The Brown and White

On November 5, voters in Northampton Couny participated in the local election. Voters mentioned irregularities when voting, however, administrators thought people were just getting used to the new system. After all the votes were cast, tabulators, those who put the votes into a table to do the calculations, noticed issues with the vote count in some elections.

According to The Morning Call, Democrat Abe Kassis had zero recorded votes after multiple precincts reported their results. This lead Northampton County Repulican Party head Lee Snover to call for a recount.

To preface, in May, Northampton County looked to change its voting booths to provide a more safe, inclusive, and reliable system of voting. The plan was to implement features such as a paper ballot backup that could be used in the event of digital errors. Additionally, the administrators wanted to provide those with visual impairments and those who cannot use their hands with a way to participate.

According to Paul Muschnick of The Morning Call, those with visual impairments would be able to hear the voting ballot through headphones provided to the voters. They would also be given a device similar to a gaming controller with the buttons labeled in braille to allow them to navigate the ballot. For those unable to use their hands, they would be able to blow into tubes, use a mouth stick, or press petals on the ground to allow navigation.

The main reason for their implementation, though, was to prevent intruders from hacking into the machines and skewing the votes, as was speculated to have happened during the 2016 presidential election. The exact reason for the mishap with the machines has not yet been  determined.

Those doing the calculations then decided the best bet would be to count the paper ballots. It would take much longer to do; however, it was a better option to ensure election integrity. The issue that arose a few days later, though, posed a concern.

Upon a recheck of all the votes, it was discovered that a few hundred votes had been missed in the original calculations. 219 votes were sent to the wrong district to be tallied and, since the candidates were not a part of said district, the votes were virtually ignored. Eventually, the votes were returned to the right district and properly added to the tally, essentially sorting out the issues.

On a grander scale, the upcoming presidential election is underway. Candidates are gathering and definitive candidates are on the horizon. Currently, there are 18 Democratic candidates. Some of the most notable candidates include Joe Biden, vice president to Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, an independent party member who ran against Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and five women. On the Republican side, there are three candidates, one of which is the incumbent, Donald Trump.

Pennsylvania is considered a swing state— a state that does not typically choose one specific party in elections. In 2016, Trump won Pennsylvania by a very narrow margin.

At the same time, President Donald Trump has been the subject of much controversy. In July, a whistleblower complaint came forward about President Trump and his relations with the Ukraine president, Oleksandrovych Zelensky. The issue here was caused by a phone call between the two presidents involving former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. The subject at hand was to look into their background and dig up information that could be used against him in the upcoming presidential election.

This complaint caused an uproar in the country, dividing the nation over if the subject was strong enough grounds for impeachment.

The issue has been debated by many including the students of Catasauqua High School, who provided their opposing opinions on the subject matter.

Junior Tanner Laudenslager believes that the claims are not something that are cause for impeachment and thinks the arguments against it may be fallible.

“[Trump] hasn’t done much of anything wrong in my opinion,” said Laudenslager. “One phone call should not decide if a presidential leader should be impeached. Nothing terrible has happened that hasn’t happened in the past. The economy is rising for the country right now, and I believe he is a great speaker. We need a president who isn’t afraid to speak his mind and support this country in any way he can.”

On the other hand, sophomore Chloe Moyer believes that the way Trump is handling the situation could be improved if he wants a shot at being reelected.

“It’s not in the right manner to dig up information to cheat your way into the presidency,” said Moyer. “If you want to be president in a respected way, it’s best to just promote yourself positively.”

Time will tell what the outcome of the impeachment inquiry will be.