Panola County Politics: The Effort To Keep A Red County Red in a Red State
On the night of November 3rd, 2020 men, women, and children across America watched to see the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election. Many Americans went to bed early on the morning of November 4th, 2020 not knowing who the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election was and, over ten days later, Americans still do not know who will be inaugurated as President on January 20th, 2021. Will it be our current President Donald J. Trump or will it be our former Vice-President Joe Biden? None of us can say with absolute certainty.
However, here is something we can say with certainty: Regardless of who is inaugurated as President on January 20th, 2021 this race would not even have been a race if it were not for the dedicated, hard-working men and women who gave their time, treasure, and talents in support of their chosen candidate. CRIT-LARGE recently reached out to Nicole Tarpley, a GOP activist in Panola County. Tarpley is one of those who have been working hard the past several months to see her candidates elected to office. We talked to Tarpley about her work in this election, the election results in Panola County, and her thoughts on the ongoing Presidential Election dispute.
CRIT-LARGE: Nicole Tarpley, thank you for taking the time to talk to us about this very important subject. This year President Donald J. Trump went up against former Vice-President Joe Biden for the Presidency of the United States of America in what many saw as a very different election season. As someone who block-walked and phone banked for various candidates from the Republican Party, how would you describe the months and weeks leading up to the November election?
TARPLEY: In the months leading up to the election, I joined multiple campaigns that had many wonderful volunteers and coordinators. We spent countless hours block walking, phone banking, and texting. I turned in 500 volunteer hours to my local Texas Federation of Republican Women in the three months leading up to the election. I completed over 20,000 phone calls, approximately 1 million texts, and knocked on over 250 doors. It was exhilarating, exhausting, and well worth the effort. I also attended multiple events around the State where I met wonderful people, listened to amazing speakers, and enjoyed the fellowship of my fellow Republicans. Texas Republicans were motivated and standing together, working towards a common goal, keeping Texas red!
CRITLARGE: With knocking on as many doors as you knocked I imagine that gave you a good idea of where the people of Panola County stood in this election. With this in mind, what did you hear at the doors of the citizens of Panola County?
TARPLEY: Panola County has a reputation of being solid red at the polls. I worked with Texas Victory to target voters that we needed to come to the polls. Targeted block walking is very important. Sometimes, you will speak to people that are undecided or don’t always vote down a Party line. I talked to all kinds of voters. The majority of the people that I spoke to were excited to talk about the election and they were voting Republican all the way down the ballot. Some people were undecided and asked questions. These people were happy to have someone break down the contrasting candidates . Some were steadfast in voting for the Democrats. I really enjoyed being able to connect with the voters in my County.
CRIT-LARGE: Let’s move from the door knocking to the phone calling. Many of us may have received those calls before. From your perspective, what does that process look like and what kind of response did you receive from the 20,000 you called?
TARPLEY: The phone banking that I did was concentrated in targeted areas around Texas. We did voter ID calls to identify who we needed to contact for a get out the vote initiative. I also participated in campaigns that were being targeted by the Democrats to flip the seat. Most of these calls were concentrated in large Counties where we needed to motivate voters to get to the polls to counteract the opposing party’s efforts. Each candidate that we were calling for, won their race! Phone banking, texting, and block walking makes a big difference. It is important to connect with the voters and be available to answer any questions they may have. Again, I really enjoyed connecting with the voters. There are some great people out there in Texas!
CRIT-LARGE: What were the final results of the November 3rd Election in Panola County?
TARPLEY: Republicans ran the board in Panola County with an average of 81% voting red and 18% voting blue! Panola County came out in record numbers for this election! We have ~16,800 registered voters and 11,489 people voted! The polls in Panola County accommodated 68% of our registered voters!
CRIT-LARGE: Outside of Panola County, how do you feel the State of Texas did as a whole in the November 3rd races?
TARPLEY: I am so proud of Texas! The volunteers gave their sweat, blood, and tears and the voters poured into the polling locations to defend their State values to keep Texas red! The results of this election show that you can’t buy Texas votes. The Democrats poured money into Texas and worked hard, but we met the demand to defend our red status. Texans have values that we hold near and dear to our hearts. The most impactful statement that I heard voters saying was “Don’t California My Texas!” Texas showed up at the polls and made their voices heard!
CRIT-LARGE: Several media outlets have projected that former Vice President Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States of America. What do you believe about this projection?
TARPLEY: We have grown accustomed to the media calling our elections. We are a people that are used to getting things quickly, i.e information at our fingertips, breaking news flashing across a screen, hot meals in under two minutes, and so on. The media’s projections have been wrong before (Dewey v Truman and Bush v Gore). The fact of the matter is that the Founding Fathers foresaw these issues and gave us remedies to resolve election disputes. This process has not been completed at this time. I believe that it is irresponsible of the media to continue to espouse an absolute win at this time. Some media outlets are completely denying any contest or irregularities. The Founding Fathers knew there would be issues and outlined specific legal pathways to settle the disputes. An important thing to remember is that propaganda wins hearts and minds. This only fosters the political gap between the people. The people deserve to know the truth about the process and the possible outcomes. This media projection and refusal to entertain contests that are within Constitutional provisions only promotes suspicion, boastfulness, and disenfranchisement.
CRIT-LARGE: Many have already joined in with the major media outlets in recognizing Joe Biden as our new President, including former President George W. Bush and Republican Representative Jeff Leach from Plano.
In a recent tweet, Leach wrote, “Dear Christians - if your first response is to spew hatred and damn Biden’s Presidency to the ash heap, you’re doing it wrong. We are called to pray for our leaders at all levels. And though I didn’t vote for him, I will fervently pray for my new President, Joe Biden. Join me.” What are your thoughts on this message from Representative Leach and how would you respond to others who offer similar responses?
TARPLEY: It shows just how divisive politics have become . . .
This statement reminds me of a conversation between President Ronald Reagan and a medical staff after an attempted assassination. Reagan said “ I just hope your Republicans.” A hospital employee responded with, “Today Mr. President, we’re all Republicans.”
Our Country used to work together for the betterment of the Nation. The office of the President is a position that should be respected. The jurisprudence of our day is called Critical Legal Studies. I won’t get into the nuts and bolts of what this is; but it boils down to laws being made to satisfy targeted groups or individuals. Our Jurisprudence used to adhere to Natural Law as penned in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. This lawmaking process was made to protect God-given inalienable Rights and was meant for the betterment of the entire Nation. Political divisions have facilitated a period of devolution. We need to remember what the government was supposed to be, return to respecting the elected officials, and return to The “United” States. Now, we are the States divided. The political partisanship exhibited within the branches of government has not set a good example. The world was watching as Congress deliberated over wishlists and helping the people and the Supreme Court Judicial Committee Hearings. The people have become abhorred to see the other side of their perspective aisle behave in certain manners. This opinion is held by both sides. Yes, we do need to accept whomever will hold the Presidency on January 20th, but the Constitutional process of selecting that individual is not complete. We do not know who our next President will be yet. The media is not part of that Constitutional process.
CRIT-LARGE: With news breaking about concerns of voter fraud across the United States, including here in the State of Texas, how important do you believe it is that the current president addresses these concerns?
TARPLEY: I have spoken to many people across the State of Texas that felt that their vote did not matter and refused to vote before this election. Now, with a possibility of irregularities within the election, the voters need to know that elections are fair and balanced. The voters need to know that their vote really does matter. I believe that it is very important to conduct a proper investigation in every area where irregularities are found to ensure that this kind of thing can’t happen again.
The Texas GOP Convention Delegates were very clear that Election Integrity was our top Legislative Priority in June, 2020. It is clear that this was the most important vote that we cast at the State Convention. Every State Legislative Session should include and pass bills to strengthen our election integrity laws. President Trump is shining a spotlight, on a National level, onto the areas that need to be addressed by the Legislative Branch in their upcoming Legislative Sessions.
CRIT-LARGE: Do you believe there is any reason to be concerned about the integrity of this November’s election?
TARPLEY: There do seem to be some widespread irregularities in the 2020 general election. I believe that election integrity is of the utmost importance. The will of the people is the cornerstone of our Constitutional Republic. Every legal vote should be counted. Any vote that is not accounted for in a proper legal fashion, according to the laws, should not be counted. All political Parties should be concerned with election integrity. One person equals one vote. The Constitution specifically describes how situations like this are to be handled. Political partisanship should not be involved in election integrity. When all of the legal votes are counted; the will of the people will truly be heard, no matter which way it swings. The people need to know that their vote does count.
CRIT-LARGE: Regardless of who is sworn in as President of the United States of America in January, what do you believe should be the next focus point for conservatives in Panola County and throughout the State of Texas?
TARPLEY: Panola County did a great job of increasing their numbers at the polls. The members of our community are getting energized and involved. We need to keep this momentum and start working on the next election. Elections may only happen every couple years, but there is a lot of work to be done in the meantime. We start by getting people involved in politics by recruiting volunteers, registering new voters, engaging voters, and providing voter education. We have a lot of work to do and a midterm election to win!
Elections can be exhausting. However, when the outcome of elections impacts the lives of so many people, someone has to do the hard work. So regardless of on what side of the isle you may fall, when someone knocks at your door or calls you on the phone, consider not just your responses to the person attempting to win your vote. Also consider how important the election is and what it might mean for your community.
