February 2021 Prospective: Election Edition

Vol. 1, Issue 2

PROSPECTIVE

P

February 2021

j a Election EDITION

PROSPECTIVE Bryant High School 801 N. Reynolds Rd Bryant, AR 72022 501.847.5605

Editors Carly Lidzy Emily Rutledge

Photo Editor Sophia Ocampo

Designers Carly Lidzy Emily Rutledge

Photographers Sophia Ocampo Michael Suddeth Portugal Diaz

Videographer Cameron James

Writers Bella Herring Jack Clay Carly Lidzy Emily Rutledge Kaycee Browning Lydia Payne Laci Womack Julia Trantham Isabella Odom Chelsea Nwankwo Anna Barnes

Adviser Lisa Stine

Cover Design Editor Carly Lidzy

A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

W

ith many students coming of age to vote in the 2020 presidential election, the coverage of this event was a necessity. We have split up our coverage between national news and local news, zooming out to cover the overall election, but also examining how it has impacted students and our community. We strive to remain unbiased and fair to both parties, using reliable sources and factual information. Our stories range from the facts of the election to the juxtaposition of differing student opinions in an effort to understand both sides. We have also ensured that our coverage is evenly distributed to represent a variety of perspectives.

To gather information for our coverage, we sent out a survey for students to fill out, with the option to remain anonymous. Several of these responses have been included on the editorial spread, as well as in stories where that information is relevant.

The responses from the survey demonstrated the extent to which the division we have within our nation is present in our own school walls. With some students claiming that Biden’s win will fix “everything Trump did wrong,” and others claiming that when Biden is inaugurated, “the world is going to fall apart,” opinions were greatly polarized.

Some students expressed strong emotion, even feeling the need to insert expletives regarding both candidates.

It is this major divide within our nation and our own school that prompted us to write our editorial over unity and our ability as people and as a student body to listen and seek to understand instead of being divided by the events within our country. Because regardless of who won the election, we are still one nation, and we need one another to survive.

CONTENTS

04 06 08 10 12 14 16

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

A summary of the plans Biden has for the U.S. after his inauguration as the 46th President.

ELECTION FRAUD AND LAWSUITS

A look into election fraud claims, the lawsuits that have been filed and student opinions.

TRUMP’S LEGACY After former President Trump’s four years in office, how are students, along with the country, going to remember him?

EDITORIAL: DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA A call for unity and accountability as we move forward together into 2021.

LET’S TALK POLITICS A Q&A with two students with opposing political opinions about why they hold their beliefs.

VOTER APATHY With only 55% of eligible Arkansan voters participating in this election, students share why it is important to vote.

FRENCH HILL RE-ELECTED

Along with the presidential election, state Sen. Joyce Elliot and Rep. French Hill went head-to-head for House District 2.

Students were asked to describe how Biden’s presidency will change the country in a recent survey. Here is what they said:

division within our country. heavy taxes and less jobs. more peace, less chaos. abortion rates will rise.

COVID will be taken more seriously. racial relations will improve. lowered poverty rate. everything will go downhill. minority groups will have a chance to be heard. regulations will be more strict. chaos will decrease. extreme conservatives will finally be put in thier place. prices with gas and other kinds of fuel will continue to rise. higher minimum wage. better climate change provisions. a decline in the quality of healthcare. more dependence on the government. more action for human rights. relationships with other countries. less drama. equal opportunity. a better job at handling the virus. more inclination to fix the racial inequalities in this country. something better than Trump. a better representation of people of color and people a part of the LGBTQ+ community. unrest in the Republican party. more drugs and murder. lower poverty rate. not much change. an unstable economy. the rebuilding of this country. more division. progressive reform. the inability to afford most things. more strict regulations. social happiness. destruction of everything. a lockdown. increase in government power. collective rights over individual rights. closure of businesses.

BIDEN WILL Bring...

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national | Feb 2020

the biden administration

Y

“Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans.

All Americans. And I promise you, I will fight just as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.”

President Joe Biden was inaugurated into office Jan. 20, and he has big plans for his first 100 days. Along with tackling the coronavirus pandemic, Biden has plans to slow the spread of COVID-19, make the U.S. an international leader on climate change and produce comprehensive immigration legislation.

After only five days in office, Biden signed 30 executive orders, with 17 signed on his first day in office. These executive orders span from immigration issues to workplace discrimination to canceling the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Before stepping into office, Biden announced his team of coronavirus advisors, led by Dr. David Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Dr. Carcella Nunez-Smith, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Yale School of Medicine and Vivek Mirthy, the United States Surgeon General from 2014 to 2017.

Along with this task force, Biden has released a vaccine distribution plan with a goal to reach one hundred million vaccine doses in 100 days, which some claim to be ambitious, but also within reach. On average, the U.S. has seen 700,000 to 800,000 vaccines a day, with few days that have reached the million mark. Claire Hannan, the head of the Association of Immunization Managers, claims that states need a dynamic surge in vaccine supply and reliable projections on what to expect for the weeks to come. But federal changes have been made to speed up vaccine

administration, and states have been criticized for slow vaccine distribution.

To combat the slow vaccine distribution, as of Feb. 2 the Biden administration has announced that 1 million vaccine doses will be shipped out to approximately 6,500 pharmacies across the country. The new distribution plan is aiming to eventually expand to over 40,000 pharmacies, including major outlets such as CVS and Walgreens.

As well as the vaccine plan, Biden has issued a mask mandate for federal property and all public transport, including airplanes, trains and busses.

Biden has also rejoined the World Health Organization (WHO) after former President Donald Trump pulled out of the organization in July of 2020.

Outside the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden has also begun to rejoin the U.S. with the Paris Climate Agreement and step up the U.S.’s climate change agenda. Jamal Brown, Biden’s campaign press secretary, has stated that Biden has come up with at least 10 executive actions regarding climate change within the US, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions via transportation by implementing the Clean Air Act, using the federal government procurement system to push toward 100% clean energy and zero-emissions vehicles and requiring public companies to disclose climate risks and their greenhouse gas emissions in their operations and supply chains.

challenges at the southern border,” and has revoked a Trump-era policy that held strict rules for communities known for shielding undocumented immigrants from deportation. He has also signed an executive order to incorporate undocumented immigrants into the national decennial population count, overturing Trump’s attempt to exclude them from the 2020 census.

In addition to the more lax immigration laws along the U.S.-Mexico border, Biden has also retracted the Trump era Muslim travel ban, which banned travel from several majority-Muslim countries, affecting refugees from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. By lifting this ban, there will now be an improvement of visitor screenings and strengthening of information sharing with foreign countries and their governments.

Biden also enacted an executive order Jan. 20 that reinstated Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which works toward the preservation and fortification of DACA and its recipients.

The Obama-era program has shielded undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children from deportation, and has been heavily limited since Trump tried to end the program in 2017. Because of Biden’s new order, an immediate pathway to citizenship for those within the program will be implemented soon.

WRITER | Carly Lidzy

The U.S. will also be seeing some immigration changes. In late October of 2020, Biden pledged to sign an executive order to create a task force to help reunite the families torn apart along the U.S.Mexico border during the Trump era, but has yet to sign any order pertaining to this specific issue as of Jan. 27. But Biden has promised to “address the humanitarian

national | feb 2020

05

Students were asked whether they believed there was voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Here is what they said:

“There is evidence bro”

“Dead people were voting”

“I really just don’t know” “Check the charts” “Employees were throwing ballots away”

“I wouldn’t know”

false election

DIVIde

“No question” “I don’t believe there was enough to flip the election” “yes and no” “There is no evidence”

A

s the House and Senate gathered to certify the Electoral College votes Jan. 6, a riotous mob gathered outside with the intent to stop them. The spectacle was a climactic moment for those who have denied the results of the 2020 presidential election, but the falsehood that it was stolen existed long before any vote was cast.

Senior Brandon Geissler shared the concerns of many that the election was potentially fraudulent.

“I believe Trump and his supporters had the right to a legal and democratic challenge of the election that would take place in the courts,” Geissler said.

“Trump’s administration was granted this, and not enough evidence was found to change hardly any votes at all.”

Geissler, a Trump supporter, expressed frustration with Trump’s persistence with claims of election fraud.

“I was on board with a legal and democratic process utilizing the courts to investigate if there was large scale fraud that would have significantly altered the election results,”

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national | Feb 2020

“I beli “They were c that should

“Joe Biden fake vo

“Trump lost. That’s it.”

Geissler said. “That being said, the courts repeatedly struck down these claims saying there wasn’t enough evidence to support the assertion, and therefore, I do not agree with him continuing to say there was fraud to a point where the election would have had a different outcome.”

that must be made at the state level and not anything that has been found to have made a significant enough difference in this election,” he said.

“In the long term, the party will be able to heal itself if we are able to return to the values and ideals that brought us together to begin with.”

“The recent events at the Capitol have one hundred percent been an overstepping of the boundaries and something I am not afraid to condemn,” Geissler said. “It was one of the saddest days in modern American political history, if not the saddest. I have been a firm supporter of President Trump throughout his time in office; however, the recent events and since the results of fraud were denied in the courts have made me lose a great deal of support for him. My support for him has been weakened drastically over the last several weeks with his continued rhetoric of the election being fraudulent and rigged despite not having enough evidence to prove these claims in court.”

“ “

Geissler does, however, support pursuing structural change through the states, rather than searching for inconsistencies at the national level.

“I do still believe the election process is flawed to an extent with some local irregularities, but these are changes

Geissler’s waning support was compounded by the events of Jan. 6 at the Capitol Building and the President’s volatile rhetoric.

The claims, which include false accusations that Hugo Chavez, the former and deceased Venezuelan President, changed votes from Trump to Biden through his ownership

“There was video evidence” ieve that there were errors” counting votes “Possible mistakes, “Biden used the same system dn’t count” not fraud” as Clinton”

fraud claims

“They double-checked”

voters

“It’s more likely there wasn’t fraud rather than that there was”

“With mail-ins, many made up could have easily cheated” otes” “Not all people were able to vote” of voting machines; allegations that Pennsylvania poll workers altered votes, when in reality, they were fixing damaged ballots, and that Dominion Voting Systems, a voting machine company, had been compromised by foreign interference, are entirely incorrect. Two of President Trump’s Lawyers, Rudy Giuliani and Sydney Powell, are being sued by Dominion Voting Systems for defamation.

Another way that people are refuting these claims is by increasing transparency into the election process, including Gabriel Sterling, a Republican election official in Georgia who gave a press conference Dec. 6 detailing the legitimacy of the election.

“One of the things specifically I’ve had to argue with people whom I’ve known for 20 years, they say, ‘Well, we feel like our election was stolen. We feel like our votes don’t count,’” Sterling said. “And I said, ‘Okay, I’m not acknowledging that the election was stolen, because it wasn’t. I’m not acknowledging that there was massive voter fraud, because there wasn’t.’ But I said, ‘But if you believe in your heart of hearts that there was, the best thing for you to do is to turn out and vote and make it

harder for them to steal. If that’s what you genuinely in your heart of hearts believe, turn out and vote. There are people who fought and died and marched and prayed and voted to get the right to vote. Throwing it away because you have some feeling that it may not matter is self-destructive ultimately and a self fulfilling prophecy in the end.’”

Sterling then spoke directly to the President about his continued denial of his loss.

“Mr. President, it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia,” Sterling said. “We’re investigating, there’s always a possibility, I get it, and you have the right to go through the courts. You need to step up and say this... stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone is going to get hurt. Someone is going to get shot. Someone is going to get killed. And it’s not right.”

“I’ve seen videos of people ripping up ballots”

right now within the party between those who want to contest the election further and the ones who are ready to move on,” Geissler said. “Obviously, it doesn’t look good currently, but I think in the long term, the party will be able to heal itself if we are able to return to the values and ideals that brought us together to begin with. I also believe a very large majority of young Republicans and conservatives understand this and will be able to help bring the party back together in the future in a common effort to further our party’s goals and political influence on the future of our country.”

WRITER | Jack Clay

Sterling was correct, as the claims allegedly resulted in the Capitol riot that ended with five people dead. The Capitol riots have driven a split between Republicans, making many of them decide whether or not the disproven theories have a place in their party.

“There is definitely a great deal of division

national | feb 2020

07

The Trump Legacy

Students remember President Trump’s term

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n the last three Wednesdays of President Donald Trump’s term, he faced an insurrection, then an impeachment and finally the inauguration of his successor.

Trump was uncharacteristically absent from each, not outright leading but also not unequivocally condemning the rioters he loosed on the Capitol Building while remaining silent on his impeachment and refusing to attend his successor’s inauguration, a first in modern American history. With Trump’s tenure in office at a close, Americans are putting the pieces of his term together and trying to figure out how he will be remembered by generations to come. Among them is Trump supporter senior Brodie Horton.

“I think in the near future, he will still be looked at with criticism and harshness, but as years go by, people will look kinder upon him and his presidency,” Horton said. “History tends to view presidents with more grace than when they were in office. I don’t think he would be remembered poorly along with Hoover and Andrew Johnson, nor will he be looked at along with greats like Lincoln or Washington, but in the middle.”

Another task faced by historians weaving the last four years into the tapestry of American history will be to characterize Trump himself accurately. Horton believes that in order to do that, his fighting spirit must be front and center.

“I would probably say that President Trump is a fighter,” Horton said. “To me, there’s no denying that regardless of opinion on him. To me, his willingness to pursue what he wants is probably one of his more well-known traits. He doesn’t seem to back down. Now, sometimes it’s good, and other times it can lead you to wonder why he would go down a certain path. However, I would still describe him as a fighter.”

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Local | Feb 2020

Horton’s opinion isn’t unanimous, though. When posed the same question about a word to describe President Trump as a person, senior and Student Senate Vice President William Alverio offered up the word “manipulative.”

He also sees a more critical future for President Trump and his political allies.

“Honestly, I believe that history will do the justice that current Republican politicians and lawmakers are afraid of,” Alverio said. “Of course, there will always be those who are staunch in their beliefs and will continue to speak about Trump with joy, but the vast majority of future scholars, educators, lawmakers, etc. will remember him as one of the most divisive presidents in American history, and the first president to be upset about losing an election.”

While other presidents have, in fact, been upset about election losses, none have incited insurrection against Congress to prevent losing power, as impeachment proceedings passed by the House accuse President Trump. With these disagreements over how Trump will be reported on in the future, it also may be worth noting how he is reported on now, though that, too, falls into controversy.

“I think there are times when he receives criticism that is unwarranted, and there are definitely times where he, as well as every other president we’ve had, deserved criticism,” Horton said. “I remember a time at the beginning of his presidency when one of the media’s top stories was that Trump decided to get two scoops of ice cream. Criticism like that is certainly unwarranted.

However, there are other times that even I, a supporter, have criticized him.”

When the tables are turned, agrees, saying that there are substantial actions to without delving into fake

Alverio enough criticize outrage.

“I believe that the praise he gets is unfair,” Alverio said. “While he did do some good, such as the First Step Act [a racial equity program], the majority of what he did wasn’t positive. In the world’s eyes, we are fools. He has made a laughing-stock of the President’s role in foreign and domestic politics and not done an adequate job to ensure domestic tranquility, which is in the Constitution of the United States.”

Beyond concerns of politics and precedent, for some, it is much harder to materially point to ways that the Trump Administration directly impacted American lives.

“Luckily, none of President Trump’s executive orders pre-COVID impacted me directly, but the inaction of the President in support of relief, policy and so forth have greatly affected my family,” Alverio said.

“Instead of encouraging Congress to pass relief and work together--not including the support for a $2,000 stimulus check instead of $600--he has instead disputed the results of an American pillar: the election. On top of that, the President has also not acknowledged the deaths of COVID-19 victims as tragic, and has incited the insurrection and has been an oppressionist towards LGBTQ+ and minority American groups. I know that the constant delusion the President lives in has not only affected my life, but also the lives of millions of American people.”

Horton, though, is more troubled by how the President’s brashness led to the deplatforming of conservative voices.

“I would definitely say that it has become harder to voice your opinion as a conservative these past years under his presidency,” Horton said. “Being a teenager, there haven’t been many pieces of legislation or direct actions of his that impacted me. However, his presidency has infuriated those who differ from him

Students were asked to describe Trump’s character and legacy in a recent survey. Here is what they said:

politically, leading to what I would describe as a suppression of conservative ideals.”

Despite the volatile nature of his rhetoric, though, Horton still carries an appreciation for Trump’s instrumental role in the last four years.

“I will remember him as a man who was well-off, with no political experience or aspirations, who didn’t like what he saw in this country, and decided to act on it,” Horton said. “As someone who wants to find a career in politics, I admire those, on both sides, who act on their ideas and pursue change in this way. He was given no chance to even win the Republican nomination back in 2016, and did, even winning another election he was given no shot at that year. His presidency certainly changed politics in America, and I think everyone can say there’s never been a dull moment. I’ll remember him as the businessman that didn’t have to run for president, but chose to in order to create change that he wanted to see.”

Alverio wouldn’t offer up kind words for the President, though, instead pointing to how his poor 2020 election performance paved the way for key victories for the Democratic party.

“I will definitely not conflate him with anything positive; his words, actions and policies have greatly increased divisions between the Democratic and Republican parties, and his inaction during this pandemic has been the downfall of many local businesses livelihoods, etc.,” Alverio said. “When recounting the past four years to my children, grandchildren and students in the future, I will not have anything positive to say except that we got our first female, African American and Asian Vice President, Madam Kamala Harris.”

WRITER | Jack Clay

economically successful. a joke. a mistake. legendary. the maker of a great america. terrifying. cool. bold. embarrassing. a disaster. controversial. dividing. historical. unfiltered. motivated. patriotic. passionate. ignorant. the worst. arrogant. unfit. a racist. a liar. a great businessman. intelligent. corrupt. experienced. orange. misunderstood. unique. selfish. honorable. stupid. conceited. funny. smart. contributing. immature. crucial. life-changing. one of the greatest. misleading. ruined by the media. lazy. idiotic. destructive. a nightmare. outstanding. sincere. tragic. needed. caring. a buffoon. annoying. stuck up. a true leader. brutally honest. loyal. narcassistic. intelligent. amazing. strong-willed. terrible. perserverant. egotistical. childish. ignorant. a genius of business. the cause of a widened gap between ideologies. crazy. determined. delusional. apathetic. a winner. quirky. transphobic. complicated. talkative. xenophobic. prepared. overconfident. a poor diplomat. blunt. illiterate. comical. a clown. a pervert. old. disgusting. flawed. educated. a hypocrite. a great american. two-faced. cocky.

TRUMP WAS...

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united states of america DIVIDED

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he Melting Pot. The Land of Opportunity, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All. A country supposedly built on unity and equity is, in reality, home to much turmoil and injustice.

Despite learning in history classes that we are a “great melting pot” society, we tend to reject new ideas and change, and that is evident through our actions and the corruption we have created. In a time when we need unity the most, we are failing to hold our leaders, and ourselves, accountable for our actions toward one another.

Every four years, the disagreements and discussions start up as we begin to select our nation’s next president, but the 2020 presidential election has been far more turbulent than years prior. This election year has been filled with fighting, rioting and even a group of insurrectionists who were unhappy with the election results storming our nation’s Capitol. As a nation that is supposed to pride itself on the differences of its citizens, this one disagreement is enough to split us apart.

In a survey, 208 students shared their opinions regarding the 2020 presidential election, with 41.8% supporting former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, and 42.8% supporting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

While some students expressed concern over sharing their beliefs in fear of

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editorial | Feb 2020

judgment, others had no problem referring to Trump as a “racist,” “homophobic” “buffoon” and Biden as a “mentally unstable,” “incompetent” “pedophile.”

Students have attacked each other on social media, online forums and even in person due to clashing political views.

Many feel silenced, because they know that if they speak their opinions, they will become a target of the opposing party. While it is important to express our beliefs and difference in opinions, it is not acceptable to weaponize those opinions and use them against others.

We have seen protests and riots spanning from the U.S. Capitol to our own state capitol. Peaceful human rights protests have ended with tear gas, rubber bullets and bloodshed. An innocent man, who pleaded for his life as he was unable to breathe, died after officers knelt on his neck for over eight minutes.

Two officers took their own lives after fighting the Capitol insurrection and witnessing the corrupted state of our nation. There has been so much pain, on both a physical and emotional level.

But rather than finding ways to fight our common enemies--the ongoing pandemic, systemic racism, climate change, political extremism and poverty, we have fought one another.

Having a society where everyone believes the same thing is an impossible and ignorant wish, but it is our civic duty to sit down and listen to what others are saying and work toward solutions, rather

than fight. We must be willing to change our minds when presented with new evidence. But even if our opinions do not change, listening and understanding the views of others creates empathy, which can lead our society to a place of compromise and understanding.

We can fight the pandemic. We can amend society’s flaws--the hatred, violence, anger and hopelessness we have faced. We can conquer nativism, fear, inequality and disease. We can make the country better, shape it to be a land of liberty and justice for all, as it should be.

But we, the people who form this democracy, must be committed to making changes in order to do so. Before we can hold each other accountable, we must first examine how we have each contributed to society’s problems, taking an honest look in the mirror. Then, we may put forth the effort to ease this tension by listening to each other’s ideas and embracing differences rather than fighting them. We the people, who truly seek a more perfect union, may obtain it only if we view one another as companions rather than adversaries.

The more we continue to fight and hate, demonizing people who do not agree with us, the more tension will begin to grow, until it is so deeply rooted it cannot be stopped. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

64.9%

208 students surveyed

17.2 other18.7

Moderate

“

our age “ People shouldn’t make

29.6 conservative 34.5 liberal

I don’t like this two party thing we got going, it’s too split. I would rather have somebody who is in between than an extreme on either side.

50.7% 50.7% of students believed there was voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election

“

BIDEN

42.8%

VS

our political views our personality, and they should take the time to develop an opinion instead of reflecting the far left or far right media.

“

Top Political Views

64.9% of students share the same political ideologies as their parents.

TRUMP 41.8%

Out of 208 student responses, 42.8% of students claimed they did, or would have, voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, while 41.8% claimed they would have, or did, vote for Donald Trump. The remaining 15.4% claimed they would have voted third party, or not at all.

editorial | feb 2020

11

Connor Rennels, 12 Q: Do you support Trump or Biden?

A: Oh, Biden, of course, the lesser of two evils. He claims that he’s gonna raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, his climate change proposal is looking very promising and his capital gains tax is going to go back up to 40%, which is actually higher than it was at its peak with Jimmy Carter.

Socialist

Q: Out of the initial 2020 presidential candidates, who did you support the most?

A: Bernie Sanders. I support him because he is a socialist and so am I. I also don’t like the mainstream way of the party right now, and [Sanders] was kind of a Democrat outsider.

I actually sank $100 into his campaign whenever it was first getting off the ground.

Q: What are youR top three political values?

A: First off, workers rights, making sure that capitalists are not exploiting their workers, because working class people are the backbone of the country. Another one would be what we’re doing with the climate, making sure we’re using renewable energy sources and that we’re not pandering to the oil industry. Our military escapades are one that I’m actually very interested in as well, because America still has an innate ability to go into foreign countries, coup their militaries and then leave the country that they just ransacked in shambles.

Q: What do you look for in a president?

A: A president should be for the people. I look for who finances their campaign, are they going to be for corporate interests or are they going to be for the workers. I also look at their background and experience in public service. I think the final thing that I would look for is just their views on the state of America. I want someone who’s going to try to change the country fundamentally, because it’s not working right now.

Q: How well do you think President Trump handled the coronavirus pandemic?

A: Not well at all. I just think that he wasn’t equipped well to be president, much less control a pandemic. To have someone so inexperienced at running a government, to have him try and work with all these moving parts and keep all this running, it just wasn’t gonna happen. He was just too inexperienced and he didn’t take it seriously at all.

Q: Are masks necessary to combat the coronavirus?

A: Yes, for sure. You can argue about how effective they are, but to me, I’d rather be safe than sorry. If all of the scientists are saying ‘Wear your mask,’ and it doesn’t harm me in any way to wear it all, then why would I not wear it?

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feature | Feb 2020

let’s poli Q: Should Arkansas go on lockdown?

A: If we do go on lockdown, the only people it’s going to hurt are low income citizens. That’s the only reason I don’t support a lockdown, because I know they will be in jeopardy, but I do think that large restrictions on gatherings should be placed, such as banning church gatherings. People aren’t wearing masks at religious services and it’s just spreading it.

Q: What do you think about the Jan. 6 insurrection at the capitOl? A: I believe wholeheartedly in people’s right to protest, even if that protest gets a little bit violent sometimes. I think this was the first time in a long time that the members of Congress have actually been scared of the people. I don’t support MAGA in any way, but I think that sometimes you need to shake up the system a little bit to have them hear you.

INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY | Kaycee B PHOTOS BY | Sophia Ocampo

Q: Out of the initial 2020 presidential candidates, who did you support most in the beginning?

A: Donald Trump. I didn’t agree with a lot of the things done and said by other candidates, not to mention my moral opinion just didn’t align with a lot of them.

Was it a fair election? No. But ultimately, Joe Biden won, no matter how he won. The best thing we can do is move on and say, ‘Okay, well that’s not how that should have happened, but we’re going to remain peaceful through it and allow the transition to happen and deal with the after effects.

Q: What are your top 3 political values?

A: Abortion, gun laws, and freedom of speech. We had all this chaos over 2020 with the riots and peaceful protests and everyone was talking about the 2nd amendment, so that became a big discussion last year.

Q: What do you look for in a president?

A: I need someone who needs to stick up for what’s right, even if it doesn’t seem like the most obvious thing to do in the moment, and someone who isn’t scared to take criticism. I’m very much pro-life and pro-gun, just any constitutional rights granted to us, so everything down that side of the party line I would like to see in a president.

Q: Who won the 2020 election?

A: By all technical standards, Joe Biden won, because that’s the way our election system works, but at the same time, there were a lot of things that you look at and think ‘Okay, that was questionable.’

Q: Are masks necessary to combat the coronavirus?

A: Yes, we just need more thorough ways of assessing them. Some states did not implement a need for them early on so we could be done with this.

talk itics

Browning

Q: How well do you think that Trump handled the coronavirus pandemic?

A: I think he handled it well because he handed it to the states. The problem in Arkansas was a lot of people in the beginning didn’t take it seriously.

Just because COVID has a small percentage of people doesn’t mean we aren’t gonna get it. Trump tried to do travel bans and the left called him racist, but we should’ve had those.

Q: Do you think Arkansas should go on complete lockdown?

A: I don’t think we need to go on complete lockdown, but we need to protect those who are at high risk. People in nursing homes need to go on lockdown, and as far as school, we need to have the option to stay home.

Q: What do you think about the jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol?

A: The people who stormed the capitol are uneducated and need to realize that this is how our system works. It wasn’t just a riot, there was a peaceful protest going on that had no violence, just people there to show their support for Trump ruined by the uneducated people.

Intersectionality allots people by their similarities and we give people specific values based on their history, and so when this happened, people said ‘Oh, it’s all the Republicans who support Trump.’ I’m a Republican, I support Trump and I don’t agree with what happened.

republican

Mackenzie Murphy, 12

Feature | feb 2020

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Students were asked why they think some eligible voters choose not to vote. Here is what they said:

“The amount of lies being spread”

“They depend on others”

“They don’t agree with candidates’ views”

“They don’t have en

“They don’t think their one vote will make a difference” “They think their vote will mean nothing” “They forgot”

VOTER A “They have not done their research”

“They don’t want to help either side out” “They are scared of the backlash”

T

he 2020 election was a recordbreaking year for voter turnout, with 66.3% of eligible voters participating, compared to 60.1% in 2016, according to the Washington Post.

Of 213 students polled, 85.4% were not eligible to vote, but of those eligible, over half claimed they had intentions to vote. While the percentage of voter apathy within our school was low, the state of Arkansas came in second to last for voter turnout, with only 56.1% of the eligible voting population participating.

Regardless of the state statistics, many students were more than willing to voice their opinion and vote in their first election.

Senior Zak Jones feels that everyone has a duty to make their input heard.

“I voted because I’m growing up in this country, and I want to have a say,” Jones said. “It’s very important to give your input, even if you don’t always get your way.”

Jones believed that a Biden presidency would mean a failing economy, so

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Jones voiced his support for Trump and voted with confidence in his opinion.

“I voted for Trump, because I was worried if a Democratic economic plan destroys the economy, people may stop caring about human rights and focus on economic stability,” Jones said. “There will be more equality [while Biden is in office], but it will be paired with a failing economy. No one will care about equality when the money is disrupted.”

Jones also notes the importance of youth voting for the future that they want to see.

“Possibly, the most important [thing] is just to get the ball rolling,” Jones said.

“If you don’t vote this year, it’s easier to justify not voting next year. The youth are the ones who have to deal with all the really long term effects of a president.

Old people vote, but they already have a life and safety net, so to speak. Youth are about to take out loans and build their life, so they have to make sure they’re helping to build the tomorrow they want.”

Senior Brodie Horton, also a Trump

“They are lazy”

“They are unsure of who supporter, agrees that voting is necessary for everyone, for both the experience and its impact.

“I’ve always been interested in politics, and voting is a part of the democratic process, so I voted,” Horton said.

“

“If you don’t vote this year, it’s easier to justify not voting next year.

The youth are the ones who have to deal with all the really long term effects of a president.”

“

“I think it’s a cool experience and one everyone should [get to] have.”

Horton considers voting a privilege and encourages people, especially

“Both parties had an over-whelming amount of cons”

nough information”

“They are not interested in politics”

“They don’t feel as if they know enough about certain issues”

APATHY “There are no good candidates”

“They do not feel safe” “They are apathetic”

“They think so many other people already vote”

o to vote for”

“Pure negligence”

“They don’t care”

“They just don’t want to”

adolescents who are able to vote, to take part in the process of democracy.

chosen Biden, because Trump has done nothing but cause havoc in America.”

and continue to voice their opinions and help the candidates they support.

“It’s important for people, especially young people, to vote, because it’s a constitutional right,” Horton said. “In fact, it’s a privilege to get to vote. In other countries around the world, not everyone in their country gets to vote. Lots of people come to this country just so they can have a say. It’s a great experience and a key role in our country’s democracy. Everyone that can voice their opinion should.”

Rideout believes everyone who is able to vote should take part in deciding their futures, as well as the future of the nation as a whole.

“Voting is only one way to be involved with the government and society as a whole,” Heatherly said. “Joining an interest group or donating to a campaign or volunteering for a cause or candidate can also be powerful ways to influence elections and political decisions.”

The 2020 election motivated many to educate themselves and vote for the presidential candidate they thought to be the rightful leader of the United States. An overwhelming majority of students who were ineligible to vote in November claimed they plan to vote once they are eligible. Senior Mia Rideout barely missed the mark to vote, but plans to vote in the next election.

“I actually didn’t vote this year because I wasn’t 18 until the 20th of November,” Rideout said. “But I definitely would’ve

“[Voting is important] because our lives depend on it,” Rideout said. “Whoever is in that office, our lives depend on them.”

While many feel that it is important to vote, AP Government and Politics teacher Will Heatherly claims that students must first learn to care for politics before voicing their opinions on matters.

“If nothing else, becoming engaged and informed makes students connect to the world around them,” Heatherly said.

“Learning to care about politics is not like turning on a light. People do not turn 18 and then just become informed voters. Most people who vote at a young age cared about politics long before their first election.”

Heatherly also feels that it is important for those who cannot vote to still be informed,

Heatherly notes that with his AP Government and Politics students, modern day politics are seen through a shared lens where the goal is to understand each other.

“It is amazing how when people listen to each other, they move past ‘agreeing to disagree’ and move toward accepting others’ positions, because in most cases, there are reasonable people on both sides of every political issue,” Heatherly said. “Everyone who is in the AP Gov class has strong political beliefs, which makes their attitudes and understanding all the more remarkable.”

WRITERS | Carly Lidzy and Emily Rutledge

local | feb 2020

15

french hill RE-ELECTED

Hill defeats state Sen. Joyce Elliott for seat in Hou

H

e wanted to remain in the central Arkansas seat he has held since 2015. She wanted to be the first African-American Arkansan to be elected to Congress. The 2020 election for Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District was a close race between Congressman French Hill and state Senator Joyce Elliott. While Elliott presented a strong campaign, Hill was officially reelected Nov. 4 for his fourth term, receiving 184,093 votes against Elliott’s 148,410 votes.

Despite Arkansas voting predominantly Republican throughout the years, the Democratic Party proved to be a challenging opponent in this year’s race. In a survey of 204 students, 42.2% responded that they voted, or would have voted, for Elliott, with 48% supporting Hill.

Senior Lexie Ellis hoped to see Elliott take the seat, admiring her policies specifically in support of education and minorities. “[Elliott] is an upstanding woman who focuses on education and minority rights,” Ellis said. “French Hill does not reflect my values when it comes to equality or finances. Both socially and fiscally, leftism aligns more with my personal ideals, because I believe placing LGBT+ rights and minority rights at the forefront is important. I also believe in dismantling

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a system in which less fortunate people cannot afford food or healthcare.”

Ellis believed that Elliott’s proposed policies and ideas would have significantly benefited central Arkansas if she had won the race.

“I think she would have made central Arkansas a better place, because the policies she supported, [like] Medicaid for All and renewable energy, would have helped many in the community,” Ellis said. “I supported her policies of continued funding of Pell Grants to keep up with the rising costs of college and her ideas of expanding Medicaid and making it easier for Medicaid to cover certain people. Central Arkansas [also] has a lot of people who need help with medical costs, and with a big city like Little Rock, renewable energy should be a top priority for those who live here.”

For junior Andrew Morse, a true leader should display great leadership, loyalty and capability toward people. If he could have voted in the recent election, Morse says he would have voted for Hill considering these qualities and his own conservative views. “[Because of] my religious past, I have grown closer with the ideas and opinions of the conservative side,” Morse said. “I would

choose to vote for the Republican Party due to the constant strides in economic and religious growth. I support many of [these policies] from a legal perspective.”

Morse believes voting is essential to give people a voice in this democracy, and that everyone, even those who are apathetic toward politics, should act on it.

“It gives [people] a voice,” Morse said.

“While the electoral college seems to dispose of that, [voting] gives a voice to the beliefs each person has.”

Psychology teacher John Watson agrees that voting is important on both a local and national level.

“Someone once told me that if you don’t vote, you automatically vote for the winner,” Watson said. “By not voting, you forfeit your right to complain about the winner.”

Watson supported Elliott throughout the previous local election, respecting her as a fellow teacher and educational advocate.

“Joyce Elliott’s name is synonymous with education,” Watson said. “She has spent her career working for students, teachers and Arkansas public schools.”

Not only did Watson vote for the senator

use District 2 based on her advocacy for schools, but also because he knew her character firsthand.

“I have known Senator Elliott for almost 20 years,” Watson said. “Although I do not always agree with her, I know she is doing what she thinks is the best thing for the people of Arkansas. She has dedicated her entire professional life advocating for children.”

After the election was decided in Hill’s favor, Elliott returned to her state senate seat, and Hill prepared for another term in the House of Representatives.

He spends his time attending hearings, asking questions of experts and government officials and publishing findings for his constituents to review.

Every Congress member also takes part in one or more committees focusing on specific policies and issues. Hill, a member of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services and the Congressional Oversight Commission, deals with banking and money issues as well as COVID-19 relief efforts through the CARES Act. In an interview with Prospective, Hill said one of his primary goals for his continued time in office is to ensure Arkansas’ businesses will flourish.

“Central Arkansas is home to a thriving

business community and remarkably talented people,” Hill said. “I believe that if we provide people with opportunities to grow their businesses, earn higher incomes and make decisions on behalf of themselves and their families, they will make our state and our nation a better place to live and work. I’m amazed every day at the resilience and drive of central Arkansans, especially during this pandemic. Through my work in Washington and the district, I aim to serve as their voice and support them in their continued success.”

“

“I’m proud to advocate for policies that improve opportunities for families and businesses alike through my work.”

“

Hill hopes to ensure that while he remains in Congress, Arkansan voices are continuously heard.

the people who sent me to Washington to be their voice, whether that’s through public meetings and networking sessions or written and virtual communications,” Hill said. “Staying in contact with my constituents is especially important as we continue to battle the COVID-19 crisis.

Since March, I have sent over six million emails, letters, mailers and telephone town hall notices to provide Arkansas families with important information about staying healthy and how to access critical financial support programs. I also maintain a robust social media presence so I can stay engaged with Arkansans of all ages.”

Hill takes great pride in his position, hoping to efficiently provide for local communities and businesses and ensure they remain successful throughout his next term.

“I’m a ninth-generation Arkansan,” Hill said. “I love our state, its history, its natural beauty and the remarkable people who call Arkansas home. It’s an honor to represent our state’s capital and our vibrant local business community.

I’m proud to advocate for policies that improve opportunities for families and businesses alike through my work.”

WRITER | Emily Rutledge

“I prioritize staying in constant touch with

local | feb 2020

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de