On Nov. 4, voters turned out to the polls in record numbers to vote for the many issues that will impact the future of the United States.

The election consisted of many national, state and local races. In the presidential election, Sen. Barack Obama defeated Sen. John McCain to become the first black president in United States history. He won the Electoral College vote 364–163, with Missouri still pending, but the state showed McCain with a slight lead. He also won the popular vote 53 percent to 46 percent, with many absentee and provisional ballots remaining to be counted.

Jake Harvey, a junior international affairs major and sergeant-of-arms of the Young Democrats of Arizona, said he expected these results.

“It was pretty clear the country was ready for a change in direction, so it wasn’t very surprising,” Harvey said. “I think we’re gonna get away from ideological policy and more toward solution-based policy. Also, the election of an African-American president that’s young and respectful sends a strong message to the world.”

Travis Owen, a sophomore political science and criminal justice major and a second-year member of the College Republicans, said he is disappointed in the outcome of the election.

“I am frustrated and angry,” Owen said. “I myself feel somewhat disappointed that the American people decided to take this road. I pray I am wrong because I wish nothing more than to live in the greatest country on this god-given earth.”

In the congressional elections, the Democratic Party increased its majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Democrats now hold a 57-40 majority, with races still pending in Minnesota, Georgia and Alaska. In the House, they hold a 255-174 majority, with six races still pending.

Harvey said the Democrats should learn from past mistakes and seek bipartisanship.

“They’re gonna have to get input from Republicans, because that’s what they promised,” Harvey said. “I don’t think it’s going to be as ideological as the Republican supermajority that happened in 1980. I hope the Democrats have learned to not do that. What threw so many people off from the Bush administration and the Republicans was that they were so hyper-partisan. The Democratic Party needs to govern from the center.”

Owen said he does not think one party having such a large majority is good for the country.

“I feel America is drifting far toward a change America was not intended for,” Owen said. “With the lead the House (Democrats) now has in seats, Republicans will have no ability to filibuster any legislation, along with a Democratic president who rarely, if at all, will veto any Democratic legislation. It eliminates the whole idea of checks and balances, which is how American policy and legislation was intended to be made through.”

Owen said the Republican Party needs to change the way it operates in order to have success in future elections.

“President Bush and the war have put a bad label on the face of the party,” Owen said. “As a party, we need to go back to what is most important in the next election: fix the economy, create new jobs, take power away from the government and give it back to the American people to make their own decisions.”

One Democratic representative who will be new to the House of Representatives is Ann Kirkpatrick, who defeated Republican Sidney Hay 56 percent to 40 percent. She will now represent Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Flagstaff. She will take the seat held by Republican Rick Renzi, who was indicted with charges of fraudulent land deals.

Harvey was a volunteer for Kirkpatrick’s campaign and met her several times.

“She knows the district, and she’s promised to legislate from the center, which she needs to because this is such a large and diverse district,” Harvey said. “(After Renzi), it will be nice to have a genuine and respectable representative again.”

Owen said he believes Kirkpatrick to be a good representative for both parties.

“I myself feel Ann Kirkpatrick ran an outstanding campaign,” Owen said. “Despite her party label, she has several conservative standings: for example, her position on gun control and the capital gains tax.”

Arizona also voted on eight propositions. Prop 102, which would define marriage between one man and one woman in the state constitution, passed 56 percent to 44 percent. Prop 105, which would have required a majority of all registered voters to pass an initiative requiring spending or increased taxes, failed 34 percent to 66 percent. Prop 200, which would have extended and reformed payday loan legislation, failed 40 percent to 60 percent. Prop 202, which would have reformed laws on the hiring of illegal aliens, failed 59 percent to 41 percent.

Harvey said as a young, gay man, he was not happy about the results of the propositions around the country dealing with homosexual issues. In California, Prop 8, a ban on same-sex marriage, passed despite the California Supreme Court ruling that they were legal. A same-sex marriage ban was also passed in Florida and a proposition banning adoptions by gay couples  also passed in Arkansas.

“I was really disappointed that Prop 102 passed,” Harvey said. “It was an anti-gay legislation. As excited as Democrats were after the election, a lot of us were disappointed that the gay community took such a big hit.”

However, Owen said a ban on gay marriage does not mean gay rights are infringed upon.

“I am glad (Prop 102) passed,” Owen said. “I myself feel there should be laws passed, and there still can be, to legally give gay domestic partnerships the same rights as straight couples legally through tax breaks. However, a marriage was originally intended as a relationship between a man and a woman.”

With student voter registration setting an NAU record, many were interested to see how many young people turned out to vote. According to Rock the Vote, 24 million young people voted in this election, which is the highest number in American history.

There were four precincts on the NAU campus on Nov. 4. The following results come from the Coconino County election Web site: In Flagstaff 13, 205 out of 448, or 46 percent, of registered voters turned out. In Flagstaff 18, 263 out of 575, also 46 percent, of registered voters turned out. In Flagstaff 25, 98 out of 375, or 32 percent, turned out. And in Flagstaff 26, 165 out of 441, or 37 percent, turned out.

Coconino Country Recorder Candace Owens said those numbers are not final. This is due to the absentee and provisional ballots that still need to be counted. Absentee ballots are those sent in by mail. Provisional ballots are those that could not be verified at the time, and will be ruled as either legitimate or illegitimate by Nov. 21.

“There were a lot of provisional ballots,” Owens said. “So I can only look at these numbers, but I would have thought students would have turned out in larger numbers. So it’s a little disappointing.”

ASNAU President Brad Busse, a senior political science major who oversaw the voting process, said he is more pleased with the results.

“I definitely think voter turnout was up not only on Election Day, but with absentee ballots as well,” Busse said. “It was nice having these voting stations on campus.”

Busse said he believes the numbers given by the county will increase significantly once all the provisional ballots are processed.

“A large number of ballots cast on campus were provisional ballots,” Busse said. “One time, we checked out a voting station at 9 in the morning, and 80 out of the 250 ballots submitted were provisional.”

One regular reason for the need for provisional ballots was students not having their dorm residence listed on their driver’s license, or because students changed residency since being registered. Busse said a solution to this problem is being sought by the Arizona Students’ Association (ASA).

“The ASA is looking at options to solve this problem in the future,” Busse said. “We’re looking at ideas to make it easier to register and vote. We’re looking at possibly allowing students to register and vote on the same day, which they already allow in Minnesota.”