Recent editorials from Kentucky newspapers:
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Sept. 7
The State Journal on Kanye West filing to run for U.S. president on Kentucky’s ballot this fall:
Republicans are red,
Democrats are blue.
Kanye West for president,
May be coming to a ballot near you.
Secretary of State Michael Adams confirmed Friday that the rapper and music producer, along with running mate Michelle Tidball, a biblical life coach, has filed to run for president on Kentucky’s ballot for the November general election.
West, who is registered as a Republican but running as an independent in Kentucky, will be included on the ballot in numerous GOP-leaning states, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Utah, Idaho, Iowa and Tennessee. He did not qualify to be on ballots in Ohio, Montana, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Virginia and other states - though he is challenging some of those decisions through lawsuits.
According to Intelligencer, West’s campaign targeted Kentucky college campuses - in particular, students at the University of Louisville - to get the required signatures for his candidacy. However, the New York media outlet said not all of the campaign’s tactics were on the up-and-up.
One student, who was approached while waiting for a university shuttle bus, said he was asked to “sign a petition to get Kanye off the ballot” after a signature gatherer hired by West’s campaign told him the rapper was “a nutcase on social media.”
Another UofL student said a signature gatherer asked him about “trying to get an independent candidate on the ballot” but failed to mention the candidate’s name. It was only after the student saw West’s name on the form that he realized who the candidate was. He asked the solicitor about a pitch given to students that the rapper might be coming to campus and the representative replied, “maybe.”
“Our staff are diligently reviewing this filing, including an estimated 19,000 petition signatures, to determine whether Mr. West has qualified to appear,” Adams said in a tweet.
West filed campaign paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on July 15 after saying he had broken ties with President Donald Trump and would launch his own independent presidential run. However, critics believe the rapper’s last-minute bid for the presidency is a maneuver to snatch votes from Democratic challenger Joe Biden - especially in key swing states.
Regardless of West’s intentions for running, the methods his campaign has allegedly used to gather signatures for his candidacy from UofL students seem deceitful. Logistically there is no possible way for him to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win since he is not on the ballot in every state.
Online: https://www.state-journal.com
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Sept. 6
The Daily News on a Kentucky resident’s demonstrations against his former opponent in a sheriff’s race:
Being an elected official has to be a tough job whether it’s on the local, state or federal level.
No matter what decisions you make or how you choose to run your city, county, police department, etc., you’re simply going to have people who are going to give you their piece of mind about it.
That’s the nature of the job, and elected officials know this likely before they’re even elected to their respective offices.
But in politics we sometimes see where a constituent can take it too far in regards to continuously berating a duly elected public official.
Ever since Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower was elected to his position in November 2018, there has been one constant critic who just can’t seem to come to grips that Hightower is our county’s duly elected sheriff.
We are, of course, referring to Woodburn resident Ron Ford, who lost several races for Warren County sheriff against then-Warren County Sheriff Jerry Gaines and most recently lost to Hightower in the Republican primary last year.
While you do have to commend Ford for throwing his hat into the ring and putting he and his family out there in trying to become our sheriff, he didn’t win against Hightower and through his actions of late one gets the distinct impression that he is still very much very bitter and angry over it.
In the past 10 days or so, Ford has been driving and parking his truck around town at various locations with a mobile billboard behind his truck. The bright yellow sign features a picture of Hightower holding a poster with the handwritten message “Black Lives Matter.”
The claim that Ford is embarrassingly trying to make is that Hightower supports a “terrorist” organization.
This is simply an absurd suggestion for Ford to even try to make. Sure, it’s his First Amendment right to drive around and display this billboard, but the message he is trying to convey is simply not grounded in fact.
We would argue that to the contrary while other cities and towns are seeing looting, rioting and anarchy, we believe Hightower has done an extremely good job in keeping our town safe by building relationships and good communications with the minority community, as the Bowling Green Police Department has done as well.
He should be applauded for that, not shamed as Ford is trying to do to him. The local Black Lives Matter organization in our city has held peaceful protests every time they’ve demonstrated. They, too, should be recognized for exercising a constitutional right in a responsible manner.
Ford’s actions do nothing to bring this community together. Rather, his actions are an attempt to divide us as a community.
Hightower summed up Ford’s shameful actions quite well in a three-minute post on social media that was printed in this newspaper last weekend.
“I have pity for the individual who spent money for the sign and gas money to drive it around,” Hightower said. “He is obviously bitter and resentful to have done so poorly in election after election, but I refuse to let his obvious efforts to instigate division among us take hold. … I’m thoroughly disgusted that he would imply that citizens of Bowling Green are terrorists.”
We couldn’t agree more with Hightower’s assessment of Ford.
The voters spoke last November and rejected Ford.
Ford needs to really get a life in all honesty and get over his anger and bitterness toward Hightower.
At the end of the day, Ford would be wise to put away his billboard that isn’t factually accurate and wait three more years and once again challenge Hightower for sheriff.
And if he gets defeated again, it’s on him and him only, just like it’s been on him since being defeated last November, but bitterness and denial are sadly keeping him from realizing that.
Online: https://www.bgdailynews.com
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Sept. 4
The Daily Independent on President Donald Trump saying people who vote early by mail should show up at their local polling places on Election Day and vote again if their ballots haven’t been counted:
We hope everyone will vote, in whatever way they wish, come Election Day in November. Just not twice.
President Donald Trump is drawing fire for his statement Wednesday in Wilmington, North Carolina, urging Americans to vote twice.
“If you get the unsolicited ballots and go and make sure it’s counted, and if it doesn’t tabulate, you vote,” he said. (In a statement that followed, he called them “solicited ballots” and said that’s what he calls mail-in ballots.)
“If it’s as good as they say it is, then obviously they won’t be able to vote,” he added, noting this move will “help fight dirty politics.”
There are many problems with this vote-twice theory.
1. Study after study has shown no substantial, if any, evidence of fraud in mail-in voting. In fact, five states have mail-in-only voting and there has never been any evidence of fraud.
There is no reason to “fight dirty politics” by voting in person. Trump repeated his suggestion on Thursday, saying Democrats would try to steal the election by manipulating mail-in votes. Even if that were true, how voting twice will alleviate that problem wasn’t explained.
2. Attempting to vote twice will muddy the entire election process by putting an undue burden on the states, which conduct elections. It ultimately works against democracy and, in fact, could create the very inaccurate election results the president said he’s trying to avoid.
3. In most states, it’s a felony to vote twice in the same election. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, it is a Class D felony to vote twice in Kentucky. A Class D felony is punishable by up to four years in prison, or one year in jail. The court also can impose a fine up to $10,000. In North Carolina, where the president made the statement, voting twice is a Class 1 felony, which allows for even harsher punishments.
Elections officials in North Carolina also hinted the president himself could have committed a crime, stating “attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law,” the New York Times reported.
If for no other reason, avoid double-dipping in the ballot box for your own good; don’t take a chance on paying a hefty fine or going to jail to cast your ballot. It’s not necessary, as mail-in ballots have been shown to be safe and fair, time and time again.
We urge everyone to vote, either in person or through the mail, but not both.
Online: https://www.dailyindependent.com
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