Jaime Hebel | Head of Illustration

As many of us polled voters outside the Athletic Complex on Nov. 5, we witnessed a buzzing excitement. For lots of students, Tuesday was their first time voting. For others, it was their first time voting in an election that felt so high-stakes. Students showed out in greater numbers than they have in the last several election cycles. 1,479 ballots were cast on the Danforth Campus in the Missouri 2024 election, compared to 949 in 2022. The WashU community felt empowered.

On Wednesday, the campus was somber.

Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 6, and will be the 47th president of the United States. He won at least 295 electoral votes, 25 more than he needed, and is very likely to win the popular vote, which would make him the first Republican president to do so in the last two decades. Though we accept the results of the election, we do not accept the hateful and fear-mongering rhetoric that defined his campaign and former presidency, nor his criminal actions. WashU students, like the rest of the country, are grappling with these results and their implications.

According to our 2024 Election Issue survey of 696 students conducted last month, 84.7% of the student body planned to vote for Kamala Harris. Now, much of our community is grieving. And while our news feeds flood us with large, national statistics, the impact of the election results is affecting us on a personal level, too. It is imperative that we, as a community, give people grace and space as they navigate what the election outcome means for their futures as well as our community’s future. We must recognize that these results hold different weight for different people and disproportionately impact women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color. Take time to recognize your feelings, and then take time to recognize how others feel.

Prior to the election, our survey showed that 79.6% of the student body thought that Vice President Kamala Harris would win the election. This is understandable; the polls for swing states were extremely close and many people felt joy and hope about the Harris campaign. For many, realizing that the majority of people in the United States prefer Donald Trump to Kamala Harris was shocking and scary. This shock should bring all of us to question what media we are consuming and which narratives we are hearing. But we should also be critical of generalizing accusations following the election outcome.

People are looking to blame others for the election results. Doing this is convenient, as it takes the onus off of us to take action after this election. Yet, it is detrimental. Some are condemning specific demographics; others are belittling marginalized voters. This is divisive at best and racist at worst. We must avoid finger-pointing on this campus at all costs.

Although many of us live in this liberal bubble, we are also in a community of students with different opinions and ideas. Students voted in different states, for different candidates and propositions. Some students did not vote at all. As we look to break out of our bubbles, we should also look for support and form solidarity amongst the student body. This requires community, not division, as the incoming administration has shown us that its priorities lie in discrimination, injustice, and hate.

WashU, like most other majority-liberal universities, is a bubble; however, Missouri is not. Some of the communities most impacted by this year’s election results are just outside the gates of WashU, and stepping out of the campus ecosystem is a crucial step in enacting real change. 

This election has shown us that, with effort, real change is accomplishable. Amendment 3 passed, enshrining the right to reproductive freedom in Missouri’s Constitution. Missouri was the first state to ban abortion after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision. Missouri also passed Proposition A, which will raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour and guarantee paid sick leave to workers.

Victories that may seem small in the larger scale of the election results, like the repeal of Missouri’s abortion ban, took major grassroots organizing from groups in the St. Louis community — groups that you could be a part of. While you deserve a break and the opportunity to grapple with Tuesday’s election results as you need, try not to feel like your actions don’t matter, because there are things you can do. 

There are a multitude of St. Louis organizations who are putting in the work for causes and communities that may be threatened under the Trump administration. The Missouri Abortion Fund, the International Institute of St. Louis, Arch City Defenders, and STL Mutual Aid are all organizations you can get involved with in the local community.

Many of our strongest movements in this country have been at the darkest of times. Regardless of how you voted, this is a time when the majority of the WashU community is grappling with some sense of loss. It is deeply unfortunate that we must face adversity, oppression, and bigotry in order to get motivated to fight for change. However, it also means that our country and close communities can come out better than they were before. 

The results of this election do not write the future for us. Staring down the next four years, we must not compromise our standards of democracy, integrity, and respect.

Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the senior staff.

Alice Gottesman, Managing Scene Editor

Sylvie Richards, Managing Forum Editor

Jordan Spector, Senior Forum Editor

Will Rosenblum, Senior Scene Editor

Zara Shariff, Senior Scene Editor

Olivia Lee, Junior Scene Editor

Lore Wang, Junior Scene Editor

Elizabeth Grieve, Junior Scene Editor

Sophia Hellman, Junior Scene Editor

Jasmine Stone, Senior Forum Editor

David Ciorba, Junior Forum Editor

Dion Hines, Junior Forum Editor

Samantha Elegant, Copy Editor

Jaime Hebel, Head of Illustration

Sydney Tran, Head of Design

Bri Nitsberg, Managing Photo Editor

AnaElda Ramos, Illustration Editor

Nina Giraldo, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Avi Holzman, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Mia Burkholder, Chief of Copy

Tim Mellman, Managing Newsletter Editor