Photo by Photography Editor Holden Hindes.

949 students and community members voted at the Sumers Recreation Center in the midterm elections this Tuesday, Nov. 8. Voters decided on Senate and House seats, police funding, and the legalization of marijuana, among other ballot items. 

The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement hosted student bands and provided food and entertainment for people outside of the voting center, and people could sign up for a virtual waitlist to be called in to vote.

In Missouri, Republican Eric Schmitt won a Senate seat; four out of six House seats went to Republican candidates; and St. Louis Congresswoman Cori Bush won her re-election. Missouri voters also voted yes on Amendment 3 to legalize the sale and possession of marijuana for people 21 and older. 

On campus, students turned out to vote for a variety of reasons. Some out-of-state WashU students voted in Missouri because they believed their vote mattered more here than at home.

“I’m from New York and I’m a Democrat, so I thought that my vote might not count as much if I vote in New York,” Freshman Dani Brinberg said. “[NY is] a classic Democratic state and I thought that it would be better to make an impact here.”

Many students felt strongly about two amendments up for vote, including Amendment 3 and Amendment 4, which increased police funding in Kansas City.

Sophomore Eric Abrahams said he believes legalizing weed will move Missouri forward in racial equality.

“It’s going to help to solve some of the inequities that we have in our criminal justice system,” Abrahams said. “I think it’s also going to be a good thing for the economy because it is a pretty powerful industry.”

Photo by Photographer Editor Holden Hindes.

Some students did not want to support the amendment when major political players, like the Missouri NAACP and Cori Bush, came out against it. According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, Nimrod Chapel Jr., president of the Missouri NAACP, said that the amendment will allow powerful cannabis companies to “[misuse] political power and [take] advantage of working families.”

The Post elaborated that “Amendment 3 would give the first ‘comprehensive’ marijuana business licenses to existing medical marijuana companies…[and] the amendment does not increase the number of available full market licenses’ and calls a program that would give ‘micro’ business licenses to disadvantaged groups ‘very limited.’”

“When a lot of minority leaders are saying this isn’t good for the community, I’m inclined to defer to their judgment,” Sophomore Andrew de las Alas said. 

De las Alas also criticized Amendment 4, citing racial injustices tied to police activity.

“Any increase to police funding, I think, can be interpreted as anti-Black,” he said. “Expanding funding to the police amplifies militarization of the police where we don’t need it.”

Despite some students’ hopes for more progressive victories in Missouri, many still felt content with the national election results. Political analysts predicted a “red wave,” which would have brought GOP control back to the Senate and House, but Democrats exceeded expectations.

“I think it was the Times that said it was like the ‘Red Wave’ was more of a ‘Pink Splash’,” de las Alas said. “I’m happy to see that the country did not adamantly support election deniers.”