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Recently we saw a letter to the editor encouraging us to recalibrate our thoughts on the last election.

Whether the election was stolen, or 100% flawless, one thing is certain, many citizens have lost confidence in the process. That is undeniable!

In our own county we had attempts to close outlying voting locations (Park County did in the Primary) to create centralized voting centers. As a result absentee voting morphed into mail-in voting, especially since voters can vote early in Wyoming.

Some counties, Park County included, counted ballots three days early per the unauthorized guidance of the Secretary of State. Theres a reason why early counting is prohibited bad players can use this information to sway an election.

Ballot boxes were unattended in some counties, Park County included, even though they were placed outside government buildings and polling places. There is no way to guarantee that those boxes and ballots werent tampered with.

There were improprieties nationwide illegal aliens being allowed to vote, ballot harvesting, boxes of unaccounted for ballots being discovered, disqualification of military absentee ballots. Each state had their own issues, and Wyoming likely had these things going on here.

At the end of this past legislative session our own legislature was unable to pass a cross-over voting bill. For 10 years Republicans have asked the legislature to clean up the laws that allow Democrats to participate in the Republican candidate selection by forcing the use of the primary ballot for the selection process. They again refused to address the issue even though many in Wyoming phone calls from a special interest group encouraging voters to register as Republicans before the 2018 primary, which lead to the election of the least conservative candidate for governor that year.

The Secretary of State has added to the voters concerns. He condoned a physical resident of Colorado to run for governor in Wyoming. This person registered for election using a Laramie business address. The Secretary allowed a Wyoming senatorial candidate to register using a room in his business as his residence to qualify for a run for office in that district.

Most recently he punted on ruling on the residency requirement in the matter of a Wyoming representative living outside of his legislative district. On the last matter, elected representatives undertook private conversations with the legislator in question and felt he was not violating the law. Of course, those conversations were also not held under the penalty of perjury. Adding insult to injury, the legislator in question was acting as co-chairman of the legislative redistricting committee. Legitimate? Please!!!

Lawfare, the use of frivolous or baseless lawsuits to bully and financially break an opponent has also found its way to Wyoming. In January 2022, 16 Wyomingites some of whom are/were prominent Republicans, one a former Speaker of the House and another a former representative from Park County, sued the state of Wyoming, the Republican Party and the Governor citing a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. and the equal protection provisions of the Wyoming Constitution. A process to fill a vacancy in an elected office is spelled out in statute and requires the Republican Party to submit names of three qualified candidates to the Governor. This time it was to fill the vacated seat of the superintendent of public instruction. This is a process thats been in place for 60 years, but they chose to file two days before the Governor needed to appoint a replacement.

Last, but not least, a director of a chamber of commerce complained to the secretary of states office about a second amendment organization allegedly lobbying for a candidate during the last election. It took a federal lawsuit to show the second amendment groups first amendment rights were violated by the Secretary of State and the Attorney General.

Organizations and individuals are involved in using these tactics and more to erode the electoral system and achieve their personal goals at the expense of the rights of the individual voter to participate in government by the people. There has to be strong voices opposing this or were headed to third-world status in voting and/or rights as citizens.

(Vincent Vanata is aState Committeemanfor thw Park County Republican Party)

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Op Ed: Many reasons to be concerned about voting - Cody Enterprise

The Rowan Republicans and Rowan Democrats hosted their annual debate on Tuesday, April 12. The debate: transgender people in sports, COVID-19, voter ID laws and gun rights.

The event was held inside the Chamberlain Student Center Pit and started at 7 p.m.

Representing the Democrats was Rory Newman, Anushree Chauhan, Andrew Park, Trevor Jedwabnik, Mike Zupko, Nick Dannenfelser, Rory Newman, William Kaminer, Trevor Jebwabnik, Nic Lawniczuk, Andy Park and Anna Bray.

Representing the Republicans was Madison Laganella, Elizabeth Guinta, Reilly Kerr, Danny Tepper, Vikas Addanki, Eric Holmes and Armani Rodriguez.

The first topic of the night was transgender people in sports. Both the crowd and representatives of each party were not afraid to hold back their opinions as the debate grew increasingly more enthusiastic.

Athletes such as Lia Thomas were mentioned at the debate, as they discussed whether or not transgender athletes should be able to compete in the Olympics.

Republican representatives made the claim that trans women are biologically male. Whereas Democratic representatives argued that trans women are women.

Focusing on biological sex, Republicans made the argument that transgender athletes, such as Lia Thomas, have a biological advantage since trans women are biologically female.

Republicans also argued that allowing for transgender athletes to compete in the Olympics, or any sports, is not fair to biological women. Republicans claimed not to deny trans women as women but did not directly say that trans women are women.

The opposing side, the Democrats, argued that trans people should be allowed to compete in sports.

Much of the crowd cheered, Trans women are women!

Republicans used debating trans athletes as a wedge to slowly chip away at trans rights, William Kaminer, a Democratic representative and sophomore political science major, said.

The second debate of the night focused on everything COVID-19-related. From vaccines and masks to the economic shutdown of the United States.

The focal point of this debate was the vaccine against natural immunity.

Democrats acknowledged that natural immunity is real, but claimed that getting the vaccine improves an individuals chances of survival.

On the other hand, Republicans argued that natural immunity is much stronger than the vaccine.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are different types of immunity. In both cases, natural and vaccine-induced immunities are types of active immunity.

According to the CDC, natural immunity is acquired from exposure to the disease organism through infection with the actual disease.

However, vaccine-induced immunity is acquired through the introduction of a killed or weakened form of the disease organism through vaccination.

The CDC concludes, either way, if an immune person comes into contact with that disease in the future, their immune system will recognize it and immediately produce the antibodies needed to fight it. Active immunity is long-lasting, and sometimes life-long.

The second to last debate was voter rights and ID.

Democrats argued that voter ID should be less strict and intensive whereas Republicans argued that voter ID should always be required to vote.

Eric Holmes is the President of the Republican party at Rowan University.

Voting is the pinnacle of our republic, Holmes said.

According to Ballotpedia, As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements.

In New Jersey, voters are not required to show identification while voting but must do so beforehand if choosing not to present identification at the place of voting.

Some forms of identification include a drivers license, military or other government ID, student ID, store membership card, bank statement, and more.

The last debate of the night was the most passionate. It was on gun rights.

The second amendment of the United States constitutes that its citizens have the right to bear arms. Both parties agree to the second amendment but there are fundamentals both parties disagree on.

Democrats pitched for common-sense legislation regarding gun rights. Keeping guns out of the hands of felonies and the mentally ill would significantly reduce crime.

With common-sense legislation, obtaining a gun permit would be more difficult. Democrats argued that this would be the best solution to keep the United States safe.

Republicans also agreed that felonies and the mentally ill should not possess guns but were ultimately opposed to the idea of common-sense legislation.

Republicans argued that gun rights, especially focusing on New Jersey, are much too strict.

The crowd grew wild and passionate, oftentimes yelling, booing, and shouting.

At the end of the event, both parties shook hands and ultimately kept the debate civil.

For comments/questions about this story tweet @TheWhitOnline or email thewhitnews23@gmail.com.

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Rowan Republicans and Democrats Host Annual Debate - The Whit Online

This past weekend, as warmer weather and a post-pandemic mood called crowds out to Beale Street, bullets crashed the party.

And the ones firing them seemed to be more driven by the invincibility of their weapons and the urge to settle a grudge than in the power of the police.

Which isnt surprising given how the fetishization of guns and laws which make it easier to obtain may be reducing police to fixtures, not enforcers.

According to an MPD preliminary report, sometime around or after 2 a.m. Sunday, two groups of men began shooting at each other outside of The Green Room on Beale Street. One wound up dead, while two were seriously injured.

This shootout happened infront of Memphis police officers who had been outside the club, their presence a blur to the shooters.

Three of theofficers fired back at the shooters and have been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an investigation.

Said MPD Director C.J. Davis in a statement:"The Memphis Police Department is outraged at the senseless and brazen acts of violence that took place this morning in the presence of officers.

The proliferation of gun violence continues at epic levels throughout our nation; however, we are committed to bringing every resource to bear to end these critical incidents in our city..."

Yet anyone who believes that outbreak of violence on one of the nations most iconic streets is solely a reflection of violence and dysfunction in Memphis would be wrong.

Theyd be wrong because around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, just 30 minutes before the bullets began flying on Beale Streetand more than eight hours away,a gunfight erupted inside a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, nightclub. Two people were killed in this shooting, and 10 were injured.

And they weren't deterred by the police, who were still outsidethe club after being summoned to deal with an earlier incident.

Right now, its unclear how all that bad blood curdled into enough venom to poison the minds of the perpetrators to the point where they let loose with guns in places where the bullets could get people who got in the way.

But whats stunningly clear is that they dont care if the police are nearby, or if the police are watching.

In a way, this isnt that surprising.

Tennesseeis astate where people older than 21 can openly carry a gun without any training and without a permit. We livein a nation where people can buy kits to assemble guns, called ghost guns that are virtually untraceable by law enforcement.

It's easy to see how those who would fire a gun in public could come to believe that they have more power than the police, so why would they hold off on having a shootout in front of the police?Or near the police?

Some probably believe they can outshoot the police.

None of us can say that we werent warned about this. In fact, the police warned us all about this.

Last year this time, when Gov. Bill Lee signed the permitless carry bill into law even though the states leading law enforcement agencies opposed it, saying that it would lead to more crime and make officers more vulnerable to being shot.

Law enforcement groups have also long opposed ghost guns. As they should, considering that, according to federal authorities, more than23,000 in unmarked guns were found at crime scenes between 2016 and 2020.

Yesterday, President Joe Biden announced new federal regulations on ghost guns.

Among other things, the regulations will require commercial manufacturers of the guns to be licensed and to include serial numbers on unfinished parts, and sellers will have to run background checks on the buyers.

Of course, some gun groups have vowed to sue the administration over the regulations, saying that they violate Second Amendment rights.

But come on. A serial number on an instrument of death is a violation of someones Second Amendment rights?

If anyone is being violated here, it is the people who may be killed by someone who wont be caught because the gun is untraceable.

Such craziness is what led us to the shooting on Beale Street and in Cedar Rapids. It has led us to a point where people acting intentionally or on impulse believe any power the gun conveys usurps any power that the police might have.

In these moments abetted by NRA-influenced laws that hold reasonable gun regulations as sacrilegious, the police are reduced to bystanders. Just like anyone who gets in the way of the bullets.

And as long as that situation persists, anyone who goes out to have a good time could risk coming home in a body bag.

No matter how many police are around.

Tonyaa Weathersbee can be reached at tonyaa.weathersbee@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter: @tonyaajw

The rest is here:
Memphis is 8 hours from Cedar Rapids. The shootings near police were 30 minutes apart | Weathersbee - Commercial Appeal

The Road to November: The latest on the race for Georgia governor

Gov. Kemp signed HB 1302 which will return money to Georgia taxpayers in response to the state's budget surplus. GOP challenger David Perdue countered by saying Kemp did not return enough money to taxpayers. Meanwhile, Democrat Stacey Abrams filed a lawsuit arguing she should be allowed to raise money under the same law that applies to the governor.

ATLANTA - Primaries in Georgia are looming, and after Democrats won several key races during the 2020 election, the eyes of the nation are once again on the state during the2022 midterm elections.

The Republican primary for governor is contested with incumbentGov. Brian Kempfacing challengers, including a former senator with the endorsement offormer President Donald Trump:David Perdue.

Meanwhile, Stacey Abrams is vying for office once again after he defeat her in 2018. Abrams, however, wont face any competition in a primary.

Heres a look at each of the candidates to become Georgias next governor and where they stand on key issues.

FOX 5's Russ Spencer spoke one-on-one with Gov. Kemp to discuss his views on critical race theory, medicaid expansion, the Rivian electric vehicle plant, and his run for reelection.

Kemp is seeking a second term since he beat potential Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial race.

While in office, Kemp has beenat odds with former President Donald Trumpover how he handled the 2020 Election when Joe Biden narrowly won the state and Democrats won two senate seats in runoffs.

Polling showsKemp holding an advantage over his GOP adversaries, including Trump-backed David Perdue.

Gov. Kemp maintains a double digit lead over former Sen. Perdue in the latest polls. Meanwhile, an Emerson College and The Hill poll shows Brad Raffensperger with a 3 point lead over Rep. Jody Hice in the race for secretary of state.

Kemp pushed to pass the states "constitutional carry" bill, which eliminates the need for concealed carry permits for gun owners.

"Its great to see so much support for the 2nd Amendment, as the General Assembly considers bills to uphold this fundamental right," Kemp tweeted in March. "I am committed to working with both the Georgia House and Senate to get Constitutional Carry across the finish line!"

Kemp has vocally backed theElection Integrity Act, which passed in 2021 in response to perceived insecurity during the 2020 presidential election after President Joe Biden won the state and Democrats took both Senate seats.

Kemp hasnt aligned with former President Donald Trumps unproven claims of voter fraud, but hes emphasized his belief that reducing the number of ballot drop boxes, requiring voter ID to vote by mail and modifying early voting hours have in-fact made voting easier and strengthened election security.

Kemp hasrailed against "divisive topics"in schools. He supported a bill to ban teaching Critical Race Theory and another thatbanned transgender student-athletes from playing high school sports.

Kemps budget plan, which passed, includes thefinal installment of his promised teacher pay raiseand fully funds the state's Quality Basic Education formula.

Kemp has taken interest in school districts that removebooks related to LGBTQ+ issues.

"We'll have a lot of dialogue. I think that's something people at home should know that you know, we're going to be very thoughtful about this and we're talking to everybody involved. We're talking to the parents, for sure, but we're also talking to teachers and superintendents and school board members and the folks back home and I think this will be a good debate for us to have that will move us forward as a state," said Kemp during a visit to a Forsyth County school.

Since Kemp has been in office,Georgia has passed legislation to ban most abortionsafter a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks of gestation.

At the time of passage, Kemp said, "We stand up for the innocent and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves."

The panelist analyze the former president's campaign stop in Commerce, Georgia.

Sinceformer President Donald Trump backed Perdues bid for governor, the former senators campaign has done what it can to spread the word.

That was the intent of two 2022 rallies, one with the former president as a guest of honor and another featuring Donald Trump Jr.

Perdue considers himself an "outsider," and has criticized Kemp for being reactive in some of the measures hes passed in 2022.

Perdue criticized Kemp for not pushing for "constitutional carry" sooner.

Perdue, who lost his senate seat to Jon Ossoff during a January 2021 runoff, has echoed Trumps claims of an illegitimate 2020 election. Before Trump arrived at a rally in Commerce in northeast Georgia, Perdue said "our elections in 2020 were absolutely stolen." He accused Kemp of having "sold out" Georgia voters through a series of actions including refusing to call a special state legislative session before Jan. 6 to investigate or overturn the election.

Perdue has suggested forming an entity to enforce election laws and an independent audit of election results before certification.

Purdue said he wants to empower parents, and proposed a Parent Bill of Rights similar to the one that Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law this year.

Perdue said parents should have a "straightforward" way to sue school systems that violate their rights. He opposes Critical Race Theory and divisive ideologies.

Perdue haspublicly supported measures to make abortion laws stricteras a senator.

Perdue defended Georgias "heartbeat bill" in 2019, saying, "Life is precious and should be defended at any stage."

Taylor describes herself as a native of South Georgia who worked in public education as a 3rd-grade teacher, counselor, testing coordinator, student services coordinator and homeless liaison.

Taylor haslaunched an online petitionto participate in gubernatorial debates against opponents David Perdue and incumbent Brian Kemp.

Taylor says she supports constitutional carry.

Taylor said she wants to remove ballot drop boxes.

Its unclear if she is advocating for the complete removal of voting machines or just machines operated by Dominion, a company that was scrutinized by Republicans during the fallout of the 2020 election.

Taylor also said she intends to remove absentee ballots.

She advocated for a forensic audit of the 2020 election in Georgia.

Taylor said she is against certain concepts being taught in Georgia schools, including critical race theory, comprehensive sex education, and social-emotional learning.

Taylor said she intends to criminalize abortion upon proof of pregnancy, which would be the strictest abortion regulation in the U.S.

FOX 5's Claire Simms sat down with former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams just hours after she announced her second bid for governor.

Abrams is the only democratic candidate to officially qualify for governor. She campaigned for the job in 2018 and lost to current governor Brian Kemp.

A tendency to attack Abrams is one thing all of the GOP gubernatorial candidates have shared. She came under fire for removing a mask during a photo opportunity at a Georgia elementary school. Republican candidates later criticized her for comments during a rally, in which she stated, "I did the work, now I want the job."

Her opponents havent hesitated to mention her unwillingness to immediately concede defeat to Brian Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

Abrams swiftly denouncedKemps push for constitutional carry. Her campaign spokesperson called the proposal reckless and said it threatened Georgians lives.

Abrams stance on the second amendment is linked to her public safety policy.

In aninterview with FOX 5 Atlanta, Abrams said she would address that by working hand-in-hand with law enforcement to make sure they have the resources they need, as well as the underlying issues like education and economics.

"Corollary to that is gun violence," said Abrams. "Part of that is the fact that Georgia has weakened its gun laws under Brian Kemp, and we have seen an erosion of safety for our communities. That is not something that should be sustainable in this state. Gun safety does not mean taking away a single person's weapon or their right to own. I believe in the 2nd Amendment, but I also believe in gun safety."

Since losing the 2018 race for governor, Abrams has been bent on increasing voter turnout and fighting restrictive election laws. Abrams organization, Fair Fight Action, took some of the credit for turning the once-staunchly Republican state closer to a shade of "purple."

Abrams criticized Georgias election reform, saying it disproportionally affects minority voters.

Abrams said she intends to pursue educational equity and mobility. She said it starts with scholarships for early-childhood education.

She supports an institutionalized teacher pipeline and the structure to fund a permanent plan to raise teacher salaries.

Abrams advocates for tuition-free technical college and need-based aid programs.

Abrams advocates for women and families to have the right to make their own healthcare decisions with ample access to reproductive health care. Abrams sees Medicaid expansion as a way to address maternal and infant mortality in Georgia.

The Associated Press contributed to this piece.

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Georgia governors race 2022: Where candidates stand on key issues - FOX 5 Atlanta

Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law on Wednesday that bans anyone in Colorado from openly carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location, unless their property falls within that buffer.

The Vote Without Fear Act was a priority election bill for Democrats in charge of the state legislature. Supporters say the law is needed to prevent the harassment of voters and poll workers, arguing that the current intimidation law can be difficult to enforce.

It passed with no Republican backers, who argued it infringed on 2nd Amendment rights.

Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Joan Lopez attended the bill signing ceremony at the state capitol and recalled an incident that occurred on the eve of the 2020 presidential election. Two men came to the countys administrative office in Littleton.

Came in with cameras, filming voters, open carrying, and just trying to intimidate voters. Andthen they moved to the front of the building where every voter had to pass them to get to the voting center, she said.

Lopez said people complained and the election judges were really shook up.

Even though the police were called and our attorneys were involved, there was nothing we could do at that point because they weren't violating any laws. Now it's going to be law and they won't be able to do this ever again, Lopez said.

Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Bacon is one of the main sponsors of House Bill 1086. She said voter intimidation has a long legacy in the U.S, especially against communities of color. She said its part of her own familys history when they lived in Jackson Mississippi.

I want to thank the NAACP. We have been fighting for this for a century in this country to be able to vote without fear, she said.

Opponents argued that since Colorado is an open-carry state (with a few exceptions), the bill infringes on Second Amendment rights, and could make people who openly carry a firearm feel less secure.

House Bill 1273 would make it a misdemeanor to threaten or intimidate state and local election workers for doing their jobs. Its still awaiting its first committee hearing. It also would make it illegal to publish the personal information of election workers a practice known as doxxing and allow those workers and their immediate family members to remove their private information from open records requests. And it would increase the penalties for threats and intimidation.

Senate Bill 153 is in response to the security breach in Mesa county. Republican Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters and her Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley are facing multiple indictments for election tampering and misconduct. A federal investigation is ongoing.

It would add new security requirements for counties, requiring constant video surveillance of election equipment, stricter rules about who can access equipment and increase penalties for potential security breaches in an effort to try to prevent insider security threats. The bill cleared the Senate with Democratic support and one Republican yes vote.

More here:
New Colorado law bans people from openly carrying firearms near voting locations - Colorado Public Radio