The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 162, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 5, 2020 Page: 4 of 14
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Viewpoints
AP Analysis: Texas voters sour on state of nation
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Regret. We all have it. Sorrow for
things we didn’t do or should have
done differently or better. The lon-
ger we live, the more regrets we
may have, piled all around us like
unread books and broken toys.
"I Did It My Way,” is a beautiful
song made popular by Frank Sinatra
in the 1960’s. I have heard it sung
at funerals to express a life lived on
its own terms. One of the lines is,
BY GREG KELLER
The Associated Press
i
■
In 2009, a shooting rampage at the
Fort Hood Army post in Texas left
13 people dead; Maj. Nidal Hasan,
an Army psychiatrist, was convicted
of murder and sentenced to death.
in 2017, a gunman armed with an
assault rifle opened fire in a small
South Texas church, killing more
than two dozen people; the shoot-
er, Devin Patrick Kelley, was lat-
er found dead in a vehicle after he
was shot and chased by two men
who heard the gunfire. (An autopsy
revealed that he died from a self-in-
flicted gunshot wound.)
Dr. Steve Showalter is a government professor at Lee
College in Baytown.
His all to redeem us from that fallen
nature.
I can look back and see God’s
guiding hand in my life. Sometimes
I took it and other times I pushed it
aside and did it, “my way.” Ask me
which worked out for the best. Al-
ways, always, it was God’s way.
All of this talk about voter fraud is bunk. Texas has
strict and secure voting procedures.
Sure, there are a smattering of people who slip through
the cracks, but in a state with 17 million registered vot-
ers, a handful of cheats can’t swing the outcome of an
election.
Folks don’t realize how difficult it is to steal an elec-
tion. There are numerous and redundant safeguards at the
precinct, county, and state level.
When you register to vote, you are not automatically
added to the voter rolls. All 254 counties and the Tex-
under control in this country.
ON THE ISSUES
4 Uhe Waptown Sun
Thursday
November 5, 2020
4
_ ery early voting center have election
judges from both parties to verify the fairness of the pro-
cess. Then the precinct results are reported to the county,
and the county has representatives from both parties to
verify the count.
At no point are any of the electronic voting machines
connected to the Internet, so hacking is not an issue.
The results of all 254 counties then go to the Texas Sec-
retary of State in Austin, where there are more protocols
in place to audit and verify the count.
The decentralized nature of voting in America is messy
and complex, but it safeguards the process. To steal a na-
tional presidential election, all you need to do is pull a
fast one in 200,000 precincts, 3,100 counties, and all 50
states. Even the most rabid conspiracy nuts can’t explain
how to pull that off.
Absentee and mail-in ballots face even greater scrutiny
than in-person ballots. Voters must fill out their ballots,
sign the ballot, put it in an envelope, and sign the enve-
lope too.
Every mail ballot signature is compared to the voter
signature in the county database, and if it doesn’t match
up, the ballot is tossed. Election judges from both parties
are present when the ballots are opened and counted.
The GOP howls about mailed ballots, but they actual-
ly get tossed at a much higher rate than regular ballots.
Since Democrats are more likely to vote by mail, you
would think the Republicans would encourage it.
Some kooks claim that people are voting twice, once
by mail and once on election day. Nonsense. Any person
who tries to do that gets flagged by the county database.
I received an absentee ballot from the county, but I
chose to vote in person. When the clerk pulled up my
name, she told me that my in-person vote automatically
cancels my absentee ballot.
That pesky clerk and her real-time voter database just
ruined my secret scheme to vote twice.
Undeterred, I turned my attention to the Sunday obit-
uaries. Maybe I could cast a few votes on behalf of the
dearly departed?
Nope, photo ID is required to vote. Foiled again.
Texans are good at preventing voter fraud, mostly be-
cause we learned from master thieves like W. Lee “Pap-
py” O’Daniel and Lyndon Johnson. Historians generally
agree that Pappy stole a special Senate election from LBJ
in 1941, and LBJ returned the favor by stealing his Senate
seat in 1948.
Their flagrant schemes to steal votes and turn out the
dead taught us how to prevent electoral skullduggery.
AFTER A NASTY
2020 ELECTION
SEASON ,
°4° !i
‘Regrets, I’ve had a few ...7
SIAHCER.2020
ANpENS MP/EELSWNUDICATON
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The coronavirus pandemic was top of be the best because they’re going to do
mind for many voters in Texas. Almost what it takes not to fail,” Price said.
EDITORIAL POLICY
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and fair. Editorial expressions
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© 2020. All rights reserved.
Anyone who has lived a lengthy what you have done, but you can those people harmed, but first and
life cannot help but have many re- ask forgiveness and try to change foremost, from the One who gave
Periodical postage in Baytown,
Texas 77520. Published 3 days
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•_\MEMBER
■ » 2020
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
as Secretary of State have measures in
place to verify citizenship, and they reg-
ularly update and purge the rolls.
Voter registration records are also
cross verified against other government
databases, including drivers’ licenses,
state identification cards, property tax
records, criminal records, etc.
There are over 900 voting precincts
SIEVE in Harris County, and thousands more
SHOWALTER across the state. Every precinct and ev-
grets. We all are imperfect people things for the better. Sometimes the
who make mistakes that we later person that was hurt will not let you.
wish we could undo. But there is no But you have to try; it is all you can
undoing. You can make amends, but do. If it succeeds, it is so worth do-
the actual deeds can never be erased, ing-for both of you.
That is regret. And we have all been Alcoholics Anonymous is based
there. on a 12-step program to recovery.
As well as wrong actions, there Two of those steps deal with mak-
is also that which we failed to do. ing amends. One says, “Make a
That is the dichotomy of regret: list of all persons we harmed and
that which you wish you had not become willing to make amends to
done and those things you wish you them all.” Another is, “Make direct
would have done. amends to such people wherev-
I have heard it said that we must er possible, except when to do so
live life forward. I think that is true, would injure them or others.” It also
We must look in places emphasis on going to and re-
the rearview mirror lying on God in their lives. Another
only to see where step says, “Admitted to God, to our-
we have been; to selves, and to another human being
1 any more the exact nature of our wrongs.”
wrong turns so that Google all of the 12 steps of AA.
we may follow the You will find out that they would
, kin cd best path or the make all of our lives better if we
GlNGER U ure i you on t practiced them. For those addicted,
STRIPLING mo™ eddaabork substance abuse has caused them to
“Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then in the way and you will never be free do wrong. But what excuse do the
again, too few to mention.” Well, if to make that forward motion, rest of us have? Being selfish, ignor-
you have had only a few, then you The only way to dislodge it is to ing God and what was right, might
are either a very lucky person or per- atone somehow for the wrongs that be the culprit in many cases. We
haps a deluded one. have put it there. You cannot undo must not only ask forgiveness from
-3
On this date: TODAY IN HISTORY
In 1781, the Continental Congress
elected John Hanson of Maryland lican William Howard Taft and So-
its chairman, giving him the title of cialist Eugene V. Debs.
“President of the United States in In 1940, President Franklin D.
Congress Assembled.” Roosevelt won an unprecedented
In 1872, suffragist Susan B. An- third term as he defeated Republican
thony defied the law by attempting challenger Wendell L. Willkie.
to cast a vote for President Ulysses in 1968, Republican RichardNix-
S. Grant. (Anthony was fined $100, on won the presidency, defeating
but she never paid the penalty.) Democratic Vice President Hubert
In 1912, Democrat Woodrow Wil- Humphrey and American Indepen-
son was elected president, defeating dent candidate George Wallace.
Progressive Party candidate Theo- In 1994, former President Reagan
dore Roosevelt, incumbent Repub- said he had Alzheimer’s disease.
WRITE TO US__________________________
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guest columns of up to 500 90, Baytown, TX 77522;
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original material addressed 5252 or send an e-mail to
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An address and Items featured on this
phone number, not for page are the views of the
publication, should be persons identified with
included. All letters and each submission and do not
guest columns are subject necessarily reflect the views
to editing, and The Sun of The Baytown Sun or its
reserves the right to refuse advertisers.
to publish any submission.
A former longtime Baytown resi-
dent, Ginger Stripling now lives in
Mont Belvieu. Contact her at view-
points@baytownsun. com, Atten-
tion: Ginger Stripling.
voters.
Biden led Trump among both Black
voters and Latino voters. Trump was pre-
ferred among white voters.
Republican presidential candidates
have won the state going back 40 years,
but shifting suburbs and a booming popu-
lation had raised Democrats’ hopes.
Corbin Clark, 29, a forklift driver, said
Tuesday was the first time he had ever
voted. Clark voted for Biden at a com-
munity center in Acres Homes, a histor-
ically African-American neighborhood in
northwest Houston.
Clark said he didn’t know why he hadn’t
previously voted.
“My momma got on my case,” Clark
said as he laughed. “She told me I needed
to go vote and use my voice.”
Both voters in cities and suburban vot-
ers were more likely to favor Biden. Vot-
ers in small towns and rural areas were
more likely to favor Trump.
RACE FOR SENATE
Republican incumbent John Cornyn
won his bid for a fourth tenn, defeating
Democrat Mary ‘MJ’ Hegar.
Republicans have held both Texas Sen-
Voters in Texas gave President Donald
Trump its 38 electoral votes while holding
negative views about the country’s direc-
tion, according to an expansive AP survey
of the American electorate.
The race between Trump and Demo-
cratic rival Joe Biden concluded Tuesday.
AP VoteCast found that nearly three-fifths
of Texas voters said the U.S. is headed in
the wrong direction and about two-fifths
said it is on the right track.
AP called Texas for Trump in the pres-
idential race.
Here’s a snapshot of who voted and
what matters to them, based on prelimi-
nary results from AP VoteCast, a nation-
wide survey of about 133,000 voters and
nonvoters — including 3,888 voters and
792 nonvoters in Texas — conducted for
The Associated Press by NORC at the
University of Chicago.
TRUMP VS BIDEN
In the race for president, Biden led
Trump among voters under 45 but Trump
was preferred over Biden among older
ate seats since 1993. Cornyn, 68, has been two-fifths said it is the most important is-
one of Trump’s most stalwart backers in sue facing the country today.
the Senate. Hegar, 44, is an Air Force vet- Voters also considered the economy a
eran who narrowly lost a U.S. House race major issue, with almost 3 in 10 saying it
in 2 018. ranked at the top.
Hegar was preferred over Cornyn About 1 in 10 named health care and
among voters under 45 but older voters the same number named racism, while 4%
were more likely to prefer Cornyn. named law enforcement.
Cornyn led Hegar among white voters NATIONAL ECONOMY
while both Black voters and Latino voters Voters were slightly negative in their
were more likely to support Hegar. Voters assessments of the nation’s economy,
in small towns and rural areas were more Overall, almost half described econom-
likely to support Cornyn over Hegar. ic conditions in the U.S. as excellent or
FACING THE PANDEMIC good, and more than half called them not
Texas has surpassed California in re- so good or poor.
cording the highest number of positive Eboni Price, 29, who owns a business
coronavirus tests in the U.S. so far, with that specializes in the care of horses, used
close to 940,000 cases, according to the a different fonn of transportation to get
latest data from Johns Hopkins Univer- to her polling site on Tuesday: her trusty
sity. Overall, about 2 in 10 Texas voters horse Moon. Price, who is studying to be
said the virus in the U.S. is completely or a veterinarian, said she voted for Kanye
mostly under control, and 3 in 10 said it’s West in the presidential race.
somewhat under control. Almost half of “I think he’s a happy medium for both of
voters think the coronavirus is not at all them honestly. He’s younger. He doesn’t
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Bloom, David. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 162, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 5, 2020, newspaper, November 5, 2020; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1468267/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.