Transparency News, 11/4/20

According to Federal Elections Commission data, College of William and Mary employees cumulatively donated $127,380 over the past two years to political campaigns and interest groups with the median donation being just $10. Donation rates in 2020 have already outpaced contributions from College staff made in 2016 during the last general election by more than $10,000. An overwhelming majority of donors chose to support Democratic candidates and political action committees (PACs).  Using publicly accessible FEC data, The Flat Hat compiled data tracking political donations from individuals who listed the College as their employer. The Federal Elections Campaign Act states that individuals donating to candidates and PACs should provide information about their employer if their donations exceed $200 during a calendar year, though many include this information on smaller donations as well. 
The Flat Hat
 

As American colleges have become a major source of outbreaks, with at least 214,000 cases linked to campuses, student journalists have found themselves playing a vital role in the pandemic, reporting stories of national importance and holding their administrators and fellow students accountable. The Michigan Daily exposed a cluster tied to fraternities and sororities just days before the county imposed a stay-at-home order on University of Michigan undergraduates. The State Press broke news that Arizona State students who were supposed to be in isolation had left their dorms. And at Indiana University, The Indiana Daily Student spoke to Uber drivers who picked up students from Greek houses under quarantine orders. “We all saw this coming,” wrote the editorial board of The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, excoriating administrators for poor planning just a day before a growing outbreak forced the school to abandon in-person instruction. “Student journalists are playing an incredibly important role in this moment, and they’re doing it in an environment where local news media is drying up or disappearing,” said Hadar Harris, the executive director of the Student Press Law Center.
The New York Times

Despite an abundance of evidence that fraud is almost non-existent in mail-in voting, an Economist/YouGov poll published on Oct. 29 found that one in 10 voters were not confident that their vote would be counted correctly. With the help of an expanding digital toolbox, this year, election officials have done more than ever to help voters understand what happens to their ballots, and to assure them of the security and diligence with which they are handled. A number have gone so far as to install cameras in the rooms where processing is done, allowing voters keep watch at any time of the day or night.
Governing

When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis went to vote on Monday, a poll worker told him that his address didn’t match up with his assigned voting location. His address had been changed without his knowledge, and the governor immediately contacted police to investigate what happened.  The investigation led police to the house of 20-year-old Anthony Steven Guevara, who told police he was able to change the address with public information like the governor’s first and last name and his birthdate, according to police records. Investigators looked through Guevara’s computer and found that he went on Florida’s Department of State website and looked up the Wikipedia page for DeSantis. Court records don’t show full details on how Guevara changed DeSantis’ address, and the state’s election officials didn’t answer how it happened or if the security issue has been fixed.
c|net

 

About 100 million Americans cast ballots in the days and weeks leading up to Election Day, a remarkable level of participation that puts the nation on track to set a record for turnout. But the work doesn’t end now that the polls are closed. It takes considerable effort to build strong communities with robust and reliable institutions that faithfully serve the public —work that should not be left to others. So take this day to explore ways to get involved in civic affairs and commit to a course of action. When Tuesday’s results are known, some will be despondent, others angry and many will lose hope. But there must always be room in the public square for those who believe in the promise of this nation and who are willing to work together to realize it. Greater awareness of civic affairs can begin at city hall. While attending meetings generally isn’t allowed due to the pandemic, city council meetings are often televised or available to stream. Members invite comments from the public and residents are always welcome to voice their concerns directly. Dive a little deeper and one finds a large number of public boards, commissions and advisory groups doing important work on a variety of subjects. Communities are perpetually in need of volunteers to serve on these bodies, and interested residents can fill out an application to be considered.
The Virginian-Pilot