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Posts tagged as “voting”

Voter Registration Closes This Friday

By editorialteam on October 23, 2024

MWCC Community Can Look to Brewer Center for Registering Before Deadline

By Jordan Chila | Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Tom Hill Jr.

The 2024 election is fast approaching, and surprisingly, not every state offers same-day voter registration. Massachusetts is one of those states, with a voter registration deadline of October 26, 2024. There are several last-minute ways to register: by mail, in person, or online. Since not everyone in the community is registered, take advantage of the right to vote and register today.

Massachusetts is among the 28 states that don’t offer same-day voter registration, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your vote in before the deadline. MWCC students can register in person at their local election office or by mail. For those who are registering to vote by mail, be sure that the registration form is postmarked by the deadline date of October 26, 2024. For an even simpler option, there is also the option to register or vote online. Where exactly is one able to find the online registration form? Well, the commonwealth of Massachusetts provides the link here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/. It takes about five minutes, and all that is required is valid identification. read more

MCAS: To Change or Not to Change?

By editorialteam on October 23, 2024

Deciding the Future of the MCAS Graduation Requirement with Question 2

By Princess Yeboah | Assistant Editor

Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu from Unsplash

Question 2 on the election ballot addresses the MCAS testing requirement for high school graduation. This year, Massachusetts voters will decide whether to keep or change the rule that requires students to pass the MCAS to graduate. A “yes” vote would remove the requirement that students pass MCAS, while voting “no” would mean the requirement would still be in effect. According to the Rennie Center Education Research and Policy, the MCAS became a requirement to graduate in 2003. While some find this test motivating, some educators support keeping the test but without making it a graduation requirement. read more

Students and Faculty Weigh in on Upcoming Psychedelics Vote in Massachusetts

By editorialteam on October 23, 2024

By Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief

Image by Alan Rockefeller, from Wikimedia Commons

This November, Massachusetts voters will decide on several statewide ballot questions, including Question 4, the limited legalization of certain natural psychedelic substances, also known as the “Natural Psychedelic Substances Act.” The proposal would legalize and regulate the supervised use of certain natural psychedelics—such as psilocybin, DMT, mescaline, and ibogaine—for adults 21 and older.

In 2020, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms, in 20 of its most populated cities, opening more than 20 service centers to administer the drug, according to NPR. read more

MWCC Students Provide Thoughts on 2024 Presidential Debate

By editorialteam on October 23, 2024

By Benjamin Heffner | Observer Contributor

Former president Donald Trump (R) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) shake hands at the September 10th presidential debate.

Last month’s debate on September 10 between former President Donald Trump, a Republican, and Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, marked the first—and potentially the only—chance for voters to see both candidates on stage discussing key issues facing the nation, including immigration, taxes, the economy, abortion, and foreign policy.

Students Matthew Infantino, Sarah Vargas, and Oren Cohen gave their thoughts on the debate.

Matthew Infantino joined MWCC in the fall of 2024 and is studying Environmental Science. He is 44 years old and offered up his insight to the presidential debate by answering the questions below. read more

Tips and Tricks for Supporting Your Mental Health During Election Season

By editorialteam on October 23, 2024

By Benjamin Heffner | Observer Contributor

Photo by Jon Tyson from Unsplash

Mental health is a topic of concern for many people, and awareness for mental health has been steadily increasing. Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) is eager to contribute to this important cause. Leeanne Hadsel, Senior Mental Health Counselor of MWCC’s Counseling and Wellness Services department shared some insight on the topic of mental health during election season and gave some advice about how students, staff, and faculty can manage their physical and mental health during an election season. read more

A Brief History of Voting Technology

By editorialteam on October 23, 2024

By Kent Yang | Staff Writer

Image by Element5 Digital from Unsplash

Since the inception of the United States in 1776, elections have been essential for choosing the next president. From colonial times until the late 19th century, elections were held, and votes were cast orally at courthouses. Presidents such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln were elected this way. However, this changed with the invention of the Acme Voting Machine.

The Acme Voting Machine was invented in Bridgewater, Connecticut, around 1880 to prevent voter fraud. With its open-slot box design, crank lever mechanism, and tabulator, it offered voters an honest, secure and reliable way to cast their votes. In the following years, it was reported that election officials would tear or mark ballots, making them invalid. This issue prompted the invention of the Lever Style Voting Machine in Lockport, New York. By pulling down its levers, the machine locked votes to prevent tampering, while also making the process faster and more accurate. While it was effective and efficient for its time, its maintenance was complex and it had limitations, such as only being able to tally votes internally rather than producing a verifiable record of each individual vote. read more

What to Know Before You Vote

By editorialteam on October 23, 2024

Information gathered from Massachusetts Information For Voters 2024 Ballot Questions –
Secretary of the Commonwealth, William Francis Galvin
Submitted by Desiree Leader | Staff Writer and Summarized by Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief

QUESTION 1
State Auditor’s Authority to Audit the Legislature

Question 1 asks voters if the state auditor should be allowed to investigate and review some activities of the state legislature, the branch that drafts, debates, and passes laws

What a YES vote means:
Nothing would change immediately, but it would allow the state auditor to test new investigative powers over the legislature. Lawmakers could potentially resist or overturn this authority. read more

(Archive November 2016) What Now?

By editorialteam on September 4, 2024

How to Accept the Election

By Jamie Parker | News Editor

Donald Trump won the 2016 Presidential Election last Tuesday, November 8th.
Photo courtesy of Michael Vadon https://www.flickr.com/photos/80038275@N00/20724666936/

Our country is going through a major shift right now. The results of Tuesday’s election have left about half of the country with a feeling of defeat, and even fear, while the other half is left with the feeling of exuberance. Regardless of your feelings towards the decision made, this is the reality. On January 20th 2017, Donald J. Trump will become the 45th President of The United States of America. This is the most important time for our country to come together and show the world that we ARE the “United” States of America.  read more

(Archive November 2016) Donald’s Idiocy Trumps Hillary’s Unlikeability

By editorialteam on September 4, 2024

By Jason D. Greenough | Web/Social Media Editor

Let the record state that I am not writing this as an endorsement of Hillary Clinton. While I will be voting for the Democratic front-runner this November, I think I should clarify that I am not a huge fan of Clinton, given her tactics during the primary season against Bernie Sanders. 

Needless to say, I still love Bernie and still do believe that it should be him up at the podium destroying the Republican front-runner instead of Clinton. I use “destroy” in this context like Clinton is doing the unthinkable. It’s a bar that is pretty damn low, if you ask me. And Trump’s inability to be a cooperative human being is making me fall in love with Hillary all over again. read more

(Archive May 2016) Is Trump Unstoppable?

By editorialteam on August 30, 2024

By Stevie LaBelle | Assistant Editor

Submitted by Cassandra Marino

As the presidential election goes forth Donald Trump has managed to gain more and more momentum. According to Politico he currently only needs only 392 delegates to reach the 1237 magic number for the Republican nomination. Considering there is still 733 up for grabs from a number of states, that is a real possibility.

Most other Republican still running have advocated against Donald Trump. Some have gone as far as recommending voters vote for a Democratic candidate if Trump becomes the nominee. They hope for a contested convention as a last hope to keep Trump from becoming the Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential election. read more