Despite its name, the Railroad Commission actually has nothing to do with railroad regulations anymore. According to The Railroad Commission of Texas website, the commission no longer has authority over railroads in Texas since the remaining jurisdiction was transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2005.

“If Trump loses this election, then I think it’ll prove that perhaps we’re not in a Trump era and that it may have just been a fluke,” D’Ambrosio said. “If he wins this election, though, I think that he’ll solidify himself as a very consequential figure, if not the most consequential figure of this century to date.”

Jones said it’s tragic that abortion became so politicized, but it is, and now it’s voters’ responsibility to bring about the change they want.

Gooch said the two-party political system has been in place since the Civil War, with third parties pushing the Democratic and Republican Parties in different directions, but otherwise playing minor roles. He said he predicts third parties will never gain enough power to break the two-party system — at least not in the near future.

Politicians — the ones who craft our laws and run our government — should be held to the highest standard of speech imaginable. Yet, we are constantly letting them get away with it every time. For a country who claims open disdain for almost all politicians, how are we so lax on keeping them accountable?

“The world that we create for ourselves and others matters,” Robinson said. “The truth that children need to hear is that knowing history, understanding the stories we tell and the narratives we create impacts all of us.”

The government’s role should be to protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their religious or philosophical beliefs. This will let each person follow their conscience freely, whether that leads them to embrace the Christian faith, another religion or no religion at all. Enforcing religious beliefs through law undermines the freedom of conscience that is essential to our faith.

Dr. Dave Bridge, an associate professor of political science who teaches a course on campaigns and elections, said he thinks celebrity endorsements don’t really tend to persuade voters who are set in their thinking — unless that celebrity is Taylor Swift.

Representatives from both College Democrats and College Republicans at Baylor reacted to Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz, evaluating each candidate’s responses and overall performance.

“The primary skill for conversing with others who have different opinions than us is to truly listen to what they are saying, by having a posture of humility, in which you recognize that none of us have the full picture of any issue or debate.”

Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance lauded former President Donald Trump’s continuing to golf after a second shooting attempt as “courage under fire,” while he brushed off the shooting in Georgia as a sad, unfortunate “fact of life.”

A little over a month out, the 2024 presidential election is quickly becoming a reality for many first-time voters on Baylor campus. The question is, will these students be ready to make a confident, informed vote by the time Nov. 5 rolls around?

“How can I understand where they’re coming from, and that it’s not good or bad, it’s just that we’re created differently?” Weber said.

The escalation of inflammatory political rhetoric has reached fever pitch, and communities across America are feeling the consequences.

“Y’all [have] more years ahead of you than the rest of us do, and so I want students to take control,” Henry said. “You have a voice, and I want students to use it.”

“We are more similar than different if we can get into conversation with each other,” Baesa said. “One of the goals for this program is how can we get back to these conversations — hopefully face-to-face conversations — and how can we get back to hearing who we are as people.”

Instead of keeping with the trend of angrier and lonelier Americans, Brooks provided a guide to become an illuminator. In Brooks’ terms, illuminators are those people with a visible excitement to get to know and befriend someone.

There is danger in placing divine importance on the shoulders of a political candidate. Not only is it theologically bankrupt in that it presumes that anyone can know God’s plan for us — and even more absurdly, that we can intuit how God feels about American elections — but it elevates support for a politician past any reasonable level. It becomes closer to idol worship than advocacy.

In a society that promotes overnight trends, cancel culture and gossip, it’s time to stop scrolling and start thinking for yourself.

New York Times best-selling author and political correspondent Tim Alberta believes November’s presidential election is a turning point for American Christians. Alberta lectured on the intersection of American politics and Christianity at the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies annual fall lecture on Wednesday evening in the Armstrong Browning Library.

“I feel like a lot of the humanity has been taken out of politics,” Walsh said. “And, I feel like he’s really going to help people remember that in the end, we’re all just individuals, learning and growing and expressing ourselves.”

Too often, political discussions devolve into arguments where the main objective is to come out on top rather than to obtain a greater understanding of a different perspective or to expose someone else to your own.

The political hijacking of a theological term has caused more harm than good.

Dr. Dave Bridge, associate professor of political science, said the class focuses on the institutions, rules and history of elections. When Bridge taught the class during the 2020 presidential election, around 250 students were enrolled.

The pressure of being an influencer is hard to conceptualize. Imagine going viral for a “get ready with me” video and, only a few months later, being asked to share your opinion about controversial topics you know nothing about. As a society, putting this pressure on our favorite influencers does more harm than good and is setting them up for failure.

Baylor in Washington is in full swing this semester as students pursue diverse opportunities related to their career paths, both in and out of the classroom. The semester-long program provides students with the opportunity to live in Washington and gain professional development through an internship.

Welcome to Christian nationalism: the ideology of removing the wall between church and state. This is not only a violation of the most basic of all individual rights but also a distortion of Christianity itself.

If the president is unable to properly control his own branch — if he is forced to tolerate an array of rogue bureaucrats who think taking matters into their own hands is somehow akin to saving the republic — then the Editorial Board is unfortunately correct: The president is really little more than a figurehead.

Do your research, find someone who aligns well with your beliefs and stand by them on the ballot, even if it’s likely they won’t win. Your conscience can be clearer knowing you voted for someone you truly believed in and are not just settling for someone who sort of represents what you believe. Plus, the more votes they get, the more recognition they will receive. Ultimately, an independent vote represents a thought-out vote and is a vote well spent.

I believe the new age of technology should be embraced, and it’s already beginning to be. This is what sets Generation Z apart: growing up in a world consumed by tech.