The Stylus - Volume 130 - Issue 4 - November 15, 2024

s u l y t S e h T

SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE 2024-25

A student publication of Park University since 1895

First-time voters on their experiences

Volume 130

ISSUE

#4

Visit stylusonline.org for online news and student blogs IG: parkstylus stylus@park.edu November 15, 2024

2024 election results: Trump defeats Harris

Abby Beagel Editor-in-Chief For many first-time voters, the 2024 presidential election was an important milestone—a chance to have a say in the direction of the country. Voting felt empowering and gave young people an opportunity to weigh in on the issues we care deeply about. With Donald Trump declared the winner, some voters are disappointed, while others feel optimistic. Either way, this election has made many realize just how important their voices can be in shaping the future.

Following the election, many Americans seem to be re-evaluating what they voted for, with Google searches like “Can I change my vote?” and “What is a tariff?” seeing dramatic increases. In fact, searches for “Trump’s tariff plan” spiked by over 1650 percent following the election, with questions like “Who pays tariffs?” jumping 350 percent according to Google Trends. This rush to understand Trump’s policies, especially around tariffs and trade, shows the complex realities that are only now sinking in for some voters.

Grant, a senior from Staley High School, had been excited to vote for the first time. “I just turned 18 last month, so I’m really glad I can finally vote,” he said. “It feels good to know I actually have a say in stuff that affects

See Voters on page 3

Former President Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris after earning 312 electoral votes over Harris’ 226.

Abby Beagel Editor-in-Chief The race for president wasn’t the only imporant thing on ballots in Missouri.

Missouri voters came out to make their voices heard on numerous subjects.

Key election results for Missouri includes the following: MO Amendment 2: Passed narrowly, 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent, allowing

legal betting on licensed sporting events for individuals 21 and older.

MO Amendment 3: Passed with 52 percent to 48 percent support, affirming bodily autonomy for women following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs that overturned Roe v. Wade and returned decision-making power to states.

See Missouri on page 3

GRAPHIC COURTESY/270towin.com

In This Issue: Opinion..................2 News...................3-4

OPINION

Page 2 NOVEMBER 15, 2024

“Is it Crazy?” - The 45th and 47th President D.J.T. Damon Grosvenor Editor Donald J. Trump, former president and current president-elect of the United States, is now the second person in American history to win nonconsecutive terms. Kamala Harris is now proven to be the least electable candidate in history, surpassing even Hillary Clinton. While we probably won’t know the actual electoral count until next week, when Arizona finishes counting their re-mailed mailedin ballots, Trump has made it over the 270 benchmark in the electoral college.

And to make matters worse for Harris and Biden’s legacy, Trump is currently on track to take the popular vote (even with California’s delayed final count) and has taken all of the “blue wall” states.

It seems that abortion did not help Harris. Here in Missouri, Amendment 3 passed narrowly, 52 percent yes to 48 percent no, while Trump took the state by over 18 points. This shows that either many people only voted top of the ballot and/or never turned the ballot to the back, or it shows that at least 10 percent of Missouri voters supported Amendment 3 and Trump. The race for the gubernatorial race was a blowout for Republican Mike Kehoe, who won by over 20 points against Democrat Crystal Quade. For the voters in Missouri, there was a delinking of abortion from party. This could be cast as evidence that Trump was correct in his belief that placing the abortion question at the state level would help remove it from national and party politics.

Harris was a tremendously weak candidate. This needs to be top of mind for Democrats. She was unable to sell herself to Independents and has proven the Barack Obama voter coalition was his coalition, not the party’s. According to MSNBC’s Joy Reid, it was the fault of white women failing to “change the way that they interacted with the patriarchy.”

For Maxine Waters, it was simply “Racism.” But, Reid and Waters fail to

see that Harris performed weakly with all minority demographics and maintained her share of the White women vote.

In 2008, according to Roper Center at Cornell University, Obama won 95 percent of the Black vote and 67 percent of the Hispanic vote. NBC’s Exit Polls show Harris only won 86 percent of the Black vote and 53 percent of the Latino vote. For reference, in 2020, Biden won 92 percent of the Black vote and 59 percent of the Latino vote. For women, Biden and Harris won 47 percent of White women in 2020 and 2024. So it doesn’t seem to be a White woman problem like Reid presents, nor a race problem like Waters said.

Rather, Harris ran the worst campaign she could have. She waited far too long, over a month, to establish herself and her platform after she was anointed the Democratic candidate.

She failed to separate herself from the Biden administration, even going so far as to say, “there is not a thing that comes to mind” to

differentiate her future presidency from Biden’s current one. Her biggest regret of the season will be choosing Tim Walz, Governor of solidly Democratic Minnesota, over Josh Shapiro, governor of the battleground state that won Trump the election by a narrow margin. And her closing statement was not one of vibes and Brat energy, but fear mongering about Trump’s alleged Hitlerian second term.

She took the Internet brain rot from farleft corners of the Internet and put it front and center in her campaign message. This was not perceived by voters as authentic, but rather a desperate measure to fix her collapsing campaign.

Donald Trump did not lose any votes from 2020. In fact, he increased his vote count by a million. He made inroads with the the majority of Latino men and a larger than expected share of Black men.

Harris on the other hand managed to lose 8 million votes from 2020.

So, where did those votes go? Why didn’t they vote for

her? Did they go for Trump? If so, why?

Democrats are going to have to look in the mirror to figure out why 15 million Americans decided not to vote this time around for their party. Is it racism? Is it misogyny? If they land on that reason for their loss, then they will have made the critical error of the past decade. Identity politics is poison to their electoral wishes.

The reason is probably because of the second take away I discussed. She was a bad candidate who ran a bad campaign.

Perhaps they should take the advice of their now failed candidate and be unburdened by what has been.

Staff List Editor-in-chief Abby Beagel

Assist. Editor-in-Chief Matalyn Smith Design Editors

Marcus Castro Taylor Crims Damon Grosvenor Destiny Pearson Francisco Reyes

Reporters

Lorenzo Leone Danny Burger PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/Damon Grosvenor

Adviser

Melody Alexander

NEWS

Page 3 November 15, 2024

Missouri restores abortion rights Taylor Crims Reporter On Nov. 5, 51.6 percent of Missourians voted in favor of Amendment 3, which allows individuals who are pregnant to have an abortion up to the period of fetal viability, around 24 weeks. Counties with the highest “yes” votes included Jackson, St. Louis and St. Charles.

After the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022, abortions were effectively banned in Missouri unless the pregnancy posed an imminent threat to the mother’s life.

Even with the new legislation, Planned

Parenthood has sued the state and other parties to ensure the organization can resume procedures on Dec. 5. The lawsuit states that “the right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, interfered with, delayed or otherwise restricted.” The abortion process still requires a 72-hour waiting period involving exams before the procedure can begin.

Missouri senators, including Josh Hawley and Mary Elizabeth Coleman, may take steps to reverse the ruling, though it is unclear how. Seven other states—Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New York and Maryland—have also secured abortion rights.

Right, people at an election night watch party celebrate after an abortion rights amendment to the Missouri constitution passed Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Kansas City, MO.

Voters Continued from page 1 all of us.” For many young voters who were too young to vote in 2020, this year felt like the first real chance to make an impact on the future.

Azure, a senior at Park University, also cast her first presidential ballot this year.

“I’ve waited a long time to feel like my vote counts,” she explained. “It felt like a chance to finally be heard. And while I’m happy with a lot of the Amendments that were passed, I just hope we can keep these important issues on the national agenda—regardless of who’s in office.”

Young voters like Grant and Azure care deeply about issues affecting their generation, from climate change to economic challenges like inflation and rising housing costs. “Climate change is a big deal since it’s only going to get worse as we get older,” Grant noted. Azure added that financial pressures like housing costs, student debt, and big concerns around women’s rights weigh heavily on her mind. “It’s hard to stay hopeful when it

feels like our generation’s issues face so much resistance,” she said.

Voting for the first time had its own challenges, especially with so much conflicting information out there. “It’s hard to know where to start with all the info out there,” Grant admitted. Both he and Azure noted that while social media is a go-to for staying informed, it’s often difficult to tell fact from opinion, which makes finding reliable information a struggle for young voters. Researching the issues that mattered most took effort, and first-time voters quickly realized how complex the process can be.

Even though the election outcome wasn’t what everyone wanted, the experience of voting has motivated many young people to stay engaged in politics.

“This election has shown me how much it matters to keep paying attention,” Azure reflected. “Even if things didn’t go the way I hoped, I want to keep up with what’s going on.” Grant shared a similar feeling, saying that he’s aware of how important it is to stay informed.

For many first-time voters, casting a

PHOTO COURTESY/Charlie Riedel ballot this year marked a meaningful step into citizenship—a chance to exercise their voice and contribute to the country’s future. While mixed emotions linger after

the results, young people are walking away with a renewed sense of responsibility to stay engaged, make a difference, and advocate for the issues that matter most.

Missouri Continued from page 1 MO Amendment 5: Failed to pass, 52 percent to 48 percent, rejecting a new casino in the Lake of Ozarks.

MO Amendment 6: Failed to pass, 61 percent to 39 percent, court fees will not be authorized for law enforcement retirement benefits.

MO Amendment 7: Passed with 68 percent to 32 percent, ranked choice voting and noncitizen voting will be prohibited.

MO Prop A: Passed 57 percent to 42 percent, raising the Missouri minimum wage to $13.75 per hour in January 2025, with an increase to $15 per hour in 2026.

Beginning in 2027, minimum wage will be based on changes in the Consumer Price Index each January. Additionally, requiring all employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked.

Missouri’s gubernatorial race resulted in a decisive win for Mike Kehoe (R), who defeated Crystal Wade (D) by over 20 points. Kehoe will succeed Mike Parson (R) as governor, a position Parson has held since 2018.

Additionally, Josh Hawley (R) will continue to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate, defeating Lucas Kunce (D). He has held this position since 2019.

NEWS

Page 4 November 15, 2024

Sports betting legalized for MO professional sports Marcus Castro Editor Following the 2024 elections on Nov. 5, Missouri voters have approved an amendment to legalize sports betting in the state.

The majority of Missourians voted in favor of legalizing sports betting for all six professional teams in Missouri and for casinos within the state. According to Kacen Bayless of The Kansas City Star, unofficial results from the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office show the amendment narrowly passed with 50.1 percent voting yes and 49.9 percent voting no.

If the legislation receives final approval, it will go into effect by Dec. 1, 2025. This would grant licenses for sports betting to the following Missouri teams: National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs, Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Kansas City Royals, National Women’s Soccer League’s Kansas City Current, National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues, MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Soccer’s St. Louis City SC. According to Bayless, the teams, alongside mobile sports betting operators like FanDuel and DraftKings, have been funding the campaign to legalize sports betting. Missouri is the latest state to legalize sports betting, a move that has long been in the works. A key element of the new legislation is that a significant portion of sports betting revenue will benefit Missouri’s education system, from elementary schools to higher education institutions.

However, skepticism surrounds the amendment. One group, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment, opposes the measure. According to

PHOTO COURTESY/Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the professional sports teams that Missourians will be able to bet on under the new sports betting amendment.

KCUR, a National Public Radio affiliate, spokesperson Brooke Foster claims the amendment will not benefit Missouri’s educational institutions as promised. Instead, Foster and the group argue that the revenue will primarily benefit companies like FanDuel and DraftKings.

While sports betting can contribute to economic benefits, such as job creation, increased tourism, and com-

petitive advantages with other states, concerns remain about the impact on people with gambling addictions.

This legislation is yet to be implemented in Missouri, but its effects may soon be evident as fans place bets on the outcomes of local sports events, including Chiefs and Royals games.

Minimum wage to increase thanks to Prop A Taylor Crims Reporter On Nov. 5, nearly 58 percent of Missouri voters opted in favor of Proposition A, which would increase the state’s minimum wage to $13.75 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2025. By 2026, it will increase to $15 per hour. The wage will then be adjusted by inflation annually afterwards.

The state has only increased the minimum wage twice in the last 18 years: in 2006 and again in 2018. In addition to the increase, Missouri employers will also be

required to give each employee 1 hour of sick pay per 30 hours worked. Mia Sanders, someone who has been employed at a Walmart for a year and half, sees Proposition A in a positive light.

“I don’t make minimum wage anymore, but I think it would have really helped when I did,” Sanders said. “If I had just a little extra bit of money, I may have been able to move out on my own.” This is the sentiment that has been expressed by many. Missouri Workers Center is an organization that fights for fair wages for commonly low-paid workers across var-

ious industries. Terrence Wise, who is employed at a McDonald’s in Kansas City, has been organizing for several years with others to fight for a minimum wage of $15 an hour. He expressed to KCUR that he felt a sense of power coming together with others to fight for this cause and that anything could be done through organizing.

Opposing views are still present, however. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce collectively and publicly opposed the proposition. Kara Corches, president and CEO of the organization, explained

in an interview on St. Louis Public Radio that the decision is unfavorable to small businesses.

“Our philosophy has really been driven on the principal of letting businesses decide,” Corches said. “In a free enterprise system, we strongly believe that the bedrock of such free enterprise is allowing business owners to make their own decisions on how to run their workplaces.

This is creating a mandate for businesses of all sizes across the state and we really don’t think businesses should have a onesize-fits-all approach.”