THE SIERRA
Vol. XXIV, NO. 43
Hometown Paper of the Eastern Sierra - Published Weekly
October 22 – 28, 2020
General Elections in Inyo County 2020
It’s a race to the finish... just faster now?
By Christina Reed The Hired Pen
“The Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November” -- General Election Day in the United States Eastern Sierra, CA—Our American elections have been made more complicated since 1843, when Congress funded the development of Samuel Morse's dots and dashes Morse Code electric telegraph (encoded the 26 letters of the English alphabet letters A through Z). The telegraph, “The Wire,” was tested out in 1844, and perfected in 1845, thus precipitating the very quick developments of telegraphic transcontinental communication networks. The US Postmaster-General was in control of the first telegraph offices in Washington, D.C., and the public had to pay for messages (1845). The process of voting nationally changed drastically. Technology spurred Congress to mandate a uniform national date for choosing our US presidents: “The Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.” Prior to this mandate, states voted with their own time lines, mainly straddling November 2 to November 8. Congress (1792) allowed the states to choose its presidential electors over about a 34-day period. Voting was completed before the first Wednesday in December. Weather / travel
Sergeant Kruse gets a surprise small home town greeting Sergeant Tanner Kruse, a member of the US Army, returned for a visit to the Eastern Sierra, and he was greeted by Owens Valley residents, with a law enforcement escort from Big Pine, CA to his hometown of Bishop, CA. Members of the VFW Post #8988 arranged to make this special homecoming happen and Main Street in Bishop was lined with citizens, and the Bishop Volunteer Fire Department's hook and ladder fire truck displayed the American flag. Sergeant Kruse (at right) spent time with (at left) Sean McWilliams at the VFW Post #8988 in Bishop. Earl McWilliams (member of the VFW Post #8988) and Jacki Kruse (Board member of the Mom's Club) created quite an unusual and moving homecoming visit for Sergeant Kruse, and by the time he realized the spoofing he received from family, friends and community members, he was filled with emotion. Photo courtesy of Jacki Kruse
Inyo County’s seat of government is located in the Inyo County Courthouse in Independence, CA. Photos by The Hired Pen conditions and the completion of harvest work were the original reasons for the date in autumn. “Telegraphing” through the telegraph, and later radios, telephones, televisions, and the internet changed voting dynamics, as states and the news began reporting / broadcasting election results, thus altering votes across the country. Ironically, telegraph desks were vital to newspapers everywhere, and promised to deliver election results in hours instead of days and weeks, like during the Pony Express days....
General Election Races in Inyo County US Representative 8th District's candidates are Jay Obernolte (Republican) and Christine Bubser (Democratic). Paul Cook, current representative, withdrew earlier in 2020. This district takes in all of Inyo, Mono, and San Bernardino Counties. The US has 435 congressional districts (one representative for every 710,000 people). California's 26th Assembly includes all of Inyo County's 21 voting precincts, and is one of California's 80 assembly districts. Inyo, Kern, and Tulare Counties are partially / to nearly all included in the 26th Assembly District. Candidates for the 26th Assembly District: Drew Phelps (D) and incumbent Devon Mathis (R). Inyo County Supervisor for the 4th District includes candidates Donald Bright and Jen Roeser. Candidates for the Northern Inyo Healthcare District 1: Jody Veenker and Kyle Wakamiya. Nonpartisan. Candidates for the Bishop Unified School District's Board of Education: Steve Elia, Kathy Zack, and Meryl Picard. Nonpartisan. The City of Bishop's City Council elections include candidates: Jose Garcia, Jim Ellis, Chris Costello, and Karen Kong. City Treasurer candidate is Nick Lara. Nonpartisan. The City of Bishop's Measure P, called Bishop Community Safety and Essential Services Measure, is a ballot measure to add a one percent tax on non-perishable purchases in the city. It is estimated to generate an additional $1.8 million to the City of Bishop's general budget, and will be used for local funding, services and resources within the city limits.