The votes rolled in, and the ballots were counted. The result: four more years for President Barack Obama.
On Nov. 6, the nation gathered for the 2012 election, and Americans practiced their due right as citizens of the U.S. to vote for their candidates of choice, those in whom they trust and believe will guide their county, their state and their country.
Fingers were crossed. Tension was high. But ultimately, it was the majority — as always — who had the final say.
According to CNN news, as of 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 7, Obama, a Democrat, had received 303 electoral votes, whereas Republican candidate Mitt Romney had received 206. It was an extremely close race when narrowed down to individual votes, with Obama receiving 52,254,178 and Romney 51,806,353.
Four years ago, Obama made history as the first African-American to be elected U.S. president. After a long, tight race with Romney, Obama was re-elected for a second term.
On election night in the auditorium of Gooch Hall, a significant number of students gathered in anticipation of the final results of the presidential race. When CNN projected that Obama would take the win, screams of happiness ensued. The crowd energetically made its way across campus celebrating, dancing and shouting.
“I see even bigger change… a much bigger change. I see things moving forward,” said Sophomore Biology major Alona Buckley elatedly, when asked what she saw for the next four years.
“Four years isn’t going to fix anything that fast. That’s what everybody expected to happen—that everything was going to be fixed. Everything that Obama has done these past four years, he’s going to continue to work on, and it’s just going to be better. We have to believe in that and not be so negative,” said Sophomore Management major Asha Jenkins.
While many students chose to state whom they voted for, many more also exercised their right of privacy. Regardless, some chose to state for what they voted, rather than for whom.
“The three big things I voted for were education, healthcare and women’s rights,” Freshman Nursing major Lacey Langford said.
In his acceptance speech, President Obama expressed his desire of insuring that the U.S. is “a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being. We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant’s daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag.”
He reminded us, “These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.”
Obama attributed much of his success and inspiration to the Americans around him, both those who have supported him and those who have not.
“And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead,” Obama said.
He also expounded on what makes this country so great.
“What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared, that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great,” Obama said.
“I believe we can seize this future together, because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.”
