Gov. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama are traveling the country in hopes of gaining votes. Third-party candidates from the Green, Constitution and Libertarian Parties are also pursuing votes.

This week, the Champion questioned the presidential candidates on student loan concerns, priorities for stimulating the economy and health care and social issues, among others.

Mitt Romney prepares to reform

Presidential nominees Romney (R) and Constitution Party nominee Virgil Goode provided answers to the Champion’s questions. Incumbent President Obama, Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson failed to respond.

Virgil Goode bids for presidency

Constitutional party nominee plans to boost employment rates, repeal Obamacare and defend religious liberty

Virgil Goode, a former six-term U.S. congressman from Virginia, has positioned himself as a true conservative, running as the Constitution Party candidate in the 2012 presidential race.

Goode was born in Richmond, Va. Oct. 17, 1946.

According to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, he graduated from Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount, Va., in 1965. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond in 1969.

Goode. Photo provided

Goode attended the University of Virginia School of Law immediately following his
undergraduate career and graduated in 1973, according to his website. Goode also gained military experience as a member of the Army National Guard from 1969 to 1975.

According to his website, Goode worked as a lawyer with his own private practice from 1973 to 1977 while also serving as a member of the Virginia state senate. He was unsuccessful in his candidacy for nomination as a United States senator in 1982 and 1994. However, he was elected as a Democrat to the 105th Congress and to the succeeding Congress.

According to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Goode changed his party affiliation from Democratic to Independent Jan. 27, 2000. He was elected to the 107th Congress as an Independent but again changed his party affiliation to Republican Aug. 1, 2002. As a Republican, Goode was elected to the 108th Congress and the two succeeding Congresses. All in all, Goode served in Congress from Jan. 3, 1997 to Jan. 3, 2009. He ran unsuccessfully for re-election to the 111th Congress in 2008.

Goode highlights three issues in his presidential campaign in a USA Today article. He defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman, and he claims to be the only candidate to establish a moratorium on green card admissions to the United States.

Finally, he limits campaign donations to $200 to make a point about what he sees as a problem with the involvement of Political Action Committees (PACs) and Super PACs in partisan politics.

According to his website, Goode qualified for the ballot in Virginia despite a petition-fraud investigation by the Republican state attorney general. He has qualified to appear on the ballot in 26 states but could appear on as many as 42 state’s ballots as a write-in. Prior to his presidential campaign, Goode had been out of politics since his unsuccessful campaign for re-election to Congress in 2009.

Goode and his wife, Lucy, have one daughter, Catherine, who is grown.

1. According to finaid.org, the current total student loan debt is at over $1 trillion. What is your plan to help students obtain the quality education they need in order to help them better compete in the job market?

Until the budget is balanced as outlined in the following question, new subsidized student loans will likely be halted or significantly reduced.

2. What will be your top three priorities for getting the economy moving?

Under the Obama administration, unemployment has soared to over eight percent. Our debt has increased by more than $4 trillion under the Obama presidency, which has also given us trillion-dollar deficits.

The United States cannot borrow its way to prosperity. It is incumbent on our next president to propose a balanced budget upon taking office and not 10 years down the road. There will be pain, but the old saying that one will not get out of the hole by digging the hole deeper is accurate.

Nearly every department and agency will face significant cuts and some will face elimination. Veterans’ benefits is an example that will not be cut.

Examples of programs to be eliminated include the National Endowment for the Arts, No Child Left Behind and Foreign Aid, etc.

Reducing regulations and becoming energy-independent will also mean more jobs for America. The Canada to Texas pipeline needs to be built and operational expeditiously and not delayed or stopped as the current administration is doing.

Another way to reduce unemployment, reduce the deficit, and provide more jobs for U.S. citizens is to reduce legal immigration. In recent years, about 1.2 million green cards have been issued annually, and more than 60 percent go to foreigners who come to the United States and take jobs from American citizens. I have proposed a moratorium, with a few minor exceptions, on issuing green cards until our unemployment rate is under five percent. America has one of the most liberal immigration policies in the world, and it is time for the citizens of this country to be at the head of the line for jobs. We also need to totally end diversity visas (50,000 per year), reduce chain migration and dramatically reduce asylees and refugees and their costs to the U.S. taxpayer.

3. Health care is an important issue for college students, especially given the Affordable Health Care plan that extends coverage for these students — even those who are married and attending a university. What other issues of the health care program will impact college students now and in the future?

I support the repeal of the Affordable Health Care Plan but would support requiring coverage of students on a parent’s policy until that student reaches age 26.

4. What focus would your administration give to social issues where public policies go against strict religious beliefs, such as abortions, marriage amendments and religious liberty?

I oppose abortion. National Right to Life commended me on my 100 percent voting record during my years in Congress. I favor and co-sponsored legislation and constitutional amendments to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. I fully support religious liberty and the right to pray and to assemble.

5. Many students have enlisted in a branch of the military in order to pay for college. With the recent defense cuts and force reduction, how are you planning on protecting student veterans, National Guard members and ROTC cadets?

Such programs can not be expanded until the budget is balanced.

6. Why should a college student vote for you?

I am the only candidate with the courage to make the cuts necessary to balance the budget now and to start reducing the debt so today’s students will not face calamity in future years.

Mitt Romney prepares to reform

Republican presidential nominee hopes for new job creation, tax breaks and reduced stress on the military

Republican presidential candidate and successful businessman Mitt Romney was born to humble beginnings in Detroit, March 12, 1947.

According to Gov. Romney’s website, his father, George Romney, apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter and sold aluminum paint before beginning a career that led him to become the head of American Motors and, eventually, the governor of Michigan. Mitt Romney learned from his father’s hard work.

Romney. Google

Romney married his wife, Ann, in 1969. The two were acquaintances in elementary school but met years later at a friend’s house and began a long-lasting relationship.

According to his website, Romney graduated from Brigham Young University in 1971 and went on to earn degrees from Harvard Law and Harvard Business School. He began working as a business consultant before he co-founded the investment firm Bain Capital in 1984. According to mittromneycentral.com, Bain Capital has helped to launch or rebuild more than 100 companies, including Staples, Bright Horizons and The Sports Authority.

With the Salt Lake City Olympics on the verge of collapse in 1999, Romney was asked to take over because of his exceptional business background. According to his website, the games had been involved in a bid-rigging scandal, sponsors were fleeing, and the budget was in the red. The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 created a security nightmare and had some officials questioning whether to even hold the Olympics in the United States.

Romney set out to straighten things out. According to his website, he revamped the organization’s leadership, trimmed the budget and restored public confidence. He also oversaw an unprecedented security mobilization to assure the safety of the athletes and the millions of visitors.

Romney was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, according to his website. The state was in disarray, its budget was out of balance, spending was soaring, and taxpayers were paying more in taxes for diminishing services. According to mittromenycentral.com, with the state economy in a tailspin and businesses closing or cutting back on investments, Romney brought state spending under control, restructuring and consolidating government programs. Facing a state legislature dominated by Democrats, Romney vetoed more than 800 bills in an attempt to bring conservative principles to the state government. He was able to eliminate a $3 billion deficit without borrowing or raising taxes.

According to his website, the financial discipline provided under Romney’s leadership was essential for an economic recovery in Massachusetts. During his term, which ended in 2007, the state unemployment rate fell from 5.6 to 4.7 percent, and Massachusetts gained tens of thousands of new jobs.

According to his website, Romney and his wife have five sons, all of whom are grown men. They also have 18 grandchildren.

1. According to finaid.org, the current total student loan debt is at over $1 trillion. What is your plan to help students obtain the quality education they need in order to help them compete better in the job market?

America’s traditional community and four-year colleges are the heart of our nation’s higher education system. However, a flood of federal dollars is driving up tuition and burdening too many young Americans with substantial debt and too few opportunities. Meanwhile, other models of advanced skills training are becoming ever more important to success in the American economy, and new educational institutions will be required to fill those roles. Mitt Romney’s proposed reforms will spur the access, affordability, innovation and transparency needed to address all of these challenges.

First, he would work to strengthen and simplify the financial aid system by consolidating duplicative and overly complex programs within the Department of Education, and he would focus the Department on giving students and families with financial need the appropriate information about completion and persistence, loan repayment rates, future earnings and other indicators. This will help families intelligently weigh the risks and benefits of the many options available to them, rather than limiting choices through punitive regulations. Second, he would welcome private-sector participation instead of pushing it away, and third, he would replace burdensome regulation with innovation and competition. This will encourage market entry by innovative new education models, emphasize skill attainment instead of time spent in the classroom, and support research and development. We must repeal confusing and unnecessary regulations that primarily serve to drive costs higher and replace them with common-sense reforms that ensure appropriate student outcomes.

2. What will be your top three priorities for getting the economy moving?

The first priority of a Romney administration will be to strengthen the middle class by creating 12 million new jobs and getting our economy going again. Mitt Romney will rebuild the foundations of the American economy on the principles of free enterprise, hard work and innovation. His plan seeks to reduce taxes, spending, unnecessary regulation and ineffective government programs. It seeks to increase trade, energy production, human capital and labor flexibility. It empowers states instead of claiming that the federal government has the solution to every problem.

Any American living through this economic crisis will immediately recognize the severity of the break that Mitt Romney proposes from our current course. He is calling for a fundamental change in Washington’s view of how economic growth and prosperity are achieved, how jobs are created and how government can support these endeavors. It is at once a deeply conservative return to policies that have served our nation well and a highly ambitious departure from the policies of our current leadership. In short, it is a plan to get America back to work.

3. Health care is an important issue for college students, especially given the Affordable Health Care plan that extends coverage for these students — even those who are married and attending a university. What other issues of the health care program will impact college students now and in the future?

President Obama enacted a $2 trillion federal takeover of our nation’s health care system, driving up costs, lowering quality and reducing access. The law imposes massive tax increases on middle class families, slashes reimbursements for doctors and hospitals and limits choices for patients. Expansive federal mandates and costly government regulations will force millions of Americans out of their health coverage while enrolling millions more in a crumbling Medicaid program.

Ultimately, the law fails because it is built on the idea that Washington politicians can more compassionately and efficiently manage health care decisions than can patients, families and doctors. Gov. Romney rejects this bureaucratic, Washington-knows-best approach, and he is committed to repealing the president’s health care law beginning on his first day in office.

But that is not enough. The challenges facing our nation’s health care system will exist even after Obamacare has been repealed. That is why Gov. Romney has put forward a plan to replace the president’s fundamentally flawed law. His plan focuses on greater patient choice and control, lower costs and better access for every American.

His plan empowers patients and families and reforms insurance markets to emphasize fair competition and strong consumers. Our health care challenges can be fixed without a federal takeover of the entire system. Gov. Romney’s plan preserves what is working while reforming the areas that are broken.

4. What focus would your administration give to social issues where public policies go against strict religious beliefs, such as abortions, marriage amendments and religious liberty?

Limited government is fundamental to individual freedom. Time and time again, however, President Obama has shown a blatant disregard for the rights of religious institutions to act in accordance with their convictions and issued regulations that violate these institutions’ religious freedom. For example, the Obama administration actually said that it had the power to tell a church whom it had to accept as a minister and that it could second-guess a church’s reasons for deciding someone was not qualified to be a minister. This was so outrageous that the Supreme Court voted unanimously against the president’s position, 9-0. And President Obama has issued Obamacare rules that force religious institutions to pay for contraception and the morning-after pill, which violate the tenets of their faith.

President Obama has also forced millions of Americans who have deeply-held religious objections to abortion to subsidize abortion providers and advocates — both in America and overseas.

As president, Mitt Romney will work to repeal Obamacare and, in the interim, revoke Obamacare’s mandates on religious institutions. He will also, by executive order, reinstate the Mexico City Policy and end federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Mitt Romney will bring America back to the constitutional ideal of a limited federal government that does not intrude on individuals religious freedoms.

5. Many students have enlisted in a branch of the military in order to pay for college. With the recent defense cuts and force reduction, how are you planning on protecting student veterans, National Guard members and ROTC cadets?

President Obama’s massive defense cuts have hit the Armed Forces hard. The cuts affect everyone who is in uniform or has worn the uniform, including students, National Guard and Reserves and veterans. Mitt Romney will reverse the president’s defense cuts and add 100,000 troops to the military. That will help ease the strain on those groups in some important ways. First, it reduces stress on the National Guard and Reserves, which have frequently been called to service during the past 10 years. It allows guardsmen and reservists more time at home with their families and to continue their careers and education. It allows those cadets in the ROTC with better opportunities to commission in the military and earn ROTC scholarships. Most importantly, stopping the president’s defense cuts will prevent massive troop layoffs, which would harm all three of those groups and especially strain a Department of Veterans Affairs that is already buckling under an influx of new VA (Veteran Affairs) “customers.”

6. Why should a college student vote for you?

President Obama wishes we would forget about the last four years and the toll they have taken on everyday Americans. It is no wonder — his four years in office have been a disappointment for all of us, and they have been a catastrophe for some of us. Mitt Romney believes in America. He believes that liberty, opportunity and free enterprise have led to prosperity and strength before and will do so again. America, however, must take decisive action to roll back the misguided policies of the last four years, empower our citizens and restore the foundations of our nation’s strength.

The foundations of our nation’s strength are a love of liberty and a pioneering spirit of innovation and creativity. These values — inherited from our founders and embodied by all who came to our shores seeking opportunity — have made the United States the most powerful nation in the history of the world. These are the values Mitt Romney believes will restore our nation to prosperity.

Editor’s Note:
These answers were prepared by Mitt Romney’s Election Committee.

Obama seeks re-election

Editor’s Note: All five presidential candidates on Virginia’s ballot, including President Obama, were sent the same questions and given an opportunity to answer. Had they responded, their answers would have been featured. Because he is the current president, we have included a brief biography of Barack Obama. The biographies of the third party candidates can be found online at libertychampion.com.

President Barack Obama, the incumbent Democratic candidate for president, was born in Hawaii Aug. 4, 1961.

Obama

According to his biography, “Dreams from My Father,” Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in Wichita, Kansas but moved to Hawaii after her father served in World War II. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born in Kenya. He grew up herding goats in Africa but eventually earned a scholarship that allowed him to pursue his dream of attending college in Hawaii.

President Obama did not have a relationship with his father as a child. According to “Dreams from My Father,” his parents were divorced when he was 2, and his father returned to Kenya. His mother remarried to Lolo Soetoro, an East-West Center student from Indonesia, and the family moved to his home country. When he was 10, Obama was sent back to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents because his mother feared for his safety.

According to his website, Obama worked his way through college with the help of scholarships and student loans. He studied at Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years before transferring to Columbia University, where he graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science. After college, he moved to Chicago, where he worked as an organizer to help rebuild communities that had been devastated by the closure of local steel plants.

He went on to Harvard Law School in 1988, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. While there, he met Michelle Robinson, an associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin. He graduated from Harvard, magna cum laude, in 1991.

After graduating, Obama took a job as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago. According to his website, he also remained active in his community, leading a drive that registered more than 150,000 voters in Illinois leading up to the 1992 election.

Obama was first elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996. According to his website, he was able to pass the first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expand health care for both children and adults during his time as a state senator in Springfield.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. According to his website, he reached across the aisle to pass the farthest-reaching lobbyist reform in a generation, locked up the world’s most dangerous weapons, and brought transparency to government by tracking federal spending online.

In February 2007, Obama made headlines when he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He defeated U.S. senator Hilary Clinton for the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican presidential nominee John McCain Nov. 4, 2008 to become the 44th president of the United States. He became the first African-American to hold the office of the president.

According to his website, in his first 100 days of office, Obama expanded health care insurance for children, provided legal protection for women seeking equal pay, passed a $787 billion stimulus bill meant to promote short-term economic growth, and completed an overhaul of America’s foreign policy. He has also signed his health-care reform plan, known as the Affordable Care Act, into law in 2010. As he did in 2008, Obama has focused much of his effort in this campaign on grassroots initiatives.
Obama and his wife have two daughters, Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11.

See electoral college votes by state

The following are excerpts from each presidential nominee’s acceptance speech.

YouTube screen shot

I won’t pretend the path I’m offering is quick or easy. I
never have. You didn’t elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear.

You elected me to tell you the truth…

And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades…

I’ve met workers in Detroit and Toledo who feared they’d never build another American car. And today, they can’t build them fast enough, because we reinvented a dying auto industry that’s back on top of the world…

And now you have a choice. We can gut education, or we can decide that in the United States of America, no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school. No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don’t have the money. No company should have to look for workers overseas because they couldn’t find any with the right skills here at home. That’s not our future. That is not our future…

I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually
attacked us on 9/11. And we have. We’ve blunted the Taliban’s momentum in Afghanistan, and in 2014, our longest war will be over…

A new tower rises above the New York skyline, al-Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama Bin Laden is dead…

America, I never said this journey would be easy, and I
won’t promise that now. Yes, our path is harder, but it leads to a better place. Yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. We don’t turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up. We draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon, knowing that Providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on Earth.

To watch the entire speech, visit demconvention.com/photos-video.

Read Obama’s entire speech from the DNC

YouTube screen shot

I am running for president to help create a better future, a future where everyone who wants a job can find a job, where no senior fears for the security of their retirement, an America where every parent knows that their child will get an education that leads to a good job and a bright horizon, and unlike the president, I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs…

Paul Ryan and I have five steps.

First, by 2020, North America will be energy independent by taking inventory of our oil, our coal, our gas, our nuclear and renewables.

Second, we will give our fellow citizens the skills they
need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow. When it comes to the school your child will attend, every parent should have a choice, and every child should have a chance.

Third, we will make trade work for America by forging new trade agreements, and when nations cheat in trade, there will be unmistakable consequences.

And fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish, as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.

And fifth, we will champion small businesses, America’s engine of job growth. That means reducing taxes on business, not raising them. It means simplifying and modernizing the regulations that hurt small businesses the most, and it means we must rein in skyrocketing cost of health care by repealing and replacing Obamacare…

If I am elected president of these United States, I will
work with all my energy and soul to restore that America, to lift our eyes to a better future. That future is our destiny. That future is out there. It is waiting for us. Our children deserve it. Our nation depends on it. The peace and freedom of the world require it. And with your help we will deliver it. Let us the begin that future for America tonight.

To watch the entire speech, visit gopconvention2012.com and click on “watch live.”

Read Romney’s entire speech from the RNC

City Council elections are next week — Tuesday, May 1. Many students who are already pressed with decisions of which finals to study for and how they are getting home for summer plans may find themselves asking why they should vote in a local Lynchburg election.

“Voting locally will employ a dynamic role in changing the makeup of your city,” Liberty senior and Political Director for Senator Steve Newman Zach Martin said.

The city council members, according to the City of Lynchburg’s website, are elected to four-year terms of office and make decisions that adhere to the City Charter, make any additions or amendments to the Lynchburg City Code and create Council-appointed Boards and Commissions.

“When you’re voting in local elections, you’re voting for things such as meals taxes, water usage, power rates — things of that nature,” Martin said.

The current city council has recently voted down the proposed City Budget meals tax increase. This current council will vote on every aspect of the proposed budget for following years.

In the past, city council has also made the decision to add a Wards III polling place from Heritage High School to Liberty University. The council has also imposed Conditional Use Permits (CUP) on Liberty to require the college to build an estimated $8 million worth of roads, ramps and tunnels in previous years. This increase of building requirements caused tuition to raise $667 for the 2011 academic year, according to a previous Liberty Champion article.

According to the 2009 City of Lynchburg Financial Services’ comprehensive financial report, the second largest employer in Lynchburg is Jerry Falwell Ministries (JFM), Inc., which includes Thomas Road Baptist Church, Liberty University and Liberty Christian Academy. Employing 3,422 people, JFM is behind only Centra Health with the number of jobs that it brings to the community.

A 2009 report released by Mangum Economic Consulting, LLC, an organization specializing in economic and quantitative research, found that Liberty accounts for one out of every 10 local Lynchburg jobs. Liberty students also contributed to $217 million in local direct spending, the report said. The Magnum report also revealed that every dollar Liberty spends generates $1.48 in local economic activity.

In the past, Liberty students have helped swing the election for the House of Delegates between Shannon Valentine and Delegate Scott Garrett, Martin said.

“Liberty students can play a dynamic role in the election because of the voting block they make up,” Martin said.

Those students that are already registered to vote for city council members will be able to have their voices heard through the ballot box May 1.

“(Liberty students can) leave a mark and a legacy in Lynchburg by voting conservatives into office,” Martin said.

On-campus students will be voting in the Ward III district. Off campus students should vote in the precinct where they are registered.

With this information, we hope that our readers will be able to make an informed decision and get out and vote on May 1 for city council members. To determine which Ward you are eligible to vote in, visit lynchburgva.gov..

Michael Gillette, Ward I

Michael Gillette graduated from Brandeis University at the top of his class as magna-cum laude with degrees in Philosophy and Classical Greek. He furthered his education at Brown University, where Gillette obtained his Master’s degree and Ph.D in Philosophy, writing his dissertation on clinical ethics, according to mikegillette.net.

Gillette

Gillette, originally from Connecticut, moved to Virginia in 1990 for a teaching position at the then-Randolph Macon Women’s College. After receiving tenure, Gillette resigned to pursue his own business, Bioethical Services of Virginia, Inc.

According to his website, Gillette has spent more than 20 years in Lynchburg with his wife Jodi. The couple has been married for 26 years and have raised two children, Rachel and Rebecca. Gillette’s time in Lynchburg has created a “vested interest” in the community, according to the website.

“As citizens of Lynchburg, we all appreciate our high quality of life, reasonable cost of living and excellent environment in which to raise our families,” Gillette said on mikegillette.net. “With your vote I will do my best to protect these things, even as we face difficult economic times.”

Question One: What do you see as an important aspect of the relationship between the city and the local colleges?

The local colleges and universities are an extremely important part of our local character. Not only do they contribute to our economic base, but they bring a vitality and intellectual vigor to our community that we should all cherish. Local government must recognize the central role that our institutions of higher education play and support collaborative efforts to enhance the relationship whenever possible.

Question Two: What key city projects do you plan to focus on if elected?

During the past year, I chaired the Task Force on Heritage High School and the Future of Secondary Education in Lynchburg. I would very much like to see the planning for a new Heritage High School continue and to assist in the implementation of the Task Force’s recommendations.

I also foresee the need to deal with recruitment and retention issues in public safety. We must develop a multi-year strategy for working toward a resolution of the stresses that impact our fire, police and emergency services workers.

Question Three: Would you agree to City Manager Kimball Payne’s recommended tax hikes? Why or why not?

I do not believe that it will be necessary to enact the full array of tax increases contained in the proposed budget, but I also see no way to maintain core city services without generating some new revenues. The answer to this question, therefore, is not a simple yes or no. I disagree that we should raise the meals tax by one percent and the real estate tax by 10 cents. I do agree, however, that new revenues must be raised, and I will work to find the fairest way to make the minimum necessary increases. In doing so, I have already opposed any increase in the meals tax and I believe that we will be able to find sufficient savings to keep the real estate tax rate increase to something less than 10 cents.

Question Four: Tell a college student why they should or should not vote in Lynchburg.

The continued health of the American democratic tradition depends upon the engagement of its citizens. Every eligible American should cast a vote in local, state and federal elections. I encourage all students to get engaged and to cast a vote in the location in which they are legal residents.

Question Five: Today’s economy requires families to budget tightly. How can the city handle projects such as Heritage High School and the cross town connector in its budget?

Over the past several years, Lynchburg City Council has shrunk the size of city government. The general fund budget for 2012 is actually $1 million smaller than the general fund budget was in 2009, and the overall budget was cut by $7 million from 2011 to 2012. The currently proposed overall budget is another $10 million smaller than that. These spending reductions have taken place in an environment where we have been forced to absorb multiple unfunded mandates from the state, increased operating costs related to things like higher fuel prices, and a flat or declining revenue stream due to decreases in property values. While facing these economic challenges, we also managed to lower the real estate tax rate from $1.11 to $1.05 and eliminate the common goods fee. We accomplished these reductions by scouring every department for efficiencies and reducing the workforce by over 60 full-time equivalent jobs since 2009. The current budget proposal includes an additional reduction in force of 31 positions. We must continue to look for additional cuts and efficiencies and manage our debt service carefully. Even with these efforts, however, there comes a point where the retention of high quality services requires a willingness to pay for what we get. I will avoid every unnecessary tax increase, but some tax increase is likely to be necessary if we want to protect our high quality community.

John Richards Jr., Ward I

Candidate John Richards is a Lynchburg native who attended E.C. Glass High School. Richards received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Virginia and a Master’s of Science in Aerospace Dynamics.

Richards

Richards joined the Air Force in 1985 as a logistics plans officer. He served for 24 years, retiring as a Lt. Col. in 2009. It was during his time in the Air Force that he first met his wife, Nancy.

John and Nancy have been married for 17 years. He and his wife have three daughters: Jessica, Maegan and Rebecca.

Richards feels his acquired skills have equipped him to effectively serve his community, he said.

“John has acquired the financial and leadership skills necessary to be an effective leader in his community,” according to his campaign website. “His love for the people of his hometown drives him to seek opportunities to make their lives more fulfilling. His dedication to the citizens of Lynchburg and moral values ensure that he will serve with honesty and integrity.”

Question One: What do you see as an important aspect of the relationship between the city and the local colleges?

An important aspect of the relationship between the city and local colleges is a mutual respect for another and the willingness to work together. In order to work together, there must be an appreciation for one another, a willingness to listen and a common goal to work towards. I believe that our local colleges and universities make a valuable contribution to our city and working with them is vital for the success of Lynchburg.

Question Two: What key city projects do you plan to focus on if elected?

Key projects I would focus on if elected would be consolidating duplicated services, implementing new ways of providing quality services at more economical costs and recruiting businesses to Lynchburg.

Question Three: Would you agree to City Manager Kimball Payne’s recommended tax hikes? Why or why not?

I do not agree with the city manager’s proposed tax hikes. I oppose the meals tax increase because it unfairly burdens one segment of our business community with generating the revenue to unnecessarily accelerate the fix to a Heritage High School problem that was decades in the making. Raising the meals tax would have the adverse affect of driving businesses and customers to the counties, potentially reducing tax revenue. I would oppose the 10 cent real estate tax at this point because I believe the city has potential savings within the current budget that need to be explored before a tax increase can be justified, such as consolidating duplicate support services between the city and our schools and looking at potential outsourcing opportunities within our current service processes.

Question Four: Tell a college student why they should or should not vote in Lynchburg.

Regardless of whether or not college students decide to vote in their hometowns or in Lynchburg, they should exercise their right to vote. While here, college students are a part of the Lynchburg community and are impacted by local government and should make their voices heard.

Question Five: Today’s economy requires families to budget tightly. How can the city handle projects such as Heritage High School and the cross town connector in its budget?

As with many families during these economic times, the city needs to find specific ways in which to save money in order to generate the necessary funds for these projects. Careful planning must be implemented in order to minimize cost and ensure these projects are completed on schedule.

Larry Taylor, Ward II

Although a native of Charlottesville, Va., Larry Taylor has lived in Lynchburg for more than two decades. He came to Lynchburg on a construction job and met his wife Ruth, Taylor said. The couple has three children together. Taylor also has three kids from a previous marriage. His children range in age from 17 to 37.

Taylor

Taylor started his own business in 1994 called Larry Taylor Restorations. He has performed work throughout the city, according to his Facebook page.

Taylor decided to run for Lynchburg City Council when several people asked him to represent Ward II, he said.

“The felt their voices weren’t being heard downtown,” Taylor said. “Their concern downtown wasn’t the politics of downtown. They wanted a representative they can talk to.”

Taylor has mentioned that he intends on spending time getting to know the community.

“I will go out and meet with the people at least once every two months,” Taylor said. “I will go out and meet the people so they can voice their concerns to me.”

Question One: What do you see as an important aspect of the relationship between the city and the local colleges?

The colleges are separate entities, but they act in cooperation with the city. The students use the resources of the city, but they also add value to it. Many are employed by local businesses, while also utilizing their goods and services. Students are a great resource for businesses seeking educated or technically-trained interns or employees through traditional schools like Liberty, Lynchburg College and Randolph, or a more vocational school like CVCC. They are also a wonderful source of volunteers for community programs through churches and other nonprofits. The success of the local colleges contributes to the success of the city.

Question Two: What key city projects do you plan to focus on if elected?

I am in favor of the comprehensive city plan for growth, but private investment is the way to truly make it happen. I am running for Ward II where residents have been hit hardest during this economy and the years preceding it. It is the only one of the four wards which lost population (-2.88 percent) between 2000 and 2010. The other wards increased 13.78 percent (Ward I), 15.62 percent (Ward IV), and 35.72 percent (Ward III).

Because of this, I want to cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce to recruit businesses into the city and increase tourism for the city as a whole. This will help jump start our economy from its current zero net job growth. But more needs to be done for Ward II. We desperately need a full service grocery store to provide lower prices for those who earn lower wages or rely on government assistance. Since the closing of the Food Lion on Bedford Avenue, only one major grocery store exists in the ward. It is another Food Lion on Florida Avenue which is not easy to get to for those who do not have access to a vehicle and must rely upon taxis or a long wait for GLTC. It will also attract more small businesses and add jobs within the ward itself.

Question Three: Would you agree to City Manager Kimball Payne’s recommended tax hikes? Why or why not?

I do not agree with the tax hikes. The proposed hikes are very difficult for the citizens of Ward II. A real estate tax hike will be more costly for owners and renters. I am glad to see that the meals tax has been rejected by City Council. The result of such an increase will probably still be debated, but I am sure that it would not have brought more restaurants or customers into the city. Cutting back on budget is the route to go at this time. It is painful, but necessary.

Question Four: Tell a college student why they should or should not vote in Lynchburg.

Voting is a privilege that should not be taken for granted or wasted when the opportunity comes. Students should vote as long as Lynchburg’s ordinances allow students to vote as residents. As long as students are legally registered, they should participate in the local political process in every way available. That includes running for office. I encourage everyone to participate in any way the law allows.

Question Five: Today’s economy requires families to budget tightly. How can the city handle projects such as Heritage High School and the cross town connector in its budget?

I believe Heritage High School should be renovated, but we still need to wait on a proper engineering survey that will give us a better idea of cost. It is not wise to make estimates without the necessary information. The widening of Lakeside Drive (cross town connector) is overdue. But we should remember that much of that traffic is coming from and going into Bedford County—another reason we should not raise taxes and give residents more reasons to head over the county line. The key is to improve the economy while still planning for the projects. We must keep the vision, but we must focus on practical ways to fund it without creating burdens on the citizens.

Ceasor Johnson, Ward II

Ceasor Johnson, current representative of Ward II in Lynchburg, graduated from Alcon State University in Lorman, Miss. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Economics in 1989, according to lynchburgva.gov. Johnson excelled academically, “as he was he was Senior Class President, a member of the Parade of Personalities and Historian of the Delta Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.,” according to the website. He was also on the dean’s list for three semesters.

Johnson

Johnson married his wife Rosie in 1988 and moved to Virginia shortly after. During his time in the state, Johnson worked with the U.S.D.A. Soil Conservation Service, where he has served in Warsaw, Staunton and Harrisonburg.

In 1996, Johnson became a licensed pastor. He attended the former Virginia Seminary and College, holding a Master of Religious Education and a Master of Divinity from the institution.
In 2008, he was elected to Lynchburg City Council, representing Ward II.

He is currently the pastor of Spring Hill Baptist Church in Brookneal.

Question One: What do you see as an important aspect of the relationship between the city and the local colleges?

One of the greatest aspects of the relationship between the city and the local colleges is that all of our colleges in the city and beyond enhance the workforce of our community. The businesses, the educational system, the healthcare system and a myriad of other business functions all benefit from the products of our local colleges. The recently-instituted Town and Gown meetings between the city and college presidents should help bolster the relationship even further between the city and the local colleges.

Question Two: What key city projects do you plan to focus on if elected?

As the representative of Ward II, I will continue to encourage and support downtown revitalization and good, sound business development on my Ward. I will continue to support the development along Martin Luther King Boulevard and other areas of egress and ingress. I will also work to encourage another super market to be located in the inner city. Finally, I will continue to support our public education system, public safety system and a responsible tax base.

Question Three: Would you agree to City Manager Kimball Payne’s recommended tax hikes? Why or why not?

Unlike the federal budget, localities must balance their budget each year. When the city manager presents a budget, City Council must sift through it to examine why it is presented in its present form and make whatever adjustments are necessary. With the stress on the city, it appears that a tax increase of some kind is going to be necessary. Citizens who took the time to attend the budget sessions agreed that something would have to be done. I will scrutinize the budget in order to keep the increase as low as possible.

Question Four: Tell a college student why they should or should not vote in Lynchburg.

It is the right of any citizen 18 years and older to vote. I would therefore encourage college students to vote in the locality in which they live. State law has made it clear that college students who domicile in a particular locality may vote in that locality. Those who desire a better community should exercise their vote to help make the community better for all citizens.

Question Five: Today’s economy requires families to budget tightly. How can the city handle projects such as Heritage High School and the cross town connector in its budget?

Just as family budgets are tight, the city budget is tight as well. The citizens committee, which studied the Heritage High School situation, has recommended that a new structure be erected. However, this is not an overnight project, and the city must look at every aspect of cost savings. The city must not build a structure that will present the same problems down the road that are present today. The cross town connector has already been on the Council plate for a number of years. The city and the state are constantly looking at adjustments that are cost-effective.

Jeff Helgeson, Ward III

Councilman Jeff Helgeson first came to Lynchburg, Va. in 1985 to attend Liberty University, graduating with a Bachelors of Science degree in finance. Helgeson also earned his MBA from Liberty in 1990. Later, Helgeson attended American College and earned a Master of Science in Financial Services.

Helgeson

Since moving to Lynchburg, Helgeson has been a staple in the Lynchburg community through his volunteer and civic efforts. He has served in several capacities, including former president of the Lynchburg Jaycees, member of the Lynchburg Planning Commission, chairman of the President’s Advisory Council for the Lynchburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, according to jeffhelgeson.com.

Helgeson has represented Ward III for Lynchburg City Council since 2004. He said his “philosophy of government” is “fiscally conservative.”

“Fiscal responsibility is an important issue, and I believe we should be sure the city lives within its means,” Helgeson said on his website.

Currently, Helgeson is the Chairman of City Council’s finance committee. He is also the treasurer of the Central Virginia Community Services Board.

Question One: What do you see as an important aspect of the relationship between the city and the local colleges?

Local government should recognize colleges attract students who bring resources with them to the area, without adding much in the way of burden on the tax payers. I came to Lynchburg in 1985 to attend Liberty University. Twenty-seven years later, I am still here providing resources as a business owner, a member of City Council and as a taxpayer. It is great to have an open dialogue and work to build a positive relationship between the city, the local colleges and their students and faculty.

Question Two: What key city projects do you plan to focus on if elected?

City Hall has lost its way over the years. Hard-earned taxpayer dollars are often spent on pet projects that benefit just a few people, while wasting millions of dollars by building unnecessary new school buildings that are only half-full. In my eight years on City Council, I have tried to get council to focus on the necessary aspects of government. I have pushed for a focused effort on dedicating our resources to the public safety and maintaining our infrastructures and roads. These are important to all citizens in the city, not just a few elite.

Question Three: Would you agree to City Manager Kimball Payne’s recommended tax hikes? Why or why not?

Absolutely not! The manager’s proposal “balances” the city’s budget by adding greater burdens on the backs of the taxpayers at a time when taxpayers need relief. That plan would increase taxes on cafeteria food and pizza by 15 percent, homes by 10 percent, and it would add a brand new multi-million dollar stormwater management fee. The entire burden would be transferred to our already overtaxed citizens. The city should reduce spending, just like the citizens and businesses are having to do during these tough economic times.

Question Four: Tell a college student why they should or should not vote in Lynchburg.

I am originally from Minnesota. I moved here to attend Liberty University in the 1980s, earning two business degrees (BS Finance and MBA). I fell in love with the Lynchburg area and decided to live here permanently. Over the last couple of decades, I have worked to make Lynchburg a better place to live, learn, do business and raise a family. During my eight years on City Council, I have worked hard to represent students at Liberty University. I helped defeat a 20 percent increase in the sales tax and pushed successfully to gain better pedestrian access on Wards Road, fought successfully to get a polling place at the Vines center and I have nominated several Liberty graduates and faculty to positions on various boards and agencies at City Hall. Having your vote is a much-appreciated endorsement for all of the work I will continue to do on your behalf as a student at Liberty. Another reason to vote locally is it may have a long-term impact on your own future. When I first came to Liberty, I had no idea that the plans God had for my life involved me staying here in Lynchburg. Since none of us knows what the future holds, make the most of each day. Your vote will certainly impact your time at Liberty University, but it may have an impact on your future in Lynchburg, too.

Question Five: Today’s economy requires families to budget tightly. How can the city handle projects such as Heritage High School and the cross town connector in its budget?

The mid-town connector is a state road, and the funds are already set aside from the state to improve this transportation link. Regarding Heritage High School, the city taxpayers do not have the resources to build a newer high school. The problem is the School Board and City Council decided to build another school that wasn’t needed first, which demonstrated an inability to prioritize. For some reason, government likes to spend enormous sums of money on unnecessary things. Then, they justify tax increases by claiming there isn’t enough money left to pay for necessities. This repeated cycle squeezes the taxpayers more and more each year. I am grateful for the professors at Liberty who taught me about fiscal resourcefulness and responsibility. There are many leaders in all levels of government who would benefit from such wise instruction today.

Turner Perrow, Ward IV

Turner Perrow graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1996 after attending E.C. Glass High School. Perrow and his wife Holly have one daughter, Caroline. He is currently the vice president at WW Associates of Forest, Va.

Turner

Perrow is running for re-election to Lynchburg City Council to represent Ward IV. According to his website turnerperrow.com, Perrow’s record speaks for itself. Throughout his time serving on City Council, Perrow has “demonstrated a strong fiscal responsibility,” maintains a “balanced perspective” in the development of Lynchburg and has been a “protector of public education and safety.”

Above all, he is an “advocate for practical, sustainable development,” according to the website.

“(I) realize that Lynchburg’s future is also tied to both state and federal governments,” Turner said on his website. “As a result, (I) am frequently in Richmond working with our local delegation on our behalf and have testified in front of Congress.”

Question One: What do you see as an important aspect of the relationship between the city and the local colleges?

The most important aspect of the relationship between the city and its local colleges is the partnership between the two. The city needs to work with the colleges to help them grow and develop the way their Trustees desire. Our city’s colleges are a crucial part of our local economy. They are tremendous employers, their students are assets to our community, and our businesses thrive on the availability of their graduates.

Question Two: What key city projects do you plan to focus on if elected?

We need to assess the city’s most pressing needs in order to prioritize projects and see them through to completion. One example would be the intersection of Timberlake Road and Ward’s Ferry Road. This intersection functions very poorly and creates traffic congestion on both roads. I also tend to favor projects addressing the city’s water and sewer infrastructure. Clean, safe water is a fundamental service, and it is our duty to protect it. Replacing old, broken and clogged lines improves the water quality throughout our city, and I support those projects.

Question Three: Would you agree to City Manager Kimball Payne’s recommended tax hikes? Why or why not?

No. I do not support the City Manager’s proposed tax increases. As a sitting council member, I was able to gain unanimous support for a motion to strike down the proposed meals tax increase. Additionally, I proposed a motion to keep the tax rate flat, which would force the city to spend within its means. Unfortunately, this motion failed 3-4. Our citizens are struggling to make ends meet. The prices are increasing, but wages are not. The city has to make difficult decisions to curb spending and keep our tax rates low.

Question Four: Tell a college student why they should or should not vote in Lynchburg.

College students are vital to our community, and we want all members of our community to express themselves during local elections. It is every citizen’s duty to vote where eligible. Our society is built on the principle of one person, one vote. I hope the students choose to cast their votes in the place where they have chosen to work, live and be educated.

Question Five: Today’s economy requires families to budget tightly. How can the city handle projects such as Heritage High School and the cross town connector in its budget?

These two projects are completely different. The cross town connector is funded entirely by the state and does not require any local dollars. On the other hand, the Heritage High School project will be funded exclusively with local tax dollars. I believe that this project, through proper financial management, can be completed without raising taxes. Last year, I successfully proposed that Council reserve funding for the future school project. This reserve fund can be built upon every year in order to reserve enough money to afford the loan payments on the new school. Simply put, it works the same way as a family setting aside money until they know they can afford to make the payment on the house or car that they want. It is simple, prudent financial planning, and we can complete the project without raising taxes to support it.

Romney is currently the front-running Republican candidate for the 2012 Presidential elections.

According to his website, Romney was born in Detroit on March 12, 1947.

Although Romney is now classified as a politician, he spent most of his life working in the private sector before he was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, according to his website.

Romney, like many, has encountered hardship in his life, according to his website. His wife Ann, whom he married in 1969, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998. She also recently “fought a battle with breast cancer,” according to his website.

However, Romney has maintained strength in his hardship through his religion, as he advanced towards the 2012 Presidential elections, according to his website.

Religion has played a role in Romney’s life and political career, according to his speech Dec. 6, 2007, given at the George Bush Presidential Library.

“Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for president, not a Catholic running for president. Like him, I am an American running for president. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith … I believe in my Mormon faith, and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers — I will be true to them and to my beliefs.”

He continued, “My church’s beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principal indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.”

Romney has yet to comment as to what it is he will be speaking about, on May 12.

Commencement will be Romney’s first appearance at Liberty. There are expected to be 34,000 guests in attendance at the ceremony, according to Liberty’s website.

Liberty University’s precinct had a higher than expected voter turnout March 6, leading the way for Virginia with one of the highest voter percentages in the state.

Vote — Students will have the opportunity to vote again May 1. Photo credit: Joel Coleman, Promotional Publication

Liberty’s precinct, which is 302 third Ward second precinct, had a total of 590 votes counted, 13 percent of the registered voters for the precinct, while Virginia’s overall voter turnout was 5.2 percent, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections (VSBE) website.

“Throughout the city, historically, primary elections have a low turnout,” John Cobb, a member of the Lynchburg Electoral Board, said. “Some people have said that the primary elections should be coupled with another voting date, either May or June. I think it is an issue of finances. The Primary is slow because the candidates have an obligation to push voters more, and historically they haven’t.”

However, regardless of the low turnout, Cobb said that the new precinct was a necessary success.

“The law was on the side of Liberty. Once a precinct gets up to 4000 registered voters the registrar has to notify state board,” Cobb said. “They then come together to find a way to deal with it. In this case, a split precinct. With the Liberty population having grown exponentially, their 4,000 voters warranted their own precinct.”

According to Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., the participation from Liberty students in voting has made an impact in the Lynchburg community.

“The new polling place, pedestrian bridge and the return of Liberty’s zoning rights are all a direct result of Liberty students voting locally in recent elections,” Falwell said.

According to Cobb, with the new polling place open on campus, Heritage High School maintained a manageable number of voters with reduced wait times.

The Liberty University administration is pleased with the turnout of students, according to Liberty’s Director of Auxiliary Services Lee Beaumont.

“To have a 13 percent turnout confirmed that the Liberty precinct was needed and Liberty students will continue to be active in the electoral process at all levels of government,” Beaumont said. “I could not have been happier with the turnout, how well the precinct was run on election day, and the organization and support provided by the Lynchburg Registrar and the Lynchburg Electoral Board.”

According to Falwell, the low turnout had to do with the lack of finances spent by the candidates in Virginia, as well as not having all of the candidates on the ballot.

“Virginia Democrats passed legislation in the past making it extremely difficult for presidential candidates to get their names on the Virginia ballot,” Falwell said. “I believe the governor and the Republican legislature have said they intend to change these laws for future elections.”

Although Mitt Romney won over Ron Paul in the state of Virginia 59.5 percent to 40.4 percent, Paul swept Lynchburg voters 51 percent to 48.9 percent, according to VSBE.

“(Ron Paul) appeals to the younger generation for several reasons: He has a huge online presence, he is anti-establishment and a bit of a rebel and, most importantly, young voters feel like they are part of a cause and something bigger,” Beaumont said. “With Ron Paul it is not about political power, it is about the purity of his beliefs and, to put it simply, he does what he says.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney

Romney has promised a historic day if sworn into the presidency Jan. 20, 2013. His first day in office, Romney plans to exercise an executive order that grants waivers to all 50 states repealing “ObamaCare.” Under Romney’s plan, the states will have the deciding power on healthcare for their citizens.

Romney

Romney, like all the political candidates, has made the federal deficit an emphasis in his campaign. To control the spending, Romney has pushed the agenda of honest and obtainable goals. One of those goals is to cap spending at 20 percent of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Currently, the spending has hovered near 24 to 25 percent. Romney also claims that he will send Congress a bill that cuts spending of non-security matters by five percent throughout all departments.

Another way Romney plans to cut the budget is by either eliminating or reducing several laws, corporations or aids. In addition to “Obamacare,” Romney will work to privatize Amtrak and reduce foreign aid to countries that oppose American interest.

As governor of Massachusetts, Romney once declared May 7 as “The Right to Bear Arms Day,” showing his commitment and stance on the second amendment. Romney will back current laws that are in effect and promises to veto new laws that burden gun owners while having little effect on criminals.

Lastly, Romney is pro-life. He supports the Hyde Amendment, which restricts the use of federal funds for abortions. While history shows that Romney has straddled the fence on the issue, he recently noted that President Reagan was a former President that was “pro-choice before he became pro-life.”

From Romney: “Times are tough. And we need leaders who will live with integrity, who have the courage to tell the truth, and who have the experience to get our economy back on track. That’s the kind of leader I am. And that’s the kind of president I will be.”

Texas Rep. Ron Paul (14th District)

Ron Paul believes that healthcare should not be forced upon Americans. His campaign has promoted a “freedom not force” mentality and will fight to repeal ObamaCare.

Paul

Paul boasts of being the only candidate with a true plan to cut the deficit, instead of merely discussing the problem. His plans include eliminating the Departments of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Interior and Education. Additionally, the Transportation Security Administration would be dissolved under Paul’s plan for controlling the budget.

If elected president, Paul has vowed to make one change that everyone can appreciate: cheaper gas. His plan includes offshore drilling, abolishing highway motor fuel taxes and offering tax credits for production and use of natural gas vehicles. If elected, Paul will have to budget his own finances like the majority of Americans, as he has promised to set his salary at $39,336, the approximate average salary of a full-time employee. Paul will assemble together a full audit of the Federal Reserve in order to strengthen the value of the dollar.

Paul has supported the second amendment and is one of the strongest supporters of its security. In Congress, Paul wrote legislation that would allow pilots and specially trained officials to carry firearms in the cockpit to help prevent another attack like 9/11.

Another area in which Paul has gathered publicity is his views on immigration. Paul will seek to return America to protecting its borders by enforcing border security and ending birthright citizenship, which allows immigrants to stay as long as their child is born in the United States.

From Paul: “As President, I give you my word that I will only exercise my authority within the confines of the Constitution, and I will work every day to rein in a runaway federal government by binding it with the chains of that document.”

What many people are unaware of is the importance of properly completing the registration process in order for a vote to count, and the proper location where they can go to cast their vote.

To register in the state of Virginia, voters have to apply to register through the Virginia Voter Registration Application Form, which can be found online or picked up in the City of Lynchburg Registrar’s office. The address a potential voter writes down determines which polling place he or she must go to.

According to the General Registrar for the City of Lynchburg Carolyn Sherayko, students have a difficult time understanding the importance of filling out their registration card correctly. On-campus students often forget to include their mailbox number.

“The most frequent thing lacking is their mailbox number, no matter what college they go to,” Sherayko said. “For those who attend Liberty, it is important to decipher whether they live on campus or at the Annex, because those are different addresses.”

In regards to students registering correctly, the second most difficult voter situation deals with students who register in two different states, such as Virginia and their home state. Students have the freedom to choose whether to vote here or to vote in their home state, but not both.

“By signing on the registration form that all information is true and accurate, they are implying that they intend to stay in the area for an indefinite period of time. What they often forget is when they graduate and leave the area or move at any time, they must update their registration,” Sherayko said.

Sherayko also spoke of the challenges they face when having to organize multiple voter-registration lists. The amount of students between the four colleges in the area makes it difficult to make deadlines, but with the help of volunteers, it is somewhat easier to move the three-month election process along.

Jeff Helgeson, City Council representative for the Wards Road area, spoke of the new precinct areas for local voters. These include the Lynchburg Public Library, the Vines Center, Sheffield Elementary School, Heritage Elementary School and Heritage United Methodist Church. Helgeson, a Liberty alumnus, currently serves on the Council’s Finance and Planning Committee.

According to a recent USA Today article, studies show that out of the 24 million voter-registration records in the United States, about one in eight are inaccurate or duplicates. Nearly 2.8 million people are registered in multiple states, including 1.8 million who are are deceased. Those estimates, which came from a report published by the Pew Research Center, depict a faulty paper-based system.

The 1993 National Voter Registration Act made it easier for people to register by allowing them to register as soon as they received a driver’s license. Also, according to the Pew Center, that same law made it more difficult to remove someone from the voting lists. It stated that unless officials have a death certificate or a written confirmation saying they’ve moved locations, a voter must miss two presidential elections before they are removed.

Pew’s solution to this problem creating a multistate data center giving officials voter registrations, motor vehicle records and death certificates from other states, allowing them to spot records that could be removed.

States holding Super Tuesday GOP primaries

Alaska — 27 delegates
Georgia — 76 delegates
Idaho — 32 delegates
Massachusetts — 41 delegates
North Dakota — 28 delegates
Ohio — 66 delegates
Oklahoma — 43 delegates
Tennessee — 58 delegates
Vermont — 17 delegates
Virginia — 49 delegates

Note: Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul will appear on the Virginia ballot.

Editor’s note, March 8, 2012: WSLS 10 in Roanoke ran a story on Liberty students voting in much higher numbers than the state average. Check it out here.

Students living on campus now have the opportunity to vote at Liberty University’s Vine Center after the recent redrawing of district lines. As of Feb. 2, more than 4,000 students were registered to vote at the Vines Center, according to General Registrar for the City of Lynchburg, Carolyn Sherayko.

Sherayko hopes the convenient location will increase student voter turnout.

“Voter turnout really depends on the interest in the race on the ballot,” Sherayko said.

The only two Republican presidential candidates that will appear on the ballot are Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Due to Virginia ballot requirements, the other Republican candidates will be left off the ballot.

According to Sherayko, there is a lot of interest in candidates off the ballot and this could affect voter turnout on March 6.

Students at Liberty are extraordinarily educated and well thought out on the issues, according to Dean of the Helms School of Government, Shawn Akers. Akers said that Liberty students vote with knowledge.

“Voting with knowledge is powerful and can affect a race,” Akers said.

Even though this is a primary election, voting is just as significant. The primary election gives the opportunity to reflect the voter’s values, and to show every candidate what values most people hold to, according to Akers.

Akers said the best way students can become prepared and educated on a candidate is researching their worldview.

“Understanding the foundational ideas that shape a candidate’s political decision is the most important research to begin with,” Akers said.

Since this primary election could have a great effect, it is important for Liberty students to find the time to vote.

“We have time for what we make time for,” Akers said.

According to Akers, at the end of the primary there are just two choices for president. Therefore, it is necessary to communicate to the candidates, by voting in the primary, what is important to voters.

Sherayko said students need to be positive they are registered to vote. USA Today reported that over 24 million voter registrations are “inaccurate, out-of-date or duplicates.”

“Every time you move, update your registration. It can be done anytime,” Sherayko said.

Students can check their voter registration at sbe.virginia.gov.

The next election is May 1 to elect four City Council members. All four incumbents have announced their reelection campaigns.

The November election includes not just the president, but also a senator and congressman.

Liberty University students have repeatedly proven this statement to be true through their participation in the local polls, according to Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.

However, due to the new districting patterns of Lynchburg, students must re-register in order to vote in the 2012 elections. The deadline for this registration in order to vote in the March presidential primary election is Feb. 13.

“Liberty has benefitted greatly from students voting locally. In my opinion, we never would have seen the pedestrian bridge over Wards Road, a polling place in the Vines Center or the new institutional zoning ordinance that will give Liberty back the property rights that it had before 1991 if students had not registered locally and voted in big numbers in the past few years,” Falwell said.

Registering to vote, and taking part in local and national elections, not only gives Liberty a voice, but also helps to keep the cost of tuition down, according to Falwell.

“The zoning changes will avoid expensive mandates from the City as Liberty grows and builds, allowing Liberty to keep tuition low,” Falwell said. “Liberty has kept its tuition in the lowest 25 percent of all private colleges nationwide and Liberty gives its students over $100 million in institutional aid and scholarships each year.”

“We know students have the option of registering where their parents live and voting by absentee ballot, but in return for the financial assistance Liberty provides and to help Liberty keep our tuition and fees low, we are asking students to please register to vote here in Lynchburg,” Falwell said. “It is a way they can help their university to continue to improve in so many ways.”