The recent tensions in our country involving the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others has not escaped Ballot's attention. Having put much thought into what we can do, as students, about this situation, the Ballot Buzz has decided to have next week's issue entirely dedicated to the issue of race and police brutality. We would like to invite all of you to write articles about important events, opinion pieces about race and the police, and whatever you would like to contribute to this edition. Whether you feel most comfortable sharing artwork, or writing a piece about your own encounters in this world, we would love to see your side of this issue. A submission form has been posted on our Facebook page, and we look forward to reading all of your proposals, and are so proud of everyone choosing to speak up at this time.

On a more personal note, the Ballot Board would like to urge all of you to let this situation encourage you to be more aware of politics and our country overall, beyond what is shown on the news. Don't blindly accept news from unverified sources, and take time to form your own opinions, not echo those of people around you. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, be active and sign petitions supporting your views, email senators and influential people, and let your voice be heard. We are the youth of our country and will build a better future for those who come after us. But that can only happen if we all take a stand, and we have the utmost faith that all of our readers will do so. Thank you all so much for reading another issue of the Ballot Buzz, and we look forward to creating what I consider our most important issue yet next week.

-Abi Kumar, Ballot Director of Outreach