Candace Chambers
Blue & White Flash / Staff Writers
The votes are in. They have been counted. President Barack Hussein Obama has been re-elected as the leader of the United States of America. He beat Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 303 electoral votes to 206.
President Obama delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters in Chicago, Ill. stating, “While our road has been hard. While our journey has been long. We have picked ourselves up. We have fought our way back. And we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.”
While waiting out the night at a watch party in the Student Center, an estimated crowd of more than 400 at Jackson State University discussed politics, gathered around televisions and enjoyed music and food as the election results rolled in on Tuesday night. The watch party was sponsored by the JSU Student Government Association and the NAACP.
As the night progressed, issues were discussed, such as the number of blue states, the impact of electoral votes, which candidate would win the state of California, and what should be the focus of the U.S. president for the next four years.
Bianca Cook, a sophomore business management major from Gautier, Miss., said she enjoyed the watch party. “Everyone (was) anxious to see if Obama would win or not,” stated Cook. “Some important issues in the election are education and the economy as a whole.”
Angela Williams, a junior chemistry/forensic science major from Clarksdale, Miss. said, “The main issues will be health issues. I like Obamacare and I don’t want it to go away.”
Nicole Lewis, junior political science major, from Fort Washington MD, stated that since “Obama won, I feel that the country would continue in a progressive path. She added that if Romney had won she would have moved to Canada. “I would do what I can because those that don’t use their voice have nothing to complain about,” Lewis added.
Some JSU international students at the watch party spoke about the election process.
Shz Shu, a senior marketing major from China said, “I’m glad to have good opportunities to experience the election culture in America.”
Jabuile Gumede, a junior marketing major from Johannesburg, South Africa said, “The idea of America being governed by Mitt Romney is simply not viable. Not only have I seen and been exposed to how my fellow students education would be jeopardized if Romney won but I also stand firmly against Romney’s ideas on woman rights,” said Gumede. “For a man to decide how a woman should handle her body is simply ridiculing all the hard work woman did during the Feminist movement. Obama is not only the “obvious” choice to black people because he is of color but simply because his policy and ideas not only benefit the Black community but also give them a platform to move forward.”
Qi Huang a graduate student from Beijing, China felt that the country would be in great hands under President Obama.
“I think President Obama has done a great job. It has taken many efforts to get the U.S. out of the ditch it has been in before him and I hope Obama wins,” said Huang.
Even though there was controversy about voter identification in Mississippi, and the names of some who registered were not on the polling roles, the impact of young voters on the election and the crowd of JSU students casting their ballots on Nov. 6 in the student center pleased Brandon Sanders, a member of JSU Campus Police.
“It’s awesome. I couldn’t believe it. By voting, I think every little bit helps,” said Sanders.
Wilbur McCoy, a sophomore elementary education major from Jackson, Miss. said, “My vote made a big impact because every vote counts.”
Brian Wilks, JSU Student Government Association President, said there was a problem with some students’ names not being on the voter list even though they had registered on campus, but they were allowed to cast affidavit ballots, after Derrick Johnson, state president of the NAACP was contacted and intervened.
According to local news reports on Tuesday, Johnson stated that the Hinds County Circuit Clerk’s office had failed to process thousands of voter registration forms, a claim that the Clerk’s office denied.
JSU’s NACCP President, Jason Hardiman, a senior biology/pre-vet major from Jackson, Miss. believes that students should be aware of the occurrences in politics. “I feel that their future depends on it” he stated.
Diamond Jenkins & Taylor Bembery contributed to this story.
