by Schyler Jones | Nov 9, 2020 | News Slider, Politics
As millions across the country celebrated the results from the presidential election, much of the focus was on Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Harris will be the first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president of the United States. Harris, the daughter of immigrants, is no stranger to breaking barriers. Her mother, who came to the U.S. from India at the age of 19, used to tell her, “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.” Harris promised in her victory speech on Saturday to follow those wise words. Speaking directly to the children of our country, she said, “Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you every step of the way.” For women, especially women of color in the U.S., her election is personal. Shaniya Pleasant, a senior biology major, explained why representation matters to her. “I think that having a Black vice president elect is so important because I finally get to see someone who looks like me, who loves me, and wants the best for us in office for once,” Pleasant said. “It’s so vital because representation matters on all levels. And today a Black and South Asian woman is our country’s first female vice president elect, and that simply makes my heart swell.” Sarah Feldman, a junior nursing major, had similar thoughts. “In society today, women are viewed as less than, and from the time children are born they are taught to fit into...
by Mckenzi Harris and Kathryn Farris | Nov 8, 2020 | Galleries, News Slider, Politics
After a long election season, clarity finally came to the 2020 presidential race when it was announced by the television networks and other media that Joe Biden had secured the necessary electoral votes to take him to the Oval Office in January. The race to get to the necessary 270 electoral votes ultimately came down to Pennsylvania, a state that went red for Trump in 2016 but shifted blue this year. Up until Trump’s election four years ago, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin were considered the so-called “Blue Wall,” generally secured by Democrats. This year, they returned to that pattern. Another monumental moment for American history was made as well in the election of Joe Biden: Kamala Harris will become the first female, and woman of color to hold the position of vice president. Lipscomb students, interviewed in advance of Biden’s speech to the nation Saturday already felt like celebrating. “If Biden wins, I might cry of happiness,” said Audrey-Ange Tsafack, a Lipscomb biochemistry major. “I would be so overjoyed because it would bring me faith in humankind again.” Biden ran on the premise of “restoring the soul of the nation” after turbulent years of racial and political divide during the Trump administration came to a head this summer in a country already reeling from the COVID pandemic. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden went on to become a U.S. senator representing Delaware before becoming vice president for Barack Obama between 2008 and 2016. His policies focus on “building America back better” through defeating COVID-19, recovering and creating jobs as well as creating affordable healthcare. Saturday night, when his victory was celebrated in...
by Kathryn Farris | Nov 4, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, News, News Slider, Politics
Tuesday night, Americans turned their eyes upon electoral maps and social media updates in order to catch a glimpse of the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. However, a pandemic-caused increase in mail-in-ballots has led to uncertainty in certain swing states on who will take the victory. Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania are among “swing states” currently dominating headlines because of unreported ballots. However, what is clear is that this race will be far from a landslide for either candidate. The close race will likely be decided in the coming week and could be legally disputed. Wisconsin is currently favoring Biden, yet 5 percent of the vote has yet to be counted. However, the majority of those uncounted votes are from mail-in-ballots which have statistically favored democrats. Michigan is currently favoring Biden, yet officials say it could be until Friday Nov. 6th for all ballots to be processed and counted. Georgia is favoring Trump, but the race could come down to a number of votes and Georgia Democrats remain optimistic due to uncounted mail-in-ballots from blue counties. Pennsylvania currently favors Trump, yet officials have held that it could take up to Nov. 6th for final numbers. Nevada currently has only 67 percent of the vote in. The state went blue for Clinton in 2016, but Joe Biden currently maintains a lead of only 8 thousand votes. Political science professor, Dr. Susan Haynes talked with us on the instance that a decision wasn’t made on election day. “The constitution does have deadlines and dates, which you have the general election, and then you have the electors of the electoral college...
by Mckenzi Harris | Nov 3, 2020 | News, News Slider, Politics
As election day winds down and the nation gets closer to learning who will be president for the next four years, some Lipscomb students were eager to share their opinions about just how important it is for American citizens to vote. Political science major Austin Travis said voting is a key part of keeping a republic and the government running. “I think it’s so important,” said Travis, “Turning out to vote is how we keep our democracy and our system of government. Elective leaders don’t have a mandate to govern if nobody turns out for their elections. They don’t really know if they have the support of the absolute majority of the voting population because they just don’t turn out to vote.” Political science major Elena Walker said she was just thrilled to get the opportunity to exercise the right to vote in a presidential election for the first time. “It was exciting,” said Walker. “But I think also with the two options it was kind of hard to choose I think with the current political environment. “But it’s still important to vote, so I voted. I think its really important because there are a lot of countries around the world where people don’t even get the opportunity to vote. Especially being a woman, that’s kind of an anomaly in today’s world, so I think it’s really important that we exercise our right even whether or not we think it’s going to have an effect or not.” Lumination Network will have you covered with the details as the election day winds down and the decision is made. Check back here for more information...
by Kathryn Farris | Nov 2, 2020 | News, News Slider, Politics
As the reality of the upcoming election sets in, uncertainty about what the night will look like sets in across the nation. During a global pandemic, the US has had an increase in the number of mail-in-ballots, resulting in questions over when exactly we’ll know our next president. “I’ve read about several scenarios, and nobody really has a definitive answer about it,” says Dr. Marc Schwerdt of Lipscomb’s political science department. “Either the victory is going to be by a razor-thin margin, or we really don’t have a good handle on exactly what turnouts going to be like, and you’ll be able to see a fairly significant victory.” So far, voters have cast more than 94 million ballots for this election, a number that makes up more than 68% of voter turnout in the 2016 presidential election. In Texas, a possible swing state for this year’s election, voter turnout has already exceeded that of 2016. Schwerdt believes that the record number of early voters can be contributed to a rise in total turnout but also fears over Covid-19, he says “Certainly, we are having record early voter turnout, but I think it’s also driven a lot by people who are scared that if they try to go on election day, they’ll have a higher risk of catching something,” “This is happening especially among older voters or maybe more vulnerable voters who have a pre-existing condition of some sort. I also think we will see higher turnout because that just seems to be the trend for the last two or three elections.” However, Schwerdt doesn’t see this record turnout favoring one candidate over another. “What’s concerning...
by Schyler Jones | Oct 28, 2020 | News, News Slider, Politics
Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the United States Supreme Court on Monday, becoming the fifth woman to serve on the Supreme Court. The proceedings were more controversial than usual as this vote now gives the Supreme Court a 6-3 conservative majority. Three of these justices have now been appointed by Trump. A primary source of contention came from the vote taking place so close to Election Day. Although the Constitution allows such a vote, the issue was one of precedent. In 2016, Republican senators refused to consider President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland after Antonin Scalia’s death because the election was nine months out. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, who refused to consider Garland in 2016, has currently been a driving force to get Barrett confirmed only weeks before the election. McConnell claimed this time is different because the Senate and Presidency are currently held by the same party. Barret was confirmed in a 52-48 vote that was almost entirely split down party lines (with the exception of Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine). Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called it “one of the darkest days in the 231-year history of the United States.” Schumer feels that the Nov. 3 election, in which millions of Americans have already voted, should have been the determining factor in who names a new Supreme Court justice. After her swearing-in ceremony by Justice Clarence Thomas, Barrett stated, “It is the job of a judge to resist her policy preferences…The oath that I have solemnly taken tonight means at its core that I will do my job without any fear or favor and that...
