On Nov. 3, Reporting (JOUR 3312) students participated in election coverage in a Trans-Atlantic experience with students from Manchester Metropolitan University – Manchester, England. Through the week and evening of Election Day, students tracked polls, engaged in dialogue with colleagues, and spoke with several local politicians and experts. Here is the work they produced:

Manchester Metropolitan University

West Texas reflects the dizzying polarisation seen across the US

By Jack Dulhanty & Niall Hay

• The state of Texas teased at swinging Democrat this year, after a valiant campaign led by Congressman Beto O’Rourke in the 2018 midterms came a whisker away from a Democrat win in the race for the Senate
• Many believed this 2020 election could be the first to turn Texas blue in four decades
• In the end, it remained as before – ruby-red, GOP Texas
• NQ has been speaking to figures on either side of the political spectrum in west Texas about what will come next, and how they believe they got in this situation in the first place

Texas: A View From Both Camps in Lubbock

By Niall Hay

• The race for the White House is heating up in Lubbock County, Texas.
• Mail-in fraud, high COVID infections, media suspicion and the effect that young people are having in this election proved hot topics.
• Journalism students from Texas Tech University invited Manchester Met NQ reporters to interview both Democrat and Republican representatives in the district.

Local

Lubbock Officials Discuss City’s Future

By Shania Jackson

In January 2019, Citizens Tower became the base office for the City of Lubbock’s key officials including Mayor Dan Pope, his assistant Abby Dye, and Deputy City Manager Bill Howerton.

Howerton has been with the City of Lubbock for 20 years now but was recently named deputy city manager.

“The biggest project the city has going right now is the public safety aspect under the Lubbock Police Department,” Howerton said.“We are setting up three regional offices and a headquarters downtown for the police department, so we have one in East Lubbock, South Lubbock, and North West Lubbock.”

Lubbock Mayoral Race Brings Passion for the People

By Avery Dishaw

Elections for Lubbock County have come to an end with Mayor Dan Pope pulling ahead of challenger Stephen Sanders by 10,000 votes to serve a second term for the City of Lubbock.

Lubbock was expected to hold its mayoral elections in May 2020; however, the impact of COVID-19 changed the course of the election moving it to Nov. 3.

The candidates, both Mayor Dan Pope and Stephen Sanders, were both running as members of the Republican Party.

 

Les Hatch: Father, Husband, District Court Judge

By Samantha Pontius

Les Hatch has many important titles including husband, father, and judge for 237th District Court in Lubbock County.

According to Ballotpedia.org, Hatch graduated from Texas A&M University and earned his law degree from Texas Tech University and served as a private practice lawyer for 21 years for the law firm of Mayfield, Crutcher, & Sharpee, LLP in Lubbock.

While the job may not have been the one he dreamt in youth, Hatch said he contemplated becoming a judge before he was appointed the position in 2009.

Youth Vote

Local Politicians Speak of Biden & the Young Vote

By Christovi Oyervidez

On Nov. 8, the Associated Press projected Democratic candidate Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential race. For voters between the ages of 18 to 29, the turnout was at an all time high with 54 percent of votes casted; 9 percent up from the 2016 election, according to the Pew Research Center.

First-time voter Alexie Salazar, 19, expressed how she felt about voting in the 2020 election.

“I felt like I actually contributed to the beginning of change,” Salazar said.

Students & Lubbock Experts Speak of Early Voting, Education

By Toluwani Osibamowo

With the early voting period in Texas beginning Oct. 13, the process behind voting became more complicated in these months since the primaries, raising discussions about the importance of voting early.

Dorothy Kennedy, the Lubbock County Elections administrator, said because of the historic nature of this election, the opportunity to speak out is driving more people to go to the polls early than ever before.

“So many people have been cooped up during COVID, and they haven’t been able to interact, get to be social, or have meetings to debate things, and this is one way that they’re able to have their voice heard, is in the voting box,” Kennedy said, seated in the bustling back room of the Lubbock Elections Office building. “So when they go to the voting machine, they’re able to have their voice heard.”

Lubbock Area Reps Speak Social Issues & Youth Vote, Engagement

By: Riley Nester

The 2020 presidential election has been called in favor of Democratic candidate Joe Biden following a historic turnout of young voters, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

Young voters are more likely to vote for candidates who demonstrate their willingness to tackle issues of social inequality, a report from the Alliance for Youth Action shows. The report states 83% of young Democratic voters support efforts to decrease the wealth gap through an increased income tax, while a separate survey performed by the Harvard Institute of Politics reported 70% of young voters said they believe the government should do more to reduce systemic racism.

As results trickled in on election night, Gracie Gomez, Lubbock County Democratic Party Chair, said she believes the youth vote will be critical in determining the outcome of the race.

Young Voters Learn to Find their Voice in Politics; Lubbock Reps Urge Involvement

By Amanda Michael

The 2020 election has been an ongoing topic bringing many differing opinions and thoughts into the open, especially between the Democratic and Republican parties.

With many college students becoming first-time voters, they have found themselves to be an essential part of society as they educate themselves on which party and candidate they best associate with.

Ashlyn Morales, a nursing student at Texas Tech, said she is excited about her first time voting and is proud to fulfill her civic duty.

“It’s been stressful these past couple months, trying to learn a little more about government and get a better feel for how elections work,” Morales said. “I never realized how much you have to pay attention to current events, and what’s going on in the news in order to form an opinion.”

Voting Trends & Issues

Waves of Change: Local Politicians Speak of Texas’ Future as Red State

By Hattie Robb

After an extensive campaign, Democratic candidate Joe Biden was announced the projected winner of the 2020 election. Before the nation declared Biden’s win, Lubbock politicians discussed their views regarding the presidential race.

According to the Lubbock County Elections Office, there are 183,976 registered voters in the county and 120,882 ballots were cast in this year’s election.

Their website indicated that President Donald Trump won Lubbock County by 38,803 votes.

Although Lubbock is a predominantly red city earning the Republican vote, Lubbock Democratic Party Chair Gracie Gomez said she is hopeful to turn the tide in Lubbock voters.

Turning Blue: Lubbock Politicians Talk About a Potential Political Shift

By Abigail Walker

Named the projected winner, President-elect Joe Biden has made it through with 290 electoral votes leaving former President Donald Trump with only 232, according to the Associated Press.

Trump won Texas by a little more than 600,000 votes, according to POLITICO, which is less than what he won by in 2016 while running against Hillary Clinton.

In 2016, he won the State of Texas by 800,000 votes, and the difference has left people talking about the possibility of Texas turning blue in the future; among those voices is Lubbock Democratic Chair Gracie Gomez.

“We still have a way to go, especially in our area of West Texas that is super red,” Gomez said, “but we’re making strides and with each election I see some changes.

Local Politicians, Expert Speak of Divisiveness Amid Pandemic, Election

By Fernanda Tronco

…Before the nation gained a new leader, Jim Baxa, former member of the Lubbock County Republican Party Committee, said he knows voter fraud will happen and there is already malpractice in Milwaukee, Detroit, and Philadelphia after seeing Biden taking the lead in the respective states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. He said Democrats tend to bribe voters and cheat in these states.

“They hold their counts until they find out how many votes they can cheat with,” said Baxa.

In contrast to the Republicans, John Gibson, Texas House District 84 Democratic candidate, said he does not believe voter fraud will be an issue in this election.

“I really don’t expect them to be an issue, but if they are an issue, then I trust in our court system, and I trust in our institutions to protect our voting process,” said Gibson.

Social & Policy Issues Remain in Forefront Following Biden Lead

By Toluwani Osibamowo

On Nov. 7, days following the nationwide anticipation of the results from Election Day, former Vice President Joe Biden was projected by the Associated Press to win the presidential election, defeating Republican incumbent President Donald Trump.

In the weeks leading up to the election, voters and political experts across the political spectrum had to look closely at what political and social issues would be of most concern to Americans once the president was elected. The economy, health care, Supreme Court appointments, and the coronavirus outbreak were the top four important issues for registered voters in this election, according to the Pew Research Center.

Texas Tech Assistant Professor of Political Science Kevin Banda said the Supreme Court nomination was a reasonably important issue for Americans given the implications it had for which party would have more control in the judicial branch; however, Banda said many people thought Congress should be less focused on judicial nominees and more on COVID-19.

“I think it’s hard to make a compelling argument to most people that a judge is more important than coronavirus aid,” Banda said over Zoom. “And I think that’s reflected in the public opinion data. I think that’s why people think about the Supreme Court as being such a salient issue right now.”

Lubbock Sees Record-Breaking Voting Numbers Amid Pandemic

By Kristina Faulkner

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused controversy among Americans over the safest and most secure way to vote during this year’s election.

Lubbock residents took these precautions into their own hands by having a record-breaking turnout for early voting.

Dorothy Kennedy, elections administrator for the Lubbock County Elections Office, said Lubbock had more than 50% of its registered voters show up for early voting.

“We had a great turnout in early voting because the governor had given us six extra days due to COVID-19,” Kennedy said. “And they allowed mail ballots to be returned in person during this time.”

According to elections office data, Lubbock County had 183,505 registered voters for 2020’s election; within the first week of early voting, about 45,873 Lubbock residents showed up to cast their ballot.

Protecting the Polls: Lubbock Residents Speak About Voting During Pandemic

By Barrett Bergez 

Sam Norman, Ph.D., has been a resident of Lubbock for nearly 70 years and said he has experienced unique election and political scandals from Watergate to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The difference in this election cycle: Norman said this has been different due to the pandemic impacting voter turnout at physical election sites.

“From observation, I’ve watched how different this has been than any other election that I’ve observed, and or been a part of,” Norman said.

Dorothy Kennedy, the Lubbock County election administrator, has worked in Lubbock County for 28 years, and the 2020 presidential election marked her seventh in the county.

Kennedy said the pandemic brought a host of changes to the logistics of the election in Lubbock County from the number of early voting days to acquiring personal protection gear for poll workers.

Mail-In Ballots

Lubbock Election Expert Discusses Mail-in Voting Process Amid Concerns

By Lexie Rendon

Despite COVID-19 causing concern heading into the 2020 election, voters turned out in historic numbers, and vote-by-mail has been a popular topic of conversation as many Americans opted out of voting in person.

According to the VoteTexas.gov, to be eligible to vote by mail in Texas you must be: 65 years or older, sick or disabled, out of the country during early voting and election day, or confined to jail but otherwise eligible to vote.

Dorothy Kennedy, department head of the Lubbock County Elections Office, said about 120,000 out of the an estimated 183,000 registered voters in Lubbock County voted this year.

As part of those numbers, Lubbock County received more than 9,000 requests for mail-in ballots, according to Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish, helping make 2020 a record-breaking year for voter turnout.

Levelland City Secretary & SPC Professor Speak on Voter Turnout

By Dominick Puente

Four days following Election Day, Joe Biden has been projected as the president-elect of the United States.

First reported by the Associated Press, Biden captured 290 electoral votes against incumbent President Donald Trump’s 232 votes.

For the State of Texas, the press has reported the Texas Legislature will remain Republican as Trump took the popular and electoral votes.

Assistant Professor of Government for South Plains College Drew Landry explained that until the 2020 election, the American voters had never waited to this extent for election results.

“President Trump bought into the idea that people can send in their mail-in-ballot on election day,” said Landry.

Landry explained Trump was openly weary of the layout for mail-in-ballots.

There was speculation beforehand that mail-in-ballots would favor Biden, according to Landry. There has not been research to prove said theory.

Controversy & COVID-19 Have Role in Ballot Counting Delays

By Jackson Hannah

The 2020 election has come to a close, but not without controversy as it took select states several days to count every ballot due to disputes and COVID-19.

Extra precautions had to be taken to adhere to every registered voter’s needs, and mail-in ballots were the answer.

Every state implemented different criteria for a citizen to acquire a mail-in ballot.

According to the Texas Secretary of State website, to be applicable for a mail-in ballot in the State of Texas, voters must be 65 years of age or older, cite a disability or illness, confirmed to be in jail while still being registered to vote, or confirm to be in a different county you are not registered to vote in come election day.

Dorothy Kennedy, election office administrator in Lubbock County, said she has received thousands of applications for
mail-in ballots.

“Everybody has mixed opinions,” she stated. “The signatures is how we know it’s protected so we know that it’s the same signature.”

Voter Security: Local Expert and Voters Speak About Mail Ballots

By Alli Cross

Although the 2020 election sparked many to go out and vote, people with concerns of contracting COVID-19 opted for a mail-in ballot leaving some voicing their concerns with the alternative method.

According to an NPR analysis, more than 550,000 ballots were rejected in the primaries because of mistakes on voters’ ballots.

On a local level, mid-sized towns like Lubbock actively tried to prevent the spread of COVID-19 this election season for those who didn’t want to vote by mail.

The outcome resulted in many Lubbock voters placing their ballots earlier than usual. According to Lubbock County Elections Office data, about 52% of registered voters participated in early voting.

One early voter, Bobby McNabb, 75, said he and his wife were comfortable with how Lubbock safely conducted the election process.

“We wore a mask, as the directions said,” McNabb said, “We did what they told us to do. We weren’t worried about it.”

Opinion

 

Election Night: An Instructor’s POV

 Lessons Learned: Manchester Students/Instructor Speak About TTU Election Collaboration