Prohibits the government from discriminating against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care

• Prohibits the from or health care

• Still after fetal except the life or

•Still allows abortion to be restricted or banned after fetal viability, except to protect the life or health of the woman

A “no” vote:

• Will maintain the

•Will maintain the statutory prohibition of abortion in Missouri

Vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said the reason Roe v. Wade was overturned to the states because Trump was able to hand-select three members of the Supreme Court with the intention they would undo it.

“And now in over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans, which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care,” Harris said. “In one state it provides prison for life. Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest. Which understand what that means. A survivor of a crime, a violation to their body, does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That is immoral.”

Harris said the government, especially

Trump, should not have control over reproductive decisions.

Both sides believe the health and safety of a life needs to be protected; however, they disagree which life this is. The August American Perspective Survey said 33% of Americans identify with pro-choice, while 26% are pro-life. Another 33% of Americans embrace both labels, and 9% reject both, according to the Survey Center on American Life.

There are pro-life and pro-choice clubs on campus. The Students For Life meets at 7 p.m. Mondays in Meeting Room C of the J.W. Jones Student Union and Students For Choice at Northwest meets 6:30 p.m. every other Tuesday in Meeting Room B of the J.W. Jones Student Union.

Sports wagering approval to fund state education

DAKOTA OSWALT News Editor | @doswalt_NWMSRN

Missouri is the only state to have a ballot initiative for sports betting this election. If Amendment 2 passes, it will allow sports gambling in the state.

Sports betting is already live and legal in 38 states, plus Washington, D.C., according to the American Gaming Association. All states bordering Missouri except Oklahoma have legalized this type of gambling.

Research Assistant Kaitlin Klasen with the St. Louis Univer-

sity Research Institute conducted an analysis of legalizing sports betting in Missouri in 2023. She said thousands of Missourians travel to bordering states where sports betting is legalized to place their wagers, or they try to gamble online from within the state.

Those who favor the legalization of sports betting say it would allow the state to regulate and collect tax revenues for it. The funds created would be used to strengthen education by supplying students, paying teachers and bringing money back to the state, initiative backers say.

Those opposed to this raise concerns that legalizing sports betting could make gambling addictions worse. The analysis said over 103,000 Missourians struggle with a gambling disorder already.

KSMU reports sports betting could generate nearly $29 million a year for the state, and $5 million of that would go to the Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund. The rest would go to public schools and higher education.

Voting “yes” to Amendment 2 would allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to regulate licensed sports wagering for those 21 and

Minimum-wage increase to appear on ballot, multi-year plan established

HANNAH CLAYWELL Managing Editor | @Hannah_9504

Proposition A on November’s ballot is a minimum-wage increase initiative that would also mandate sick leave for employees who work 30 or more hours a week.

This measure would increase the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour and continue to increase by $1.25 per hour until 2026, when it would reach $15. The minimum wage is currently $12.30.

Several candidates support the measure including Rep. Crystal Quade, candidates Lucas Kunce and Paul Lehmann. Other candidates, such as Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, oppose it. The minimum wage would also adjust based on the changes to the

Consumer Price Index — the measure of average price changes — starting in January 2027.

The proposition states employers would be required to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

If the proposition is approved, it will take eﬀect Jan. 1 and will exempt governmental entities, political subdivisions and education institutions. It would have no impact on taxes if passed.

over, according to the Missouri Secretary of State website. It would also allow a 10% wagering tax on revenues for education

and the Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund. The website said the estimated revenues of local governments are unknown.

Candidates for Missouri governor and U.S. Senator speak at a political forum hosted by the Missouri Press Association Sept. 20 in Springﬁeld, Missouri.

INFOGRAPHIC BY VAL CARVAJAL DESIGNER

SOURCE MISSOURI SECRETARY OF STATE

SPECIAL SECTION

ARE WE SAFE?

UPD Chief

Amanda Cullin talks safety as number of assaults on campus rise

HANNAH CLAYWELL

| @Hannah_9504

Managing Editor

From Sept. 25 to Oct. 14, there have been six cases of assault and harassment on campus. Three of these were sexual in nature.

There was a report of forcible fondling and rape in Millikan Hall Sept. 25. University Police Department Chief Amanda Cullin said both incidents were reported at the same time, but there are two diﬀerent victims and two diﬀerent suspects. The suspects are known by UPD and are not Northwest students. The incidents were not reported at the time they occurred. Both of the victims were given resources to utilize.

“As always, we connect everyone with all the resources and get them what they could use, as far as advocacy, Title IX, all of that,” Cullin said.

Another two reports were made Sept. 29 — sexual assault in Forest Village Apartments-Willow, and harassment in Millikan. The harassment was not sexual in nature and the sexual assault is still under review.

The next incident of harassment was Oct. 6, which Cullin said was not sexual in nature.

“I think what we’re seeing now more closely aligns with what our reports looked like pre-COVID,” Cullin said.

On Oct. 8, a Northwest student was walking back to their resident hall. While walking back, they were followed and grabbed. This was classiﬁed as an assault in the fourth degree by UPD.

“I got to the library and I realized that there was somebody behind me,” Anonymous said. “I had headphones on and was listening to music, and I could hear someone talking and I was like, ‘Oh, maybe he’s talking to me.’ I removed one side of my headphones and he said something along the lines of, ‘Why are you ignoring me?’”

Anonymous said they did not know this person, so they decided not to engage with them and keep walking.

“Then I felt him grab me,” Anonymous said. “He grabbed my arm

and tried to pull me towards him.

I then took my water bottle and hit him. He then said some lovely, vulgar words and took oﬀ running.”

Anonymous then returned to their residential hall and called the police and has been in contact with them since the incident. They said the UPD is actively working with them to help. They said it has changed their perspective on campus safety, but they know people are working to resolve this issue.

“I’ve always been like, ‘It’s ﬁne,’” Anonymous said. “I’ve never run into anything. Then this incident happened and it’s rocked it a little bit.”

He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me towards him. I then took my water bottle and hit him. He then said some lovely, vulgar words and took off running.”

Cullin said there are different ways to inform students about safety concerns, including timely warnings and emergency notifications. Notiﬁcations for students typically go through the Bearcat Alert system. Timely warnings are typically for on-campus situations, while emergency notifications usually aﬀect the entire community.

“The statement we received from this particular incident (the assault) did not indicate that it was anything to be concerned about as far as a safety issue for the entire campus,” Cullin said.

She said there are a lot of factors to consider when deciding

whether or not to put out a campuswide warning.

“We consider what is best for the community, as far as information versus the impact of that information, or maybe not even versus what is best for our community considering all the information and the impact of the information,” Cullin said.

She said a lot of the crime on campus is targeted, which doesn’t impact a large number of students. Cullin said the UPD is quick to make contact with those accused or the suspects, and said it isn’t always considered public information, especially if they are going through the criminal justice system. She said protecting the victim or reporting party is always at the top of their list and if there is a campuswide risk, the UPD would notify students.

Cullin said the UPD does crime mapping. She said when there are incidents that may not impact a lot of the campus, the UPD will make focused preventive eﬀorts in the areas or with the demographics experiencing the incidents.

“We’ve done this in the past when it comes (to) speciﬁc organizations, who have had some concerns, or employees that have had some concerns,” Cullin said.

The UPD has many resources available to keep students safe on campus, including a student security team, the Safe Ride Home program and the police station. The UPD’s phone number is 660-5621254. If students experience sexual assault, they can make a report with the Title IX oﬃce.

Cullin said students can also call the UPD as they are walking if they feel unsafe. Oﬃcers will stay on the phone with them until they arrive at their location.

“It’s all our responsibility to make sure campus is safe,” Cullin said. “We’ve increased patrols because of things like this that have happened and we will continue to be a resource as needed.”

The victim of the assault will remain anonymous as the case is still being investigated, and to provide safety to them.

CRIME LOG

for the week of Oct. 24

Northwest Missouri State University Police Department

Oct. 21

There is an open investigation for harassment in Parking Lot 10.

Oct. 20

There is an open investigation for harassment in Millikan Hall. There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in Perrin Hall. There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in Perrin Hall.

Oct. 19

There is a closed investigation for a ﬁre alarm at Bearcat Stadium. There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in Tower Suites West.

Oct. 17

There is an open investigation for sexual assault in Forest Village Apartments-Sycamore.

Oct. 16

There is a closed investigation for a drug violation in Perrin Hall. There is an open investigation for a peace disturbance in the J.W. Jones Student Union. There is a closed investigation for a ﬁre alarm in Forest Village Apartments-Hawthorne.

Oct. 15

There is a closed investigation for a ﬁre alarm in Forest Village Apartments-Hawthorne.

Oct. 14

There is a closed investigation for a ﬁre alarm in Hudson Hall.

Oct. 13

There was an accident with Kylie Edmunds, 22, in Parking Lot 2.

Oct. 12

There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in Franken Hall.

Oct. 11

There is a closed investigation for a ﬁre alarm in Hudson Hall. There is a closed investigation for displaying unlawful license plate on College Park Drive.

Oct. 9

There is an open investigation for assault in the fourth degree at the B.D. Owens Library.

Oct. 8

There is a closed investigation for a ﬁre alarm in Perrin Hall. There was an accident between Leah Sandin, 18, and Brayden Kunz, 19, in Parking Lot 62.

Oct. 7

There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation on College Avenue.

Oct. 6

There is an open investigation for harassment in Perrin Hall. There is a closed investigation for a ﬁre alarm in South Complex.

Oct. 4

There is an open investigation for property damage in South Complex.

Oct. 2

There is a closed investigation for a ﬁre alarm in Roberta Hall.

Oct. 1

There was an accident between Austin Goetsche 21, and Connor Bohlken, 19, in Parking Lot 22.

Sept. 29

There is a closed investigation for harassment in Millikan Hall. There is an open investigation for sexual assault in Forest Village ApartmentsWillow.

Sept. 27

There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in South Complex.

Sept. 25

There