The Capital Times Pres. Bush wins second term By Jess Pouchan Staff Reporter jcp2o9@psu.edu On Wednesday, November 3r, President George W. Bush won against opponent John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election. President Bush received 274 votes from the Electoral College and Kerry received 238. President Bush carried 31 states and won 51 percent of the total population vote, leaving Kerry with 49 percent of the popular vote. Americans topped the last Presidential election by eight mil lion more Bush voters this year. Kerry phoned President Bush, who was on the Oval Office, after 11 a.m. to congratulate him on his victory. President Bush told Kerry, "I think you were an admirable, worthy opponent" who waged "one touch cam Inside the 2004 presidential election By Nate Melnicove Staff Reporter ncml2B@psu.edu The coffee hadn't even been served, sleep still clung to some eyes and the opening ballot in the 2004 election was yet to be cast when the polls received the first sign that this would not be just another election. In 125 years of combined service, the election workers at the 136th precinct had never seen a poll watcher enter their building to oversee an election. That record was shattered before 7 a.m. And one can imag ine that these seasoned veter ans of the election process were none too pleased to see these party-affiliated watchdogs. So it was that Election Day 2004 was under way. This reporter could be found skipping a day's worth of classes to work the polls of the 136th. Temporary employee of the state for a day! Don't get all excited-there's no health or unemployment bene fits. I returned to my hometown of Pine Grove, PA for my fourth experience as an "election offi cial." Favoritism was at play, for I gained this job through my grandparents, who have been doing this for 45 years. But hey, this is politics isn't it? Pine Grove Borough is a south western outpost in rural Schuylkill County, about a half hour drive from Harrisburg. With 2,500 total residents, the bor ough is split into two wards, north and south. The South Ward is Learning Center By Beth Mozeleski Staff Reporter lxm9l6@psu.edu The fall semester at Penn State Harrisburg is quickly coming to an end and by now, most stu dents have an idea of how to do well in class. However, if tutoring, help with writing a paper, or any other academic assistance is needed, go to the Learning Center (LC), located in the Olmsted building in room C-216. The LC offers professional tutoring, peer tutoring, and vari ous workshops. It also has a small group room and can be used as a resource center. Professional tutoring is offered in writing, math, statistics, and chemistry, with a specialist tutor available for international stu dents who need assistance in these areas. Peer tutoring is available for various subjects such as: accounting, computer paign," said White House press secretary Schott McClellan. "I hope you are proud of the effort you put in, you should be." Kerry's phone call to the President outlined his passion to keep the danger of separation among the people and other countries to a minimum. He said the need to find unity and a com mon stepping ground in our country needs to be addressed. Today, Kerry said, begins the healing. Both President Bush and Kerry gave a speech after the election results were totaled. President Bush was in Washington and Kerry in Boston. As President Bush assumed his second term in the White House, he stated, "America has spo ken." In his speech to America, he vowed to uphold his duty as President and to get the job the 136th Precinct in the 125th District. As you may have guessed, vot ing lines were not snaking around the corner like more pop ulated areas. Actually, our biggest line was approximately six people in length. With this type of turnout there is no need for those complicated, high-tech voter machines we hear so much about. Just like the old days, it's a black pencil and a paper ballot with ovals directly next to your candidate of choice. Before we climax at the sight of filling in ovals with a drafting pencil, I must explain how the ballots even get to the polls. The work actually begins on the Saturday prior to Election Tuesday. Dinged up and duct taped silver boxes contain all the information the election officials will need. These ballot boxes must be delivered to the Judge of Election in each precinct in the district. The amount of boxes a precinct gets depends upon its amount of registered voters. The 125th District had 10 precincts receive one box and two precincts receive a pair of boxes. The Judge of Election is the boss. They do the paperwork and make sure the ballots get to and from the election bureau. They also handle the money, meaning they pay the workers so we can eat lunch and keep quiet about all the infractions (this last one depends on what state you vote in). The polling place is the Lion's Club. When people enter the building they proceed to the reg science, finance, physics, span ish, statistics, and writing. Both tutoring resources are available by drop-in or appointment. Scheduled tutoring is available for 2 hours a week during the fall and spring semesters, however, stop by if more tutoring is need ed. If tutoring is needed in a spe cific course, ask for a peer tutor for that specific course. The LC staff will find a qualified tutor to help and set up the session. Various workshops are offered during the semester for many subject areas. For math stu dents, math workshops are avail able for math 110 and math 140. Students enrolled in chemistry can go to the offered chemistry workshops, of which chemistry 011 and chemistry 012 are two courses available. First year students with ques tions about their first year semi nar course can attend the first done as best as he can. He not only spoke to his supporters but to Kerry's followers as well. He urged them to unite as a group to make our nation better than ever. President Bush stood behind his platform of being one country, linked together by "one constitution and one future that binds us." Despite the upset, Democrats joined together to listen to Kerry's speech to the voters. Kerry thanked every voter who went to the polls and voted. He also said the outcome of a Presidential Election should be determined by the voters' hands and not an electoral process. In closing, Kerry thanked every one of his supporters for their hard work and dedication with his campaign trail. He said, "...I leave this campaign with a prayer that has even greater istration table. Voter Registration Cards and Driver's Licenses are presented when needed and the person signs their name in the Poll Register, which ensures that people only vote once. Once they have signed in, the voter receives a paper ballot with some verbal instructions/warn ings. The paper ballots and a second register book are taken care of by the minority inspec tors. These brave souls repre sent the minority party in the bor ough. In this case it is the Democrats. No one mentioned Green, Libertarian Independent or Constitutional representation, so I assume they are relegated to their usual outside-looking-in status. Voters are now free to perform the sacred act of voting in a run down wooden booth covered by the most ugly green canvass one can imagine. No need to chafe at the thought because inside is the coveted black pencil and empty ovals awaiting your approval. When the voting experience is complete, the ballot is placed in the ballot box where it remains until 8 p.m., when all voting in Pennsylvania ends. Ah, if only the day went this smoothly. This election is so important that many new or missing voters make their debut. The work of election officials then becomes a form of organ ized chaos. Papers like provi sional ballots become the phrase of the day. Many registered vot ers are given special ballots when their names are absent from the register. The deletions offers educational resources to all year seminar workshop, which provides information about using ANGEL, plagiarism, and useful study skills. Workshops are also offered for students majoring in Education who are preparing for the PRAX IS test. The LC offers PPST PRAXIS preparation workshops in math, writing, and reading. If working on a group project for class, sign up to use the small group room. Choosing to meet there allows use of the available computer and the freedom of getting work done without being interrupted. The LC is also a great place for different resources that might be needed, such as study guides and solution manuals for class. Ask the staff for websites to vari ous writing, math, and science resources as well. Kathy Brode, the LC's writing specialist, spoke about the LC staff. Janice Smith is the coordi News meaning to me now that I have come to know our vast country so much better and that prayer is very simple: God bless America." Despite Senator John Kerry's Pennsylvania win, President George W. Bush won the election by a slim margin of 51% to 48%. are due in part to late corrections on address and name changes, military personnel on leave, or errors by the election bureau. Michael Deabenderfer recently returned home from active mili tary duty in Afghanistan. His name was not on the list of regis tered voters and he did not have a registration card, so he was denied a vote. However later in the day it was revealed that he was eligible for a provisional bal lot. An election official contacted Deabenderfer and notified him of the error. After returning to vote he felt much better. "It's hard to say I don't like the winner if I didn't vote." What he also appreciated was the persistent help he received from election officials. "It was cool. I thought it was my goof. I heard there was a provisional ballot. I thought I registered and then didn't." Judge of Election Clyde Hesser felt these problems were due to the addition of many new voters. "They registered so many new voters in such a hurry and (they were) not instructed in any way to the process." He added, "We had to direct some to the right polling place and some didn't know how to fill out a ballot. We have enough work to do. They (the voters) should know when they come here." This meant turning away voters, which was difficult for Minority Inspector Ruth Heinbach. "This goes back to the county level. Some that got registered at the driver's license places never nator of the LC and tutors stu dents in math and science. Mimi Wasilewski is the new LC staff assistant. However, she worked as staff assis t ant in the student assistance center so she is famil iar with Penn State. She can help check out study resources or schedule appointments with tutors. Saramma Varghese is a graduate assistant who is major ing in Electrical Engineering. She is available for students who need tutoring in math. Mike Allen is a part-time writing tutor, and there to assist English-as-a- Second Language students.. Judy Bogar and Susan Ferrer are also part-time writing tutors who are available for student So now that the LC's services and staff have been explained, the cost worries the mind. The tutoring, workshops, study room, and resources are free to PSH students, free because the costs Sen. Edwards' wife Elizabth diagnosed with breast cancer By RON FOURNIER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day her husband and Sen. John Kerry conceded the presi dential race. Spokesman David Ginsberg said Mrs. Edwards, 55, discov ered a lump in her right breast while on a campaign trip last week. Her family doctor told her Friday that it appeared to be cancerous and advised her to see a specialist when she could. She put off the appointment until Wednesday so as to not miss campaign time. Mrs. Edwards had a needle biopsy performed at Massachusetts wA6 AT Vciwki 15 of; Msl FoLAAN(7 OgSOCT 15(ANA) OCT CLACt. wl.l6fZ-' AiktAlS* FK 11 NjT Age -rY egen petal/Ai ? orer-04. „-- • fill ' I ,IP Kt Long lines at the polls on Tuesday angered voters. Some waited for hours into the wee hours of the election night. As any political issue this was a hot topic for political cartoonists. got their cards." She was sympa thetic with the first timers. "We try to do everything we can but if your name's not in the book (you cannot vote)." In the end, as always in a small town with no voter machines, the election goes off without com plete disaster and utter failure. The end of voting reveals a sum of 345 total ballots cast in our tiny droplet in the sea that this national election has become. The Judge of Election fills out the wrap-up paperwork of the day's events, while the other five offi cials count the ballots in hope of arriving at the total of 345. We are covered by tuition. All that needs to be done is schedule an appointment, which can be done during the LC's office hours: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m-5 p.m. For more information, Students get help in the Learning ('enter for a variety of topics and needs. General Hospital in Boston, where Dr. Barbara Smith con firmed the cancer, Ginsberg said. He said the cancer was diag nosed as invasive ductal cancer. That is the most common type of breast cancer, and can spread from the milk ducts to other parts of the breast or beyond. More tests were being done to determine how far the cancer has advanced and how to treat it, he said. Ginsberg said spirits are high at the Edwards household. "Everybody feels good about it, that this is beatable," he said. Edwards, who leaves his North Carolina Senate seat in January, said in a statement, "Elizabeth is as strong a person as I've ever known. Together, our family will beat this." (4- i, - 0:4- - D . A i ',•,;,' ' . 1 , •:,.11 '10; ••!•• ''" , , i ... it 2.,,,.,..,,..1.1...... _ ... ...,... , . 41.0111111.1, _":„.. ..:::;•-•.•=...„--- 4.•••''' ....10""r • _ ...--:- ~...". ....... r ....-.....;:-...------ Photo courtesy of Google Images also record and tally the write-in candidates in order to post their numbers on a paper. The paper is for public scrutiny and is hung on the entrance to the polling station. After a surprisingly low three write-ins, three recounts of 345 ballots and a painful brain freeze feeling in the brow, it was time to go home. Not a bad day for a col lege student. I received my edu cation and experience in a his toric election and I made 80 bucks without breaking a sweat. I can only hope the rest of the country makes out so well on this election. hours and details about the Learning center, visit their web site at: www.hbg.psu.edu /Learning Center. Photo by Jess Pouchan role
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