Category Archives: Libertarian

As Election Day approaches in Lincoln County, the number of voters utilizing early and absentee voting opportunities was slow but steady.

The Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State reported that 441 Lincoln County voters had cast an early or early in-person absentee ballot.

Of those voters, 266 were Republicans while 126 were Democrats. Forty-six voters declined to state a party affiliation; the remaining voters identified as Libertarian or self-identified as "other."

On Oct. 27, that number was 364, with Lincoln County Republican voters still outpacing Democrats in casting ballots.

More: Your guide to early voting in Lincoln County: 2021 regular local election

More: These candidates are running in the 2021 local election in Lincoln County

Only 16 Lincoln County residents hadutilized same day registration by Oct. 27 and only 92 requests for absentee ballots had been received, according to the data.

By Oct. 28 only two additional voters had opted for same day registration.

Local elections are nonpartisan.

More: 300 early votes cast in Lincoln County

On ballots Nov. 2 is the mayoral seat in the Village of Capitan where Tiffany Menix, Lilly Bradley and Ron Lowrance each sought the position.

Councilor positions are open in Carrizozo and the Village of Corona, while school board positions are open in Capitan, Hondo, Corona, Carrizozo and Ruidoso.

The Village of Ruidoso opted-out of the Local Election Act which aligned local elections with other state and national races.

Formore information on voting contact the Lincoln County Clerk's office at 575-648-2394, extension 6 or visit the website atwww.lincolncoountynm.gov.

Election Day votingoccurs at any of these voting centers in the county from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 2. Any registered voter may vote at any of the voting locations.

Check your voting registration and view a sample ballot online atNMVote.org.

Jessica Onsurez can be reached at jonsurez@gannett.com, @JussGREAT on Twitter at by phone at 575-628-5531.

Read more from the original source:

Election Day approaches as early voting numbers reach just above 400 - Ruidoso News

OPINION:

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! says the famous Monty Python comedy sketch.

But unfortunately, everyone can expect the coming Climate Inquisition.

Google has announced it will now prevent ads and monetization supporting content that questions climate change alarmism. This includes YouTube.

Googles support document on the policy says: were announcing a new monetization policythat will prohibit ads for, and monetization of, content that contradicts well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change.

What makes this new policy so concerning is that Alphabet Inc., which is the parent company for Google and YouTube, has a near-monopoly on internet search and video. According to Statista.com, Google has a worldwide market share for internet search engines of almost 88 percent. Global Media Insight says over 2.3 billion people use YouTube at least once a month and that it is the second most popular social media platform.

What are the limits of what a private company can prohibit on its platforms? This is the debate politicians and citizens have been having, at least regarding social media, for years now.

The libertarian argument goes something like this: As a private company, Google can do what it wants to limit content on its platforms. Dont like it? Go somewhere else!

But when that company owns 88 percent of global online search traffic, as well as the largest video hosting platform in the world, there is little else to go to.

Yet Google assures users that the best experts are being consulted, so there is no need to worry!

In creating this policy and its parameters, weve consulted authoritative sources on the topic of climate science, including experts who have contributed to United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports.

What about experts that say the United Nations, and their assessment reports, may have a few things wrong when it comes to climate policy? Google doesnt pay them any mind.

For example, Dr. Steven E. Koonin, who served as science advisor for President Barack Obamas Department of Energy, said the UNs climate models dont hold up under scrutiny in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal: The latest models also dont reproduce the global climate of the past. The models fail to explain why rapid global warming occurred from 1910 to 1940 when human influences on the climate were less significant.

Dr. Koonin also has a fair amount of criticism concerning AR6, the UNs latest climate assessment report, saying in that same piece: The Summary for Policy Makers section says the rate of global sea-level rise has been increasing over the past 50 years. It doesnt mention that it was increasing almost as rapidly 90 years ago before decreasing strongly for 40 years.

Physicist Dr. Ralph Alexander also criticized the UNs climate report. He said, theres no scientific evidence that global warming triggers extreme weather, or even that weather extremes are becoming more frequent. Anomalous weather events, such as heatwaves, hurricanes, floods, droughts and tornadoes, show no long-term trend over more than a century of reliable data.

Unfortunately, scientific experts are beginning to be censored across not just digital media but all media. The Los Angeles Times has banned letters to the editor from those skeptical of a climate emergency. In 2018, Chuck Todd, host of Meet The Press, said he would not give any air time to climate deniers.

But it goes further than mere censorship. Prominent figures are even advocating for the jailing and prosecution of those who are skeptical of a man-made climate crisis.

When asked what should happen to climate deniers, environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said: I think they should be enjoying three hots and a cot at the Hague, with all the other war criminals who are there.

When actor Bill Nye was asked the same question, he said, Well see what happens. Uh, was it appropriate to jail the guys from Enron?

In 2015, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) suggested that climate skeptics could be prosecuted under RICO laws used for racketeering enterprises.

Do these all seem like things that should be done in a free, democratic society? It seems more like the beginnings of the Inquisition by the Catholic church hundreds of years ago.

In 1633, Galileo was charged with heresy as part of the Roman Inquisition for his continued assertion that the earth orbited the sun. Galileo was not sentenced to death. Instead, he was sentenced to lifelong house arrest. He was forced to recant his beliefs.

Like Galileo, will scientists and experts be forced to recant their belief that we dont face an imminent, dire climate emergency?

Will they even be subjected one day as ridiculous as it may sound now to house arrest or prosecution, as Senator Whitehouse wants?

Googles ad ban may be one more step in a long slippery slope toward censorship and intellectual tyranny a Climate Inquisition, if you will.

Adam Houser is the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrows National Field Director.

More:

Google, YouTube, and the Climate Inquisition - Washington Times

Early voting opens Saturdayfor the Nov. 13 Louisiana open primary and runs through Saturday, Nov. 6. Polls are closed Sunday.

Voters in all parishes will consider four constitutional amendments, and some parishes in the Baton Rouge area have a handful of races. Visitgeauxvote.comfor additional information on candidates.

Polling places will be open from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Anyone who is in line at 6 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

A list of early voting locations is available athttps://voterportal.sos.la.gov/earlyvoting; please note that hours may be different at satellite offices.

Voters are asked to bring an ID with them to vote. Voters without an ID will be allowed to vote after filling out an affidavit.

The election had been set for Oct. 9 but was pushed back because of Hurricane Ida.

Party abbreviations: D-Democrat, R-Republican, I-Independent; L-Libertarian; NP-No Party.

Races and issues on the ballot in the Acadiana area:

CA NO. 1 (Act 131, 2021) Authorizes streamlined electronic filing, remittance, and collection of sales and use tax

CA NO. 2 (Act 134, 2021) Lowers maximum allowed rate of income tax and allows providing a deduction for federal income taxes

CA NO. 3 (Act 132, 2021) Allows certain levee districts to levy an annual tax for certain purposes

CA NO. 4 (Act 157, 2021) Increases amount of allowed reduction to certain dedicated funds when a budget deficit is projected

City Marshal

Dickie J. Fremin (R)

Brett Lang (NP)

Corey Porter (NP)

Youngsville City Council, Division A

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Patricia Lanier (R)

Kayla Menard Reaux (R)

Lafayette Regional Airport

1.71 Mills Renewal - 10 Years

Parishwide drainage

3.85 Mills Continuation - 10 years

Lafayette Parish Library

1.84 Mills Renewal - 10 years

Lafayette Parish Public Health

2.21 Mills Rededication

City of Lafayette Police Salary and Benefits

3 Mills Renewal - 10 years

City of Lafayette Fire Salary and Benefits

2 Mills Renewal - 10 years

Alderman, Village of Palmetto

Debra Lynn Coulon (NP)

Lawrence "LJ" Mouille Jr. (R)

__

Voters in Acadia and St. Martin parishes will only consider the constitutional amendments.

Read more from the original source:

What's on the Nov. 13 ballot in Acadiana | Elections | theadvocate.com - The Advocate

Peter Thiel, co-founder and chairman of Palantir Technologies Inc., speaks during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019.

Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images

LONDON Tech billionaire Peter Thiel believes that people should be more worried about "surveillance AI" rather than artificial general intelligences, which are hypothetical AI systems with superhuman abilities.

The venture capitalist, who co-founded big data firm Palantir, said at an event in Miami on Wednesday that on the path to AGI, you get surveillance AI, which he described as a "communist totalitarian technology."

Those that are worried about AGI aren't actually "paying attention to the thing that really matters," Thiel said, adding that governments will use AI-powered facial recognition technology to control people.

His comments come three years after Bloomberg reported that "Palantir knows everything about you." Thiel has also invested in facial recognition company Clearview AI and surveillance start-up Anduril.

Palantir, which has a market value of $48 billion, has developed data trawling technology that intelligence agencies and governments use for surveillance and to spot suspicious patterns in public and private databases. Customers reportedly include the CIA, FBI, and the U.S. Army.

AGI, depicted in a negative light in sci-fi movies such as "The Terminator" and "Ex Machina," is being pursued by companies like DeepMind, which Thiel invested in before it was acquired by Google. Depending on who you ask, the timescale for reaching AGI ranges from a few years, to a few decades, to a few hundred years, to never.

Hype around AGI has diminished recently as people realized there's still a long way to go despite some promising breakthroughs. The most advanced AI systems remain relatively "narrow" and unable to perform "general" tasks. An AI that can play the board game "Go" can't also paint a picture, for example.

Thiel, a well-known libertarian who also co-founded PayPal and holds a board seat at Facebook, said Silicon Valley isn't talking about AGI as much today as it was six or seven years ago.

"Elon's not talking about it anymore and Larry (Page) is off to Fiji and doesn't seem to be working on it quite as hard," he said, before going on to question why the AGI discussion hasn't completely collapsed.

Murray Shanahan, a senior research scientist at DeepMind, said on Twitter that Thiel had an "interesting take" on AGI. He did not immediately respond when CNBC asked him to elaborate.

In the same talk, Thiel pitted AI against cryptocurrencies, saying that he'd prefer to see the latter one succeed.

"If we say crypto is libertarian and that it is fundamentally a force for decentralization, then I think we should also be willing to say that AI, especially in the low-tech surveillance form, is essentially communist."

"If you want to frame it as a technological race I want the crypto decentralized world to work," he said.

Thiel added that he feels "underinvested" in bitcoin just hours after the world's most popular cryptocurrency climbed to a new all-time high of just over $66,000 per coin.

Read more from the original source:

Palantir's Peter Thiel thinks people should be concerned about surveillance AI - CNBC

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) New Jersey voters have already begun casting mail-in ballots and on Saturday began heading to the polls for early in-person voting for the first time ever.

The governors race is at the top of the ballot, with Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy seeking reelection against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former Assembly member.

Third-party candidates are also on the ballot. They are Madelyn Hoffman of the Green Party, Joanne Kuniansky of the Socialist Workers Party, and Gregg Mele of the Libertarian Party.

Public polling in the race has shown Murphy with a lead over Ciattarelli. While the gap has narrowed, Murphy also has other advantages, including 1 million more registered New Jersey Democrats than Republicans and more cash on hand than Ciattarelli, according to state data.

Early in-person voting ends Halloween. Election Day is Nov. 2.

A closer look at where the two major party candidates stand on a few big issues:

COVID-19

Murphy has led the state through the outbreak that saw New Jersey as an early hotspot but also one of the first states to reach 70% of the adult population to be fully vaccinated. About 25,000 people have died from the virus since 2020, with 35% coming from nursing and veterans homes, according to state figures.

Murphy closed many sectors of the state during the pandemic, including restaurants, theaters, gyms and nonessential retail, while also requiring face coverings. He then loosened restrictions as trends headed in the right direction and curtailed them more as vaccinations increased.

Hes instituted mandates in health care and education, among others, for workers to be vaccinated or to undergo regular testing. Murphy promised a review of his administrations handling of the outbreak but he said it will not be done in time for the election because the pandemic is still unfolding.

Ciattarelli has said he supports vaccination but thinks masking in schools, for example, should be optional. He also agreed with Murphys policy of giving educators the choice to get vaccinated or be tested regularly.

The Republican slammed Murphys policy early on in the pandemic of allowing nursing home residents to return to facilities from hospitals regardless of COVID-19 status, faulting Murphy for a spike in deaths among residents. The governor has responded that his policy required them to be segregated from the uninfected and that the facilities were the patients homes.

PROPERTY TAXES

New Jerseys average property tax bill is about $9,100. Thats the highest in the country, according to the nonprofit Tax Foundation, making these taxes a constant issue in the state.

Because property taxes finance local governments as well as school districts, Murphy has argued that his increase of state education aid has decreased pressure to raise taxes. Indeed, Murphy has increased aid to schools through the states funding formula, which has been approved by the state Supreme Court.

Under Murphy, that aid climbed to nearly $9 billion, up about $1 billion since Republican Chris Christie left office. Property tax increases have slowed over that time, though thats in part due to a 2% property tax cap instituted under Christie. Murphy says he will continue to fund the formula to take pressure off property taxes.

Ciattarelli wants to freeze property taxes for those over 65 as well as scrap the current school-funding formula to make it fairer. He points to high-price homes in Jersey City and Hoboken that have lower rates than $400,000 residences in Toms River and Hillsborough, for example. But its not clear what his plan would look like or whether it would pass muster with the state Supreme Court, though Ciattarelli says his plan would.

ABORTION

Murphy, an abortion rights supporter, said he wants to sign the Reproductive Freedom Act into law if reelected. The bill would codify a womans right to an abortion into state law, a move thats aimed at maintaining that ability if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

Ciattarelli also supports the Roe v. Wade decision and a womans right to choose an abortion, but he says the RFA goes too far by authorizing late-term abortions. He has said if the Supreme Court undoes Roe v. Wade, New Jersey would have to add the right to an abortion into state law, but he does not believe the high court would overturn the precedent decided by the court in 1973.

STATE BUDGET

Murphys budgets have grown each year while in office, culminating in a spending plan of more than $46 billion, 15% higher than the previous year. Hes financed the increases in part with tax hikes under his watch, including higher rates on businesses and individuals earning more than $1 million. Hes instituted a host of new programs that languished in the Democrat-led Legislature under his predecessor, Christie. Those include some state-funded pre-K and community college, both of which he wants to expand if reelected.

Ciattarelli laments the growth of the budget and says it needs to be cut. Asked what he would slash, he said hed sit down with the Legislature on Day One to hash that out.

See the rest here:

Where Murphy, Ciattarelli stand on issues in NJ gov race - Associated Press

The University of Mary Washington will host a public political debate between candidates for Virginias 88th District House of Delegates seat on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m.

Democrat Kecia Evans, Republican Phillip Scott and Libertarian Tim Lewis will face off live via Zoom, with public viewing accessible throughYouTube. Viewers may submit questions for consideration for inclusion in the debate using anonline formuntil 11 a.m. on the day of the event. Incumbent Mark Cole (R) announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection after nearly two decades in office. The 88th district covers part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania, Stafford and Fauquier counties.

While COVID has forced us to debate online this fall, we can look forward to vigorous discussions about the path forward for Virginia, said moderator Stephen Farnsworth, UMW professor of political science and director of the Universitys Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

The event is being hosted by Mary Washingtons College Republicans, Young Democrats and Student Government Association. It is co-sponsored by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce,The Free Lance-Starand the League of Women Voters of the Fredericksburg Area. News Director Ted Schubel of WFVA Radio and Editorial Page Editor Barbara Hollingsworth ofThe Free Lance-Starwill ask questions of the candidates during the hourlong debate.

Its importantto stay involved and learn about the candidates running in this election to make sure everyone is able to make an informed decision when voting at the polls, said UMW junior Kate McDaid, a philosophy major and Campus Vote Project Fellow.

Kecia Evans is a mother of four who lives in Stafford. She has worked in criminal justice for more than two decades, spending 16 years with an agency that provides advocacy and legal representation to indigent adults and juveniles. Secretary of the Stafford County Board of Zoning Appeals, Evans formerly served as chairof the Stafford County School Boards Special Education Advisory Committee and of Stafford Countys Parks and Recreation Committee.She led the Legal Redress and Criminal Justice committees of the NAACPs Stafford Branch and represented the group on the Human Rights Coalition for the Rappahannock Regional Jail. Evans holds a bachelors degree in criminal justice and a masters degree in cybersecurity/digital forensics from University of Maryland University College, and a master of law degree in national security law from Regent School of Law.

Spotsylvania County resident Phillip Scott is the father of five girls. A business owner, he leads a team that handles background investigations for a government contractor. Scott also has professional experience in food and customer service management, and residential and commercial construction. He serves on the Spotsylvania County Citizens Budget Review Committee and has held various roles with his property owners association, including serving on the board of directors, as president and treasurer, and on various committees. He holds a bachelors degree and a juris masters degree from Liberty University, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in public policy.

Tim Lewis, who lives in Stafford, is the father of three. He retired after 20 years of service with the Marine Corps, where he began in the infantry, specialized in intelligence and saw combat action in such places as Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. A third-party contractor for the U.S. Department of State, Lewis serves on the board of directors for Beacon Hall, a nonprofit that aims to enrich the lives of disadvantaged children. He also has worked with, volunteered for or supported such groups as the American Red Cross, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Gwynneths Gift.

The second of two debates hosted by the University of Mary Washington this fall, the Oct. 26 event spotlights local elections and comes just days after UMWs inclusion in the Voter Friendly Campus Report, listing schools that successfully support voter education and engagement.

One of my favorite traditions at Mary Washington is our ability to host candidate debates for area elected offices, Farnsworth said, and the willingness every year of those candidates to join us to discuss the future of our region.

Submit questions, which must be received by 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26, via an online form atumw.edu/oct2021debatequestions.

Watch the live debate on YouTube atumw.edu/oct2021debate.

Read more here:

UMW virtual debate for candidates in the 88th House District - Fredericksburg Today

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has a plan.

EDITORIAL: If youre not vaccinated your summer will be shaded; your freedoms far fewer.

Not your essential rights, the Government insists, but your ability to enjoy a host of enjoyable pursuits will be constrained.

Theres one massive division, right there, between those who see this as coercion and punishment, and those - a substantial majority - who say its not about that at all.

Rather, it's a case of not being able to protect people from the natural consequences of their choices, particularly where the safety of others is at risk.

READ MORE:* Covid-19 NZ: How the traffic-light system will work, and what New Zealand needs to do to reach it* Covid-19 NZ: How domestic travel will work under the traffic light system* Covid-19: South Island could relax restrictions before the rest if vaccination targets are reached

Another divide that presents itself is in how we distinguish between our collective and separate situations.

Were all in this together, sure. But our regional stories may differ and were increasingly aware of that. The South Island will be allowed out of Covid alert status ahead of our northern friends if all our DHBs reach their vaccination targets first. But the West Coast is to date dragging the chain. Within the West Coast, theres the sizeable Gloriavale community who arent great joiner-inners. What if this becomes the handbrake for everyone?

Legislation will most likely move quickly through Parliament to empower the social environment the Government wants to put in place once district health boards have passed the at-last-identified milestone of 90 percent fully vaccinated.

Those who support or oppose the Governments plans should watch this lawmaking process closely and engage as much as they can.

Partly because its all-but-inevitable that courts will be called upon to test this legal framework. And partly because we need to to keep our collective guard up against the possibility of unintended consequences.

Mind you, its the intended ones that will have some up in arms.

Although its clear most of the country is persuaded, and wed say rightly, that vaccination is our path to freedom, theres a civil libertarian component who see us on the path to increasing acceptance of the idea of second-class citizens.

Some businesses like supermarkets cannot decline entry to the unvaccinated - people have to be able to eat - but at the other end of the spectrum close-encounter businesses will be required to insist on vaccination of customers.

Mandated vaccines for staff will also become more commonplace.

On top of that, the Governments message is clear that many employers not required to insist on vaccinated customers will be legally empowered to require that anyway - providing if they tread carefully through the procedures.

And theyre getting a strong encouragement to do so - theyll be able to operate pretty much as normal through any of the traffic-light settings.

PM Jacinda Ardern says if you want to go to a bar, a festival, and enjoy your freedoms get vaccinated. Shes using the language of temptation. She might just as fairly have flipped that said it as a threat: if you dont.then you wont.

Whatever your own views on the fairness of that, and whether our present situation affords workable alternatives, her descriptions fairly characterises the summer thats coming.

But another summer characteristic will be the aching resentments that will result among a minority, perhaps many of them not all that politically minded to this point, who might find themselves suddenly interested in libertarian phrases like the tyranny of the majority.

Fridays announcement carried good news for many businesses and many people including at least a dose of the much discussed clarity thats been lacking. Which is helpful.

But whats also becoming clearer is that our future will depend not only on how well we rally behind calls for unity, but how mature, careful and respectful we are when it comes to handling the disunity thats out there.

Go here to see the original:

The Summer of the Divide - Stuff.co.nz

Libertarians believe that all people have the right to freely offer goods and services on the market and that free-market approaches are the most effective at improving peoples lives.

Our current economy is more crony capitalist than it is free, and that is responsible for the majority of problems that some try to blame on capitalism.

The free market, when it is allowed to do so, provides tremendous opportunity for peopleof all backgrounds, interests, and abilities.

Crony capitalism, however, benefits the wealthy, powerful, and special interests who know how to influence policy makers.

Libertarians default towards freedom in all things, including economics. When people are allowed to run their businesses the way they see fit, without inappropriate government interference and meddling, those businesses are able to innovate andcreate tremendous value for consumers and more jobs for employees.

Libertarians believe that the only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. Unfortunately, the vast majority of regulations on the books do not do that. These regulations are heavy burdens on businesses and people who are just trying to make a living, and often prevent new businesses from starting, prevent existing businesses from hiring new employees, and even force businesses to close. This violates the rights of people to engage in peaceful and honest trade. Additionally, it activelyhurts people by stifling human energy, innovation, and well-being.

Libertarians believe that taxes have the same effect as over-reaching regulations and are a confiscation of the property of other people. Libertarians advocate reducing and eliminating taxes whenever possibleto free people and businesses to do what they do best, so that everyone can have a chance to succeed.

In summary, Libertarians advocate removing unproductive regulation, reducing and eliminating taxes,and getting government out of the way of innovation and job creation.

See the rest here:

The Economy | Libertarian Party

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Covid and the Libertarian nightmare | Opinions | frontiersman.com - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

With more than half of all legislative districts in Chautauqua County uncontested for the November election, it is still technically possible for the Democrats to take control from the Republican party. Realistically, the party has a better shot to take away the super majority control Republicans have now but even that isnt a given.

Currently 14 of 19 legislators are Republicans. By having at least 13 legislators, Republicans have a supermajority, which means they dont need any Democratic support for any legislation.

In November, eight of the 19 districts will have a challenger. Democrats will need to win at least seven of the eight races to control the legislature, none of which are open seats. If they win at least two of the races, they will take away the supermajority control by the Republican party. Six of the eight contested races are currently held by Republican legislators and two are held by Democratic legislators, one of which has no Republican challenger.

CONTESTED RACES

One of the races has two registered Democrats running, so Democrats will keep that seat no matter what. In District 4, Susan Parker of Fredonia defeated Fredonia incumbent Christine Starks in the June primary to become the endorsed Democratic candidate. Starks, however, still has the Working Families Party and will be on the ballot in November. District 4 covers a portion of the village of Fredonia.

Another twist is in the 18th District. Bill Ward of Mavyille is a registered Republican. See SHOT, PIn the June primary he lost the line to Martin J. Proctor of Findley Lake. Proctor was previously a county legislator, filling the remainder of the term of David Himelein, who passed away in 2019. He lost to Ward that year when Ward had secured both the Democratic and Republican lines and Proctor ran on the Cornerstone line. Ward had previously secured the Democratic line and was again seeking to be the endorsed candidate by both parties. Ward also has the Working Families line, while Proctor has the Conservative line. Ward has not said if he wins if he will continue to caucus with the Republicans or join the Democrats. District 18 includes the towns of Mina, Sherman and a portion of the town of Chautauqua, including the village of Mayville.

In District 16, there are three candidates running for the seat. John Davis of Frewsburg is the incumbent. He has the Republican and Conservative lines. He is being challenged by Dustin Carvella who is the endorsed candidate of the Democratic and Working Families. Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole is running on the Libertarian line. Cole is the secretary of the county Libertarian Party. This is the only district that has a Libertarian candidate. District 16 includes the towns of Poland, Carroll and Kiantone.

In District 11, Robert Whitney is running for re-election. He is endorsed by the Democratic and Working Families parties. He is being challenged by David Wilfong, who is endorsed by the Republican and Conservative lines. This is a rematch of sorts. Wilfong defeated Whitney in 2013 for the seat. Wilfong stepped down from the seat when he ran for Jamestown mayor, but eventually lost to Eddie Sunquist. District 11 covers a portion of the city of Jamestown.

In District 12, which is mostly in the city of Jamestown, along with a small portion in the town of Ellicott, incumbent Elisabeth Rankin is being challenged by Heather Fagan. Rankin is running on the Republican and Conservative lines while Fagan is running on the Democratic line.

In District 8, Pierre Chagnon of Bemus Point is being challenged by Scott Humble. Chagnon, who is the legislature chairman, is running for re-election on the Republican and Conservative lines, while Humble is running on the Democratic line. District 8 covers the towns of North Harmony and Ellery.

In District 3, Bob Scutter of Fredonia is being challenged by Robert Dando. Scutter is running on the Republican and Conservative lines while Dando is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. District 3 includes a portion of the village of Fredonia and the rest of the town of Pomfret.

In District 1, Kevin Muldowney of Dunkirk is being challenged by Marcus Buchanan. Muldowney is running on the Republican line while Buchanan is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. District 1 includes a portion of the city and West Town of Dunkirk.

NEW FACES

There is a guarantee for at least two new faces, one of which is already serving.

Mark Odell is the only candidate listed for District 7. Odell, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines, resigned from his seat in August after taking a new professional position in Florida. After Odell resigned, the Republican committees of Stockton, Portland, and District 4 of the town of Chautauqua selected Johnathan Penhollow of Stockton to take Odells place. He was sworn into office in August. Because of when Odell resigned, it was too late to get any new names on the ballot. In November, should Odell be re-elected, it is expected he will either decline the position or be found ineligible to be sworn in and then Penhollow would continue until the end of 2022. In November next year, Penhollow will need to run for a one-year term if he wants to keep the seat.

Meanwhile, Democrat Chuck Nazzaro of Jamestown has decided not to run for re-election for District 9, which covers the south end of the city. Billy Torres, also a Democrat, is running for the seat unopposed.

UNCONTESTED RACES

Of the 11 legislators who are running unopposed, eight are Republicans and three are Democrats. Along with Odell, Republicans running unopposed include: Terry Niebel of Sheridan for District 5; Thomas Harmon of Silver Creek for District 6; Ken Lawton of Lakewood for District 10; Dan Pavlock of Sinclairville for District 14; Lisa Vanstrom of West Ellicott for District 15; Jay Gould of Ashville for District 17; and John Hemmer of Westfield for District 19.

Along with Torres, Democrats who are running unopposed include: Robert Bankoski of Dunkirk for District 2 and Paul Whitford of Jamestown for District 13.

This years elections are set for Tuesday, Nov. 2. Seats are for two years. The legislature will need to have the districts redrawn following the 2020 Census results before the next election in 2023.

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Dems have outside shot to take control of legislature - Evening Observer