Issue 12 Sonoma State STAR Fall 2020

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IN THIS ISSUE

Votes are in

Local music

Election photos

Explore Sonoma County election race results.

SSU student Seth Baldwin recently released a new album.

See the scenes from around the county on election day.

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PAGE 12.

SINCE 1979

VOLUME 85 // ISSUE 12 NOVEMBER 10, 2020 - NOVEMBER 16, 2020

THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

@SONOMASTATESTAR

Courtesy // Goeff Livingston on Flickr.com Americans gather in the streets to celebrate Trump’s defeat in the presidential race.

Biden appears to win the 2020 presidential election

SEAN KENNEALLY STAFF WRITER

O

n Saturday morning, it was announced that Joe Biden had won the 2020 presidential election in both the electoral and popular vote. In a sweeping comeback, Biden won the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, which placed him over the necessary score of 270 electoral votes. “It’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal,” declared Biden on Saturday morning. Biden will become the 46th president of the United States, and Kamala Harris will become the first female, African-American, Indian-American, and Asian-American vice president. Manisha Sinha, a professor of American history at the University of Connecticut, said, “It sends a message about what kind of country we are today,” in an NPR interview. The election of Harris’s win highlights the pursuit of racial equality United States citizens have been adamantly protesting for this past year. “This election is about

so much more than [Joe] or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started,” tweeted Harris, after hearing the final results. Although half the nation and a few European nations are pleased with the results of the election, there are more than 70 million citizens and a current leader who are upset with the outcome. “We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner...The simple fact is: this election is far from over,’’ stated Trump in a press release on Saturday. In the same press release, Trump said he will be pursuing a lawsuit starting Monday. The Associated Press announced Biden as winner on Saturday, with Biden eventually taking lead in Pennsylvania, the root state of democracy and his home state. The victory comes after a long campaign, heated debates, and a tedious, nerve-wracking election week--all of which culminated in record-breaking voter turnout.

see BIDEN WINS on pg. 4

Courtesy // Gage Skidmore on Flickr.com U.S. Senator Kamala Harris speaking with attendees at the 2019 Iowa Democratic Wing Ding at Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. STAR // Natella Guy A local homeless man showed his gratitude to voters at the intersection of HWY 12 and Mission.

Local Sonoma County ballot measures all get voter approval

Kamala Harris elected as the first woman of color vice president in United States history

KRISTINA SCHMUHL

KRISTINA SCHMUHL

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K

STAFF WRITER

STAFF WRITER

lection results poured in Nov. 3 after 8 p.m., but will continue to be tabulated as late as Dec 1. Ballots can be delivered to the county Registrar of Voters as late as Nov. 20; as long as they are postmarked by election day. With the election so fiercely focused on the race between the presidential candidates, the choices voted on locally can occasionally be overlooked. The most significant changes that affect citizens on a daily basis tend to be voted on as measures at the local level. Ballot measures that affect the whole of Sonoma County overwhelmingly passed with a twothirds majority for the 2020 election cycle. There were also many city-specific measures that passed, including Measure Q, a quarter cent sales tax extension for the city of Santa Rosa. Rohnert Park also began the first voting cycle of its district-specific city council elections. Rohnert Park welcomed two new city council members Walter ‘Willy’ Linares and Jackie Elward. Voters participated in this election with a near record breaking number of ballots cast. A little over 75% of registered voters in Sonoma County cast a see SONOMA COUNTY BALLOT MEASURES on pg. 5

amala Harris made history this weekend by becoming the first woman and person of color as vice president. She is the first woman to ascend to the high-ranking position of vice president in the 244 year history of the United States. Harris will become the 49th vice president after being inaugurated on January 20, 2021. Harris is no stranger to trailblazing a path for women in elected office. She was the first woman of color to serve as Attorney General of California and only the second Black woman to serve as a United States senator after her election in 2016. Harris’s nomination for vice president was--in and of itself--historical, but her election to the second highest office brings hope that one day a woman will break the glass ceiling and become the president of the United States. see KAMLA HARRIS ELECTED on pg. 4


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