THE CHRONICLE
NOVEMBER 2, 2020
ELECTION 2020
guide to the ballot, p. 3 the state of the races, p. 4 student perspectives, p. 6
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Blue Devils run for office across the country By Leah Boyd University News Editor
While many are already turning in their votes, some Blue Devils have their names on the ballot. Meet the Duke professors and alumni—and a student—hoping to be elected next Tuesday.
U.S. House
The most local of the congressional candidates, Democratic Rep. David Price is running for reelection in North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, which includes part of Durham County. Price, a tenured professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, has served in the House for all but one term since 1987. Republican Rep. Morris Brooks, Trinity ‘75, has represented Alabama’s 5th Congressional District since assuming office January 2011. He is a member of the House Freedom Caucus—a group Courtesy of the Fuqua School of Business of hardline Republican conservatives—voted Ronnie Chatterji, who teaches at the Fuqua and against impeaching President Donald Trump in 2019 and co-sponsored two bills intended to Sanford schools, is running for state treasurer.
defund Planned Parenthood. He was criticized in 2014 for accusing the Democratic Party of waging a “war on whites” in an interview with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham. Rep. Mike Levin received his law degree from Duke Law in 2005. A Democrat from California’s 49th Congressional District, he has served in the House since 2019 and is seeking reelection in November. Levin’s three key campaign messages this year are affordable healthcare, environmental protection and improving the lives of active duty service members, veterans and their families, he told Ballotpedia. Democratic Rep. Scott Peters, Trinity ‘80, has represented California’s 52nd Congressional District since 2013. Peters voted to terminate Trump’s declaration of an emergency at the United StatesMexico border. He also voted to direct Trump to end military action in Iran and to mandate federal approval before some states can alter voting practices.
U.S. Senate
Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito,
Trinity ‘75, assumed office in West Virginia in 2015. Before that, she served as the representative for the state’s 2nd Congressional District from 2001 to 2015. Capito currently serves on four congressional committees, including the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. She has co-sponsored 272 bills and introduced four bills that became law. In 2018, Capito voted in support of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
State and local offices
Aaron “Ronnie” Chatterji is running for North Carolina Treasurer. At Duke, Chatterji is the Mark Burgess & Lisa Benson-Burgess distinguished professor at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and a professor at Sanford. Chatterji was a senior economist on the See BLUE DEVILS on Page 7
National, statewide races on ballot in Durham By Carter Forinash News Editor
Chris Kuo Features Managing Editor
Anna Zolotor Local and National News Editor
North Carolina is once again a presidential battleground, but there are also other races on the ballot, including the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. With early voting kicking off Oct. 15 in North Carolina—including an on-campus early voting place at the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center— The Chronicle has pulled together information on other national and statewide races that you’ll find on your ballot if voting in Durham.
U.S. Senate
All eyes are on the Senate race, where Republican incumbent Thom Tillis, a firstterm senator, is running against Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham, a former state senator. With millions raised by both
sides, the race has become one of the most expensive and closely watched contests in the country—and for good reason. The outcome could determine whether Democrats gain control of the Senate. If the Democratic presidential ticket loses, denying Democrats the vice presidency, they need at least four seats to flip the chamber. A self-described “common-sense fiscal conservative,” Tillis has emphasized his record of cutting taxes, supporting small businesses and increasing jobs. Cunningham, an Army Reserve veteran, has promised to tackle corruption in the capital and to extend health-care coverage. On Oct. 2, the race was thrown into turmoil when Tillis announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus and Cunningham admitted to sending sexually explicit text messages to a woman who is not his wife. Still, in an era of sharp political polarization, it’s uncertain whether the sexting scandal will sway voters. After being cleared from isolation by a doctor, Tillis returned to Washington on Tuesday to attend the hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Also running are Constitution Party
candidate Kevin Hayes and Libertarian Party candidate Shannon Bray. U.S. House Durham County is split between North Carolina’s 1st and 4th Congressional Districts.
Both districts are rated “Solid Democratic” by the Cook Political Report and are seen as unlikely to swing right. The 1st is currently represented by See BALLOT on Page 7
Henry Haggart | Associate Photography Editor Durham residents can vote in several key national and statewide elections this fall.
Your guide to Durham races By Matthew Griffin Editor-in-Chief
Rose Wong Senior Editor
Anna Zolotor Local and National News Editor
Early voting kicks off Thursday in North Carolina, and The Chronicle has pulled together information on the Durham County races you’ll find on your ballot. The county is holding elections for the Board of Commissioners, the register of deeds and the soil and water conservation district supervisor, though all of the races except for soil and water conservation district supervisor are uncontested. The City of Durham held municipal elections in November 2019, in which voters elected Mayor Steve Schewel to his second term and approved a $95 million affordable housing bond.
Board of Commissioners
The Board of Commissioners serves as the official governing body for Durham County. Duties include creating policy, adopting an annual budget, establishing the annual property tax rate and appointing various county officials. The Board of Commissioners race
is uncontested this year, with five candidates running for five seats. Voters can vote for up to five of the candidates, all of whom are Democrats: Nida Allam, Nimasheena Burns, Heidi Carter (incumbent), Brenda Howerton (incumbent) and Wendy Jacobs (incumbent)
Register of deeds
The register of deeds is the custodian of land titles, land transaction documents and various other documents and records for Durham County. Sharon Davis, an incumbent Democrat, is running unopposed for the office.
Soil and water conservation district supervisor
The role of the Board of Durham County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors is to work with local agencies, businesses and nonprofit groups to establish conservation priorities. The board, which meets on a monthly basis, has five supervisors, three of whom are elected as non-partisan candidates and two of whom are appointed by the N.C. Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Voters can cast a ballot for one of the candidates: Patrick Poer, Terence Priester, Jillian Riley Anjali Boyd and Jan Cromartie.
Visit onevotenc.com for a guide to North Carolina General Assembly candidates from college towns, plus more North Carolina election coverage from a collaborative of seven student newspapers.
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When will races be called? NC sees surge in absentee voting Professors give their thoughts By Paige Carlisle Staff Reporter
2020 is anything but an ordinary year, and this week’s elections are no different. With record voting numbers predicted and more Americans than ever before casting ballots by mail, the election faces unusual logistical challenges. Although Election Day is Tuesday, it is unclear when the winners will be announced. “There is a reasonable chance it could be called in a normal time frame, Election Day through early morning,” wrote John Aldrich, Pfizer, Inc./Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. University distinguished professor of political science. However, he added that “if like last time, Trump wins a more-than-even number of the really close states, it could go for a long time.” On Election Day, the polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close in North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. Any
voter in line by 7:30 p.m. will be able to vote in person. But it is unclear when the results for the statewide presidential, senate and governor’s elections will be announced, and if these results will be immediately accepted by all candidates. “It’s pretty likely or probable that we won’t know who won on election night,” said Mac McCorkle, professor of the practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy and director of Duke’s Polis: Center for Politics. More early votes have been cast than at the same point in 2016. Over 4.5 million people have already cast ballots through in-person early voting and mail-in ballots in North Carolina. “We have to be very cautious in interpreting early voting numbers,” Sunshine Hillygus, professor of political science, said at a media briefing. “We know from the research that a lot of the people voting early tend to be people who would have voted on Election Day.” Mail-in ballots in North Carolina will be accepted until nine days after Election Day as long as ballots are mailed by Election Day. However, the state only counts mail-in ballots as they arrive rather than waiting until Election Day or after, as many states do by law, so results from North Carolina will begin to take form on election night itself. “It looks like [in] Florida and North Carolina ... that a lot of the vote will be in pretty early on election night,” McCorkle said.
By Nadia Bey University News Editor
More than 4.5 million absentee ballots have been cast in North Carolina in advance of Election Day. As of Sunday morning, 4,531,466 absentee ballots have been cast, which is about 61.7% of registered voters in the state. Of these, 3,603,023 voters cast ballots during one-stop early voting from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31, greater than the total number of absentee ballots cast in 2016. That year, just shy of 3 million votes were cast during early voting and 155,326 were cast by mail.
Although the numbers have increased, Sunshine Hillygus, professor of political science and public policy, warned against jumping to conclusions based on early voting statistics. “We have to be very cautious in interpreting early voting numbers,” Hillygus said at a media briefing. “We know from the research that a lot of the people voting early tend to be people who would have voted on election day. It’s not expanding the electorate.” Hillygus also stated that the pandemic or “frankly even just a rainstorm” could hinder voters’ abilities to make it to the polls. “When you look at the pool of people likely See VOTING on Page 7
How close will it be?
North Carolina and Florida, both of which See PROFESSORS on Page 7
Polis director on gerrymandering, races to watch By Kathryn Thomas Staff Reporter
Mac McCorkle is a professor of the practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy. He was recently named the director of Polis: Center for Politics, which sponsors Duke Votes. The Chronicle spoke to him in September about his perspective on the 2020 election in North Carolina. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. The Chronicle: Other than the races for Governor and U.S. Senate, what are some of the hottest races this election season in North Carolina? Mac McCorkle: Well, there are two
congressional races. Most people think that the Democrats will pick up two seats, one in the Raleigh area and one in the Greensboro area given the new districting map. The most competitive congressional race is District Eight. Richard Hudson is in there now as a Republican. Then, second of all would be the Moe Davis and Madison Cawthorn race in Asheville. I mean, that is still a very strongly Republican district but less so than before. Col. Davis seems like a very strong candidate with a good background and Cawthorn, who is controversial to say the least, is very young and so I think that is kind of the second competitive race. There is a Republican running for the state
Courtesy of the Sanford School of Public Policy Mac McCorke is a professor of the practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy and the director of Polis: Center for Politics, which sponsors Duke Votes.
Supreme Court—Paul Newby is running to challenge Cheri Beasley for the state Supreme Court chief justice position. Cheri Beasley is the chief justice right now. So those are the ones I know of. TC: Looking at the North Carolina General Assembly at the state level, what is the overall trend in polling considering elections for the General Assembly? Will the Republicans regain their supermajority? Or do you believe the Democrats might have a chance at gaining a few more seats? MM: I don’t know that anyone thinks that the Republicans will regain their supermajority. A lot will depend on the presidential race. If Trump loses North Carolina, if things break towards Biden, and especially if you see a big win by Gov. Roy Cooper in comfortable double digits, you could see maybe one of the houses flip or even both, but it would have to be a very good year for Democrats. The Democrats and Republicans—now after 2018, the Democrats have their seats and the Republicans have theirs. There are not that many up for grabs. People point to the one in Alamance County, and there’s maybe still one or two to pick up in Wake County or Mecklenburg County. But the issue for Democrats has been what I would call these exurban counties that are metropolitan, they are not small town rural, but they are near a big city. For example, Union County, Cabarrus County, Gaston County, Johnston County, where the Republicans have been winning 60% or more. If those start to slip, then that vote becomes more metropolitan, more like what Charlotte and Raleigh are like and what Wake is becoming. If you saw some seats flip there, then you can see the Democrats take over. But I think people are thinking it’s kind of an outside shot, given that it seems like the presidential race is close. The
irony is that Governor Cooper may win going away, because people view Governor Cooper as doing a good job [handling the pandemic]. And the Democrats are stronger at the statewide level than they are at the state legislative level. One reason is because of the gerrymandering legacies of what the Republicans have done. A second reason is that Democrats tend to win their seats by larger margins, and thus their vote is wasted in that sense. You will see especially a lot of African Americans where Democrats win by 90%. Well, you know, you only need 51% to win. So, Republicans still have some advantages at the legislative level that do not add up to the executive statewide level advantage. TC: How does the COVID-19 pandemic expose the underlying risks that affect every election cycle? MM: I do not know that people thought before that it was risky being a poll worker, but I think a lot of people now are concerned. So, you know, it could have a huge impact. We will just have to see whether it suppresses voter turnout, or whether with all the innovations going on with mail-in voting, we actually have a surge. I saw that over 600,000 requests came in for mail-in ballots in North Carolina. TC: On that conversation of voter turnout, what are your predictions for voter turnout in this election. Do you think we’ll see a drastic increase in voting by mail? MM: Yes, we will see a drastic increase of voting by mail. Whether that results in a larger aggregate turnout I think is anybody’s best guess. In other words, we have physical in-person early voting starting Oct. 15, we have mail-in voting, so there are a lot more ways to vote. Given the pandemic and people’s concern about [voting], it could dampen overall turnout. We just don’t know. TC: Do you believe the Trump administration’s threat to the U.S. Postal See RACES on Page 7
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Students apprehensive as election approaches Hope about outcome mingles with fear of unrest By Parker Harris
Trump was probably going to be interrupting people,” but that the incumbent president seems to have listened to his campaign team’s advice and appeared more civil in the second debate. However, Pucci With Tuesday’s presidential election quickly approaching, said that he felt “neither debate did anything to sway voters.” Duke students are apprehensive about what the results—or lack Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Pucci thought he had a thereof—could mean for the nation, even as they try to have the good idea about what the election’s outcome would be, but now he doesn’t think people have “any kind of idea about how this best outlook possible. Some students are concerned about a delay to election results election is going to go,” he said. after Tuesday night due to this year’s record number of mail-in votes. Regardless of their preferred candidate, some anticipate widespread We have a long way to go before unrest or even violence among supporters of the losing candidate. our country is out of the tunnel Still, students will come into election night with some degree of hope for change and excitement to see who will be elected president. with division and conflict. “It’s an important election, but at the end of the day life goes on,” sophomore Alec Morlote said. eliot merriner Morlote continued that he is “not putting too much stock SOPHOMORE in how it’s going to affect my life,” noting he is mostly excited to see whether Trump will win a second term or whether Biden will prove the polls correct. Reflecting on the past four years, It’s an important election, but at Morlote said that “there’s been a lot of social unrest in this the end of the day life goes on. country” but that he believes the economy was performing strongly prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that with a Trump victory, there could be protesting alec morlote and rioting in cities “probably to a greater degree than what SOPHOMORE we’ve seen before,” adding that “there will likely be lives lost.” “We don’t have the novelty of Trump like we did in 2016, but we still have a lot of the showmanship and rhetoric,” junior Now that I do have a voice, Frankie Pucci said. I’m a lot more aware. It’s very Regarding the presidential debates, Pucci said, “We knew
Staff Reporter
empowering. dorothy zhan SOPHOMORE
Mary Helen Wood | Associate Photography Editor In advance of the 2020 election, a person staffs a table with voterregistration materials.
EDITORIAL
“My biggest fear is that if Trump loses, he won’t concede the election,” Pucci said. He expressed some degree of optimism that the current president would be willing to leave the White House, but recognized that Trump could “always be a bit of a wild card.” Pucci, who voted for Joe Biden, said he hopes this year’s massive early voting turnout will allow the election to be decided by Tuesday night. He hopes that Trump “doesn’t win again and that we can move forward from a tumultuous era.” Sophomore Dorothy Zhan said that she feels “very anxious” and “kind of overwhelmed with the amount and volume of news” about the election.
Alicia Medina | Staff Photographer Political signs at the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center, where Duke hosted an early voting location from Oct. 15 to 31.
She said that she is glad to see more and more voters participating in the electoral process and being aware of national events, but remarked that “there’s a lot of hatred and anger and bitterness” surrounding the current political climate. In contrast to the 2016 election, when she was not yet of voting age, she said, “Now that I do have a voice, I’m a lot more aware. It’s very empowering.” Zhan expressed concern about how long election results will take to be officially decided. She said she was afraid of the conversations that will ensue, as “there’s just a lot of opinions.” Even now when she discusses the election with friends, “we’re agreeing but it feels and sounds combative,” Zhan said. “As a woman of color, I just don’t think that Trump cares,” Zhan said, sharing that she had decided to vote for Biden. Senior Fikemi Faleye said that she feels “very nervous” and “apprehensive because it’s such an important election,” referring to both the presidential and Congressional races. She said that it will likely be a contested and “a very drawn out process,” Regarding the past four years of the Trump presidency, Faleye said that “nothing has been irreplaceably broken.” What has changed in her opinion is that it’s “no longer acceptable to remain neutral,” as voters are seemingly forced to choose sides. Her biggest hope is for “nothing to be contestable,” although there is “a lot of uncertainty,” as the election’s outcome may not be known for weeks. Similar to Morlote, sophomore Eliot Merriner said that he
Vote like it matters
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The Duke Bubble has popped and we’ve become states—North Carolina included. undergraduates leave Durham within four-years. Senators, Durhamites. The sheer quantity of off-campus students, For the presidential election, Duke voters should consider however, are elected for six-year terms, and governors are lack of on-campus activities and opportunities for “couch the strategic advantage of voting in state versus out of state. elected for four-year terms. So, if the candidate you vote for gets elected, then they will govern the state even after you graduate. Hypothetically, you will have elected this representative to pursue the issues you care about. But in doing so, you have imposed your policy preferences onto North Carolinians who COLUMN will be impacted long after you’re gone. We can flip the scenario: you are now voting in your activism” has blurred the lines between Duke-student and For example, a Duke student from California who supports home state, but the outcome will still hold. Under normal Durham-resident. We are more integrated into our city than Joe Biden might find that their Democratic vote goes further conditions, you will only reside in your home state during any other semester in recent memory. With this comes the in gerrymandered North Carolina. breaks, which only accounts for a quarter of the year. If your question voting in-state or out-of state. Regardless of the Presidential candidate aside, the future of federal policy representative gets elected, they will be imposing your policy candidate, all eligible voters should cast their ballot in the is also on the ballot. Given the wealth disparities between preferences onto residents of your home state one hundred ongoing election. percent of the year. Regardless of where your ballot is This country needs youth voter turnout to increase, Regardless of where your ballot is cast, we as students must specifically in the upcoming presidential, gubernatorial, and recognize the moral importance of voting and recognize the cast, we as students must recognize senatorial elections. The average electoral margin between challenges that had to be overcome to grant all citizens this the moral importance of voting and candidates in the last five presidential elections has been 4.3 right. Those who put their lives on the line to secure equal voting million votes. If youth voters like us voted at the same rate as rights for women and African-Americans did not do so in vain. recognize the challenges that had to older generations, there would be 24 million new ballots cast. Put the liberalism you praise in your seminars into action. be overcome to grant all citizens this How we vote in the upcoming election determines more than Irrespective of your intent, inaction to vote will still have a just the next four years. It will likely have an impact on the substantial impact on your fellow citizens. Small businesses, right. places we call home for generations to come. working class families, middle class families, students in Given the state of politics in North Carolina, many Duke public education and immigrants. Everyone is impacted by voters may want to cast their ballot in a state where their Duke students and lifelong Durham residents, it would your ballot. Foreign policy, climate change, minority rights, voice matters most. North Carolina has become a hotbed of be wise to consider federal policies through the lens of a the supreme court, COVID-9. Name an issue and surely our political activity in recent years. While the state has a fierce working class or middle class family. And by middle class, elected officials will have an impact. Duke voters, think about Senate race between incumbent Republican Thom Tillis and we do not mean the Manhattan middle class. Think to what you care about and vote accordingly. Democrat Cal Cunningham, national politics are also playing yourself: which federal policies could improve the lives of out in our state. Many pundits have declared North Carolina lifelong Durham residents? a tossup for the highest office in the land. Some have even This year’s down-ballot elections for state and local The Community Editorial Board is independent from the argued that the election could come down to a handful of offices are where the moral guardrails give way. Most Duke editorial staff of The Chronicle.
Community Editorial Board
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BALLOT FROM PAGE 3 Democrat G.K. Butterfield, who has served in the House since a special election in 2004. He’s being challenged by Republican Sandy Smith, whose website describes her as a “Pro-Trump” and “Pro-America” conservative. The 4th is represented by Democrat David Price, who has served in the House since 1987 with the exception of one term in the 1990s, when he won back the seat two years after losing it to a former Raleigh police chief. Republican challenger Robert Thomas lists three main issues on his website: the Second Amendment, the Constitution and “the wall.”
Governor
Democrat Roy Cooper, the incumbent governor, is being challenged by Republican Dan Forest, the current lieutenant governor, as well as Libertarian Steven DiFiore and Constitution Party candidate Steven J. Fiore. While in office, Cooper has issued a Clean Energy Plan and executive orders implementing paid parental leave and banning workplace discrimination. He also worked with bipartisan congressional leaders to repeal House Bill 2, the controversial “bathroom law” that played a major role in Cooper’s election, also according to his campaign site. Forest’s platform includes “defending the Second Amendment,” putting armed security guards in schools, combating illegal immigration and raising teacher pay. Cooper’s coronavirus response plan features prominently in the dialogue regarding the election, with Forest hosting numerous in-person campaign events and promising to loosen restrictions if elected. Forest has called for the reopening of all public schools without a mask requirement.
Lieutenant governor
There is no incumbent in the race for lieutenant governor, with Forest stepping down to run for governor against Cooper. Republican Mark Robinson, a former smallbusiness owner and manufacturing worker, rose to prominence as a gun-rights activist in 2018 and is only the second Black Republican candidate for statewide office in North Carolina in the past 120 years, according to records reviewed by The News & Observer. Robinson has been criticized for Facebook posts in which he makes derogatory comments about transgender people, Muslims and others. He has said he will not apologize for comments posted to Facebook in the past several years and has denied that the posts are offensive. Democrat Yvonne Holley, if elected, would be only the second woman to serve as N.C. lieutenant governor. She has served in the state House of Representatives since 2013 after working in state government. Either would become the first Black lieutenant governor in state history.
Secretary of state
The main roles of the North Carolina secretary of state are to foster economic growth, ensure adequate levels of corporate transparency and provide infrastructure for business transactions. The candidates are E.C. Sykes (R) and Elaine Marshall (D), incumbent
Auditor
The NC Office of the State Auditor is responsible for conducting account inspections for all state government bodies. The candidates are Anthony (Tony) Street (R) and Beth Wood (D), incumbent.
Treasurer
The responsibilities of the N.C. Department of the State Treasurer include the administration of health-care and retirement programs for state employees, as well as the provision of fiscal advising to local governments. The candidates are Ronnie Chatterji (D) and Dale Folwell (R), incumbent.
Attorney general
The attorney general represents the state
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government in legal affairs, serves as the primary legal counsel to the General Assembly and the governor and manages criminal appeals from state trial courts. The candidates are Jim O’Neill (R) and Josh Stein (D), incumbent.
Superintendent of public instruction
The superintendent of public instruction oversees the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and works with policymakers to promote the interests of the state’s public school systems. The candidates are Catherine Truitt (R) and Jen Mangrum (D)
Labor commissioner
The state labor commissioner is responsible for regulating workplace conditions, conducting health and safety inspections and otherwise promoting the wellbeing of North Carolina’s workforce. The candidates are Josh Dobson (R) and Jessica Holmes (D)
BLUE DEVILS FROM PAGE 3 White House Council of Economic Advisors under former president Barack Obama. He was appointed a member of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s Entrepreneurial Council and serves on the N.C. First Commission, which helps direct transportation investments in the state. Anjali Boyd, a first-year doctoral student at the Nicholas School of the Environment, is running for Durham Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor. Boyd has proposed increasing investment in e-commerce platforms to help farmers grow their income and expanding high-speed internet to rural areas. A Durham native, she stresses an interdisciplinary approach to various environmental issues, emphasizing the “intersection of conservation, health and environmental justice” in her platform.
Are there concerns about acceptance with undesignated ethnicities. Ballots cast by of the election results? voters of color are more likely to be flagged during The 2016 election was called at 2:30 a.m. Eastern the morning after Election Day, when Donald Trump passed the 270-vote threshold in the electoral college. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton called him at 2:35 a.m. to concede defeat and gave her concession speech at 11:40 a.m., saying that “we must accept this result ... Donald Trump is going to be our president.” But with all the questions surrounding this year’s election, will candidates accept the election results as readily? North Carolinians are familiar with lessstraightforward attitudes toward of election results. In the 2016 gubernatorial election, Democrat Roy Cooper beat Republican Pat McCrory by less than 1%. McCrory did not concede until more than a month past election day, on Dec. 5, when a recount of 90,000 votes in Durham County verified that Cooper won. Before conceding defeat, McCrory alleged voter fraud in 50 of the 100 North Carolina counties. Similarly today, Trump’s recent claims about widespread voter fraud has led some to worry that if Biden wins the election, Trump will not readily concede defeat. In terms of considering a peaceful transition of power, Aldrich predicted the 2020 worst-case scenario to be a legal battle similar to that of the election of 2000. “I think the worst possible scenario is more like a 2000 where it will be fought in the courts. But that requires a close election in a given state— the outcome of that particular state would make the difference between who is elected president,” Aldrich said. “It would take a lot to get to that point. I do think also that the court’s decision will be taken as binding and there will be no serious problem about Trump stepping down.” McCorkle expressed concern that the results of the election could lead to voter disillusionment, especially with Trump dismissing worries about the second wave of COVID-19. “If there is a transition of power, it could be very messy,” McCorkle said.
State legislature
Professor of Political Science Michael Munger is running for the North Carolina House of Representatives in District 34. He is the director of undergraduate studies and professor of political science, and he directs the philosophy, politics and economics certificate program at Duke. A Libertarian Party candidate, Munger’s key issues are improving school choice for individuals from lower socioeconomic background and “dismantling and reforming” the Alcoholic Beverage Control system. Munger ran for governor of North Carolina in 2008 as a Libertarian but did not win.
PROFESSORS FROM PAGE 4 voted red in the 2016 presidential election, will be important swing states in determining which presidential candidate wins the electoral college. “If Biden wins either Florida or North Carolina, that could be a real telltale sign,” McCorkle said. “If not, then it’s game on and you get into the Midwest and we could be waiting days, if not weeks.” He referenced a recent WRAL poll that predicted a 48-48 split between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden in North Carolina. McCorkle predicted a victory in the state for either presidential candidate would be by at most five to six percentage points. “I think it’s going to be fairly close. It looks promising to Biden winning rather than Trump, but it’s not different from what it was four years ago,” Aldrich said. The non-presidential races do not appear to be as close. “Cooper is pretty safely ahead. The Cunningham-Tillis race is not one that is firing up imaginations,” said Aldrich. In the Senate race, most recent polls show Democrat Cal Cunningham ahead of Republican incumbent Thom Tillis by lowto-mid single digits.
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VOTING FROM PAGE 4 to vote on Election Day, it’s more likely a distraction or barrier might stand in their way,” she said. Durham County contributed 162,338 absentee ballots to the state total, with 45,872 of those being mail-in ballots. In September, Durham had cast the third most mail-in ballots behind Mecklenburg and Wake Counties. Overall, Durham placed fifth behind Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford and Forsyth counties for absentee voting. Each of those counties has at least one major city, including Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro and Winston-Salem respectively. Statewide, registered Democrats cast 37.4% of absentee ballots, with Republicans casting 31.7% and unaffiliated voters casting 30.3%, while voters affiliated with the Libertarian, Constitution and Green parties cast a combined 0.54% of absentee ballots. In Durham, registered Democrats cast 54% of absentee ballots, which aligns with the proportion of registered Democrats in the entire county. In total, 111,628 of Durham’s absentee ballots were cast by white voters, 79,111 by Black voters, 8,071 by Asian voters, 604 by Native American voters, 3,447 by voters of two or more races and 41,895 by voters of other or undesignated races. As of Nov. 1, 1,294 absentee ballots cast in Durham County had not been accepted— although 244 of these were later fixed. The rest were invalid for various reasons, ranging from incomplete witness information to cancelation by the voter to being flagged for a “conflict.” Of all the ballots that had not been accepted by Nov. 1, 511 were cast by Black voters, or approximately 48.7% of non-accepted ballots. In contrast, 323 ballots, or 30.8%, were submitted by non-Hispanic white voters or white voters
the review process due to mistakes or missing information, according to reports by the U.S. Election Project and FiveThirtyEight. The increased voter turnout for this election was partially influenced by recent changes to election rules making the voting process easier. The deadline for local election boards to receive mail-in ballots was recently extended from Nov. 6 to Nov. 12, and a challenge to the rule was declined by the U.S. Supreme Court. Megan Mullin, associate professor of environmental politics at the Nicholas School of the Environment, believes these changes need to be implemented long term in anticipation of climate change. “A lot of what’s enabled the large early-voting numbers are these changes in election rules that have happened across the states to open more early voting centers, to allow more early voting, to allow mail-in voting. Many if not most of those changes were temporary changes for this cycle,” Mullin said in the press briefing at which Hillygus spoke. “But we need to have in mind, there is a hurricane bearing down on the Gulf Coast, there are 100,000 people in California who are evacuated from their homes, and that’s a consequence of climate-driven natural disasters that are increasing in severity and frequency over time.”
RACES FROM PAGE 4 Service and the overall rhetoric threatening the validity of mail and voting will have an impact on the overall voter turnout? MM: It could, even if the mail system is able to handle the increase in mail despite the cutbacks. A lot of this, I think, is rhetoric on President Trump’s part, as part of his kind of chaos strategy to make people feel like this is going to be really hard, it is really confusing. He is trying to just kind of dampen the voter turnout by just making things sound confusing and complicated. Even if it turns out that there’s not really that much of a problem, he may succeed in convincing people to say, “Ugh, I’m not doing this.” TC: Do you think that voter suppression will play a role in the outcome of the 2020 presidential race, and if so, what is a modern form of voter suppression going to look like this year? MM: Well, I think we’re seeing President Trump try a new form, which is using his bully pulpit to sow confusion and discord in people’s minds about what they should do. So, this is a new form of voter suppression, you know, there might be in Southern states in the closing days, we’ve seen other ways of trying to confuse people and scare them about voting. And so I think we may see some of that too, you know, like, “Oh, watch out, you know, you may be against the law. You know, “You might not be able to vote the way you think you do.” But we usually see that in the closing days.
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doesn’t think this election will be “make it or break it for America.” “A lot of people think the country will be in ruin. I don’t think that will be the case,” he said. Merriner remarked that it is “pretty saddening to see how divided people get,” as major parties choose to focus on their differences rather than their similarities. He reflected on positive economic change in the past four years, and said that his “biggest hope is that Trump gets elected.” “My biggest fear isn’t that Biden would get elected, but that things get much worse before they get better,” he continued, referring to the current state of political polarization. But “regardless of who gets elected, there’s going to be violence either way,” he said, deeming the election a “a no-win situation for our country.” Although Merriner does think that things will improve for the country, he does not know when. “We have a long way to go before our country is out of the tunnel with division and conflict,” he said.
8 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
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