Politics

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NEWS 10/26/24 2:28pm

Alamance Burlington Association of Educators marches to polls at Elon

By Trista Panagakos

On Saturday, Oct. 26, Alamance Burlington Association of Educators organized a march from Elon Community Church to Elon University’s South Gym — which is Alamance County One Stop Early Voting Location. The goal of the march was to motivate voters to support public education and schools when they go to the polls this election season, said President of Alamance Burlington Association of Educators Robert Alvis. “Schools Vote Together” aims to charge voters  all over North Carolina to bring visibility to public education and its importance on the ballot this cycle.

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NEWS 10/22/24 10:30pm

Democratic Women of Alamance County rally around voter turnout, key issues

By Erin Hroncich

The Red, White and Blue Rally hosted by the Democratic Women of Alamance County brought in a range of community members and candidates looking to increase voter turnout Oct. 22. Around 100 people gathered in downtown Burlington to hear from local candidates and speakers about key issues in the upcoming election, such as education and voter rights. The keynote speech was given by Kimberly Hardy, a professor at Fayetteville State University’s School of Social Work. Hardy emphasized the importance of encouraging lower turnout groups to show up this election.

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NEWS 10/22/24 1:29pm

Former President Trump makes campaign stop in Greensboro

By Nia Bedard and Trista Panagakos

Former President Donald Trump has held multiple rallies in North Carolina in the weeks leading up to election day. On Tuesday, Oct. 22, Trump is campaigning in Greensboro at Minges Coliseum. He is expected to speak at 7 p.m., but attendees have been gathering as early as 11 a.m. Trump gathers in the Tar Heel state as early voting began last Thursday, Oct. 17 and election day is exactly two weeks away. North Carolina is a swing state with 16 electoral votes, and polls have shown Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris virtually tied in North Carolina.

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NEWS 10/19/24 5:37pm

Josh Stein visits Alamance County Democratic Party

By Charlotte Pfabe

With the general election swiftly approaching, Democratic candidate for governor and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein visited the Alamance County Democratic Party Headquarters in Burlington on Oct. 19. Volunteers at the ACDP showed their support with cheers for Stein as he spoke about his plans if elected as governor this November. The event brought together both local community members, but also students from Elon University. Elon Law student Dimitri McKinney works on Stein’s campaign as a volunteer. An Alamance County native himself, McKinney said local politics are just as important as the federal elections.

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NEWS 10/18/24 1:07pm

Elon’s College Democrats host town hall with state house candidates

By Alannah Klingsporn

Elon University’s College Democrats hosted a panel with North Carolina House of Representative Democratic candidates LeVon Barnes and Robin Wintringham on Oct.17. The discussion was held to give students more information about both candidates and what issues they are running on. Wintringham, who graduated from Elon University’s School of Law and previously worked with Habitat for Humanity for over 20 years, is running for a seat to represent District 63. Barnes, who previously worked in education as a public school teacher and coach, is running to represent District 64.

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NEWS 10/17/24 11:56pm

Tim Walz, former President Bill Clinton stop in Durham on first day of early voting

By Fiona McAllister

Durham held two prominent Democratic guests Oct. 17 — vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton. Both Walz and Clinton, accompanied by local political figures such as Durham’s Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton, made key points about why casting an early ballot is important in order to stop Republicans from taking over the state’s elected positions. Clinton repeatedly reminded the crowd that their vote in this election matters and should be for Harris and Walz.

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NEWS 10/17/24 5:04pm

Gubernatorial candidate hosts virtual press conference for North Carolina student media

By Trista Panagakos

As early voting started across North Carolina on Oct. 17, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein held a virtual press conference for student journalists across the state. Throughout the press conference, Stein focused on issues such as public education, the economy and LGBTQ+ rights. He also heavily contrasted his own campaign with his Republican counterpart’s, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Stein said he has made it a priority to energize college students to vote in this election cycle. Stein’s final message to readers of student publications: vote.

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NEWS 10/15/24 6:19pm

Elon Votes helps students request absentee ballots

By Alice Morrissey

With elections less than 21 days away, most students are gearing up to vote in their first presidential election. However, the process of registering to vote can seem daunting, especially for students opting to vote back in their home states, according to freshman Madeline Dolan. Elon Votes, an organization on campus geared toward students political involvement, has been helping students register to vote in the upcoming election across campus. Though a lot of resources have been focused on students voting locally, it also provides resources for those looking to cast votes outside of North Carolina. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 29.

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NEWS 10/13/24 2:26pm

Elon freshman finds passion in local politics, community engagement

By Sarah T. Moore

This election season, Elon freshman Micah Ash McFadden has been running Bryan Norris’ campaign for Alamance County District Court judge. Ash McFadden also serves as third vice-chair of the Alamance County Democratic Party. In 2021, he interned with the town of Green Level. Next, he managed Patricia Jones’ 2021 Green Level town council campaign. Then he was a community organizer for Ricky Hurtado’s North Carolina state house reelection campaign in 2022. Ash McFadden said he’s spent hundreds of hours canvassing across different corners of the county.

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NEWS 10/12/24 12:41pm

2024 election candidates utilize digital advertising to reach first-time voters

By Nia Bedard

Forty-one million members of Generation Z will be voting in the 2024 election, including 8.3 million new eligible voters since the 2022 midterm election, according to Tufts University. With this influx of new voters, candidates are now allocating large amounts of money into digital advertising to reach Gen Z voters using social media. It was predicted that digital advertising for the 2024 presidential election would increase 156% compared to the 2020 presidential election, making the total spending $3.46 billion, according to a report released by Insider Intelligence. Politicians have to start utilizing digital advertising, Michele Lashley, professor of strategic communications, said.

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NEWS 10/11/24 12:36pm

North Carolina voting maps to shift representation in 2024 election

By Madison Powers

North Carolina congressional maps may allow for as much as a 10-4 Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives as opposed to the current 7-7 split, according to Dillan Bono-Lunn, professor of political science and public policy and faculty fellow for Civic Engagement. Bono-Lunn said gerrymandering, which is a term that describes how voting districts are drawn, has been done for years by both Republicans and Democrats. As of Oct. 5, there were 2,418,633 registered Democrat voters, 2,298,019 registered Republicans and 2,912,447 unaffiliated voters, according to the NCSBE.

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NEWS 10/10/24 6:31pm

JD Vance stops for town hall in Greensboro weeks ahead of election

By Ryan Kupperman

Vice Presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance made a campaign stop in Greensboro on Oct. 10 at the Koury Convention Center. Vance is expected to speak on his economic and immigration policies, as well as criticize the Biden-Harris administration for hurricane relief efforts. This is Vance’s fifth stop in North Carolina since becoming former President Donald Trump’s running mate, and his appearance occurs less than four weeks ahead of election day. Elon News Network attempted to get access to the event at the gate but was turned away.

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NEWS 10/10/24 10:10am

North Carolina governor race defined by stark contrast, serious consequences

By Miles Hayford

North Carolina’s general election for governor is a battle between contrasts. Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will face off against Attorney General Josh Stein on Nov. 5, along with Libertarian Mike Ross, Green Party’s Wayne Turner and Constitution Party’s Vinny Smith. Ross, Smith and Turner are all polling at 3% or less, according to data from Sept. 25 to 29 in a Quinnipiac University poll. The two main candidates disagree on a number of issues and have been heavily in the spotlight with Robinson's most recent alleged offensive remarks.

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NEWS 10/8/24 9:28pm

Elon Town Council discusses upcoming schedule, reaffirms committee policy

By Cassie Weymouth

The town of Elon held a town council meeting Oct. 8 to address scheduling council meetings and reaffirm policies pertaining to committees and committee appointees. For the next two upcoming months, the meeting Nov. 10 was rescheduled to Nov. 17 and both Nov. 24 and Dec. 23 were canceled due to holiday rush, a motion passed by Randy Orwig. The town council also reaffirmed their bylaws, stating committees should consist of residents of Elon unless there is specific expertise needed or the potential member has vested interest.

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NEWS 10/4/24 6:20pm

Lt. Gov. urges supporters to vote, tells fans to ignore protests

By Avery Sloan

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson filled the Hursey’s Bar-B-Q restaurant in Graham with supporters, local elected officials and law enforcement. Outside the restaurant, a handful of protesters were chanting things such as, “My body, my choice” at Robinson and his supporters. Robinson, the Republican candidate for the state governor race, spoke to supporters at Hursey’s on Oct. 4. Hursey’s employee Reggie Young said Robinson came to this spot because Hursey’s owner, Charles Hursey, “loves Mark Robinson.”

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NEWS 10/3/24 9:46am

Elon University community reacts to Mark Robinson controversy

By Trista Panagakos

After what began as a close gubernatorial race, now Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson does not seem like he has a high chance of winning, Carrie Eaves, political science professor, said. These comments include Robinson expressing support for reinstituting slavery, calling himself a “Black Nazi,” a “perv” and saying he enjoys transgender pornography. The gubernatorial race between Robinson and Democrat nominee Josh Stein has opened up with a recent Elon poll conducted between Sept. 4 to 13 finding Stein up by 14 points — before the comments came to light Sept. 19.

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NEWS 10/2/24 12:50am

Alamance County Board of Commissioners candidates prioritize lowering taxes, funding education

By Avery Sloan

The six candidates running for Alamance County's Board of Commissioners spoke at a forum held Oct. 1 at the Paramount Theater in Burlington. The board has six commissioners, with three seats open at this election. Two candidates, Democrat Pamela Tyler Thompson and Republican John Paisley Jr., are running for reelection and Democrat Carissa Graves, Democrat Chris Smith, Democrat Anthony Pierce and Republican Ed Priola are looking for a seat. The forum was hosted by Impact Alamance, Alamance Chamber and Elon University with support from the city of Burlington and Elon News Network.

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NEWS 10/1/24 3:27pm

Pennsylvania governor shows support for North Carolina Democrats

By Fiona McAllister

In an effort to rally supporters for Democrat candidates such as Josh Stein, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the Alamance County Democrats welcomed a special guest — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Shapiro addressed the North Carolina Democrats on Sept. 29 at the Democratic headquarters in Burlington, emphasizing the urgency of active participation in the upcoming election. ACD volunteer Robert Shuford said it was exciting to see Shapiro talk to Alamance County citizens to help other Democratic candidates.

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NEWS 10/1/24 10:36am

Candidates differ on budget plans at ABSS Board of Education candidate forum

By Avery Sloan

Candidates at the Board of Education candidates forum agreed that the Alamance-Burlington School System needs to focus on students and help recoup its finances — but candidates differ on the best way to do that. The event, sponsored by Impact Alamance, Elon University and The Alamance Chamber — with support from Elon News Network and the city of Burlington — was Sept. 30 at the Paramount Theater in Burlington. Five out of the eight candidates were present at the forum, which was moderated by Ann Bullock, dean of the Dr. Jo Watts School of Education.

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NEWS 9/12/24 5:36pm

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Greensboro focusing on healthcare, cost of living

By Avery Sloan

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to speak at 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. This event is a part of her campaign’s New Way Forward battleground tour, with the goal of reaching undecided voters. This is her second event in North Carolina today and both campaigns have already visited North Carolina multiple times this month. But, in a recent YouGov poll conducted after the presidential debate this week, Harris is ahead in the polls among voters who said they watched the debate. Notably, 54.4% of voters asked in the poll felt Harris won the debate, 31.3% felt Trump won and 14.3% were unsure.

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