Welcome to Issue 10 of Vol. 48!

Because of the final gubernatorial debate being hosted at Oakland University, The Post decided to make this issue a “special edition” delving into all things politics.

Yes, you read that correctly. Everything in this issue — from Campus to Arts to SciTech and Features — focuses on the state of politics in Michigan and what you need to know as an informed voter before Election Day.

And, as a Gen Z staff, you can be assured there will be a few opinion and scintillating satire pieces as well.

The Post will be reporting on the gubernatorial debate, so stay tuned to our website and social media pages for that coverage.

I’d like to thank all of my fellow Posties for their hard work on this issue.

 Thanks for reading! We appreciate your continued support.

Letter from the editor: Vote

Growing up, my little brother hated losing. Sorry to throw you under the bus, Al, but it’s true.

Screaming. Crying. The five stages of grief. You name it, he felt it.

This was a known phenomenon in the Abdelmessih household.

My family even had a priest over from our Catholic school for dinner once, and Alex, after losing a spirited game of Wii Tennis, proceeded to have a full meltdown, telling Father Dan the only reason he won was because he had the better remote.

We were all very grateful to the engineers at Wii for incorporating wrist tethers into their remote design.

You couldn’t even play a game of checkers without him tossing the pieces aside and flipping the board over.

But he was six, and these were childhood games.

In the past ten years, I can proudly report that my brother Alex has matured significantly and knows how to win with humility and lose with grace.

I wish I could say the same for a concerning number of American citizens, including those in politics, who have forgotten how to win with humility and lose with grace.

It’s that time of year when your Twitter feed, TV, radio and even commute to work start to look a little crazy.

Political ads, hashtags, signs and discourse bombard you from the left and the right.

And voters are at the center of it all, trying to figure out who they want and what they want from their local, state and national government leadership.

It has been said that all politics are local. With that in mind, The Post implores you to research the candidates on your ballot.

Far too often, we go to the ballot box or vote by mail-in ballot without all of the pertinent information one needs to make an educated vote.

School board candidates, university candidates, local government candidates, judges and law enforcement leadership candidates often have a much more meaningful and direct impact on our day-to-day lives, both positively and negatively, than our national leadership.

Recently, there was significant public discourse in the Dearborn school district regarding the content of materials taught in school.

These decisions as to what children do and do not learn are often made at the local school board level.

As you can imagine, leadership in law enforcement and members of the judicial branch that are up for election can have profound impacts on the quality of life in our counties, cities and townships.

As a university community, it is imperative that our voices, concerns and values are reflected in the candidates we elect.

This is not the time for complacency and passivity.

If you are satisfied with the current leadership, renew that support.

If you are dissatisfied, this is your chance to set things straight.

Between now and Nov. 8, you have the power to determine our collective future by casting your vote.

Democracy is on the line.

If you feel like you were robbed in 2020, make your voice heard through the ballot box now. Not through post-election innuendo trafficking, alternative fact smuggling and investments in insurrection.

The right to vote and the willingness to do so are not the same things. It is astounding that we as a nation have such a low voter turnout, considering that we are the standard bearer of democracy across the globe.

Don’t be like my brother Alex when he was six.

Educate yourself, make an informed vote and win with humility or lose with grace.

And remember the next election cycle is always around the corner (we hope).