Kyra Robinson | Staff Writer
Virginia kept its “blue status” after Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, where all three Democrats gained their sought political seats.
Ralph Northam beat Republican Ed Gillespie for governor with 53.9% of the vote. Justin Fairfax defeated Republican Jill Vogel for the position of lieutenant governor, and Mark Herring gained his second term as the attorney general of the state.
Another notable win was the victory of Democrat Danica Roem, the first openly transgender elected official in Virginia as a state Delegate, whom beat 11 term seat holder and openly transphobic, Bob Marshall
Various organizations on campus worked many weeks prior to the election day to emphasize the power of the college student’s vote.
Nationwide organizations with Hampton-based chapters, like “Next Gen and Generation Action,” coordinated the “Get Out The Vote” weekend where students volunteered by canvassing and phone banking on campus and around the Hampton Roads .
Junior Alexis Weston, who is a part of both of those organizations, felt that Hampton students were very engaged in this election due to President Trump’s win in 2016. She observed that there was a significant amount of Hampton students at the polls on election day.
“It’s important for college students to vote because we truly get affected by these laws. This is the world that we’re about to walk into so we need to make it into something that helps our community,” she said.
Sophomore Aman Tune was also involved with raising voting awareness and worked the polls for two hours. Though it was cold and rainy, she felt that she made an impact as she assisted voters on all the proper procedures.
“I was able to hand out sample ballots and talk to voters about who was on the ballots,” she expressed, “It was great being of service to the community and doing my part to get people out to vote.”
During the time she worked the polls, Tune also observed a large turn out in Hampton student voters.
“To see how many students were getting on and off the shuttles was great,” she expressed, “I was so proud to see Hampton students going out and taking part in this election because it is so important. The numbers looked great and ultimately led to a victorious day.”
According to election statistics, 71.6% of those who voted in Hampton voted for Ralph Northam. After commuting to Phoebus High School to cast their ballots, Hampton University students who identified as Democrats were pleased with these results.
Sophomore Kamili Rosenbaum voted early that morning and even though she did not see many people when she went, she knew that Hampton students were more engaged for this election.
“The students were definitely more involved this year because we were so upset about Trump’s election last year, and we knew there would be a problem if we did not get out there,” Rosenbaum said later that day, “If we have problems with who is running our country, the best time to resolve them is right now. Our voices matter more than ever.”
The Hampton Script 