What you need to know: 2018 General Election

With only two days of early voting left ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm election, daily poll turnouts in Lubbock County have been high, sending a non-partisan message: vote. Dorothy Kennedy, Lubbock County elections administrator, said it is important for voters to head to the polls early as wait times will be less, and college […]

Texas is Feeling Blue

By Kristen Barton The last time Texas elected a democratic presidential candidate was John F. Kennedy forty years ago, which means Texas Tech University students could witness Texas electing a democratic presidential candidate for the first time in their lives on Nov. 8. According to an NPR article, the presidential race is closer in Texas […]

Time Is Running Out to Register To Vote

By Alyssa Chrisope College students have a larger stake in this presidential election than they might realize, making their participation crucial. Millennials, anyone currently between the ages of 18-35, form the largest living generation. More importantly, they now make up 31 percent of the electorate, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Data conducted by the Pew […]

Third-Party Candidates: America’s Only Hope?

By Rachel Blevins  With Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as the presumptive nominees of the two major parties, many constituents are considering voting for a third-party candidate, raising the question of the effect independent parties will have on the 2016 election. Daniel Zolnikov, a Republican state representative in Montana, said that while there may be support for […]

Local Voter Registration Low Among Millennials

Local election voter turnout has hit an all-time low in the U.S., and Lubbock is no exception. But one demographic consistently does not show at the polls. According to the Lubbock County Elections Office, about 16 percent of registered voters in Lubbock County voted in the 2016 municipal elections. District 1, which includes the North […]

Conversations with an (Almost) Congressman: Jodey Arrington

Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, is no stranger to Washington, D.C., having worked for President George W. Bush. He is now trying to get back to the capital as a congressman. Arrington is one of two candidates vying for the District 19 congressional seat in the May 24 runoff election. If elected, he hopes his previous experience in Washington will give […]

Voters Starter Pack: The Presidential Election

Americans between 18 and 24 years old voted less than any other age group in the 2012 presidential election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But with Millennials now outnumbering the Baby Boomers, the 2016 presidential election could see a bigger, younger turnout. It can be difficult to keep up with all the ins and outs of the political […]

Trump: Can He Win the Nomination?

By Rachel Blevins With the rise of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, the Republican Party is facing a conundrum centered on a brokered convention. According to the Party’s rules, a brokered convention occurs when no single candidate receives at least 1,237 out of the 2,472 available delegates. As of the New York primary […]

In Politics, Some Are More Equal than Others

By Rachel Blevins An elite group of voters called “superdelegates” makes up about a third of the total delegates needed to win the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Their unique power has led some to criticize their role as undemocratic. Timothy Nokken, graduate studies director in Texas Tech’s Department of Political Science, said the Democratic Party’s […]

Student Youngest Ever to Run for City Council

Tristan Ramirez does not want to be a politician. He hopes to be more. “I don’t want to be elected to office and just be known as a city councilman,” Ramirez said. “I want to be known as a member of the community, as a servant of the community. That’s really all I want.” Ramirez is […]