Cloie Sandlin
News Editor

On election day, Mesa State students crowded together in the ballroom on the second floor of the College Center waiting in line to vote.
Though the College Center was not the only venue that held elections, many students found comfort in the familiarity of the building on campus.
Freshman business major Samuel Hall, 20, didn’t vote on campus but he said he should have.
“It would have been nice seeing other people my age being there,” Hall said. “From what it looked like, [Grand Mesa Middle School] still had students but most people were older and had kids. I saw my neighbors and their families there.”
Democrat John Hickenlooper won the election for Colorado governor with a little over 50 percent of the total votes. According to the Denver Post, American Constitution party canidate, Tom Tancredo was the most popular among Mesa County residents. Tancredo came in second with almost 37 percent of the votes and Republican candidate, Dan Maes came out of the election with a meager 11 percent.
Over the next two years, Coloradans will be forced to work with a divided legislature. Although the Democratic party controls the Senate, Republicans dominate the House of Representatives.
“I like the gridlock,” Hall said. “That way, it’s more even.”
Aside from the elections to the Senate and the House, other controversial issues were included on the ballot. Some issues were included on every ballot during most election years such as amendment 62 which was regarding the definition of a person on the subject of abortion. Other controversies were more specific changes and some were related to higher education.
Amendment 60, Amendment 61 and Proposition 101 were among the controversial proposals that all failed. These proposals would have reduced certain taxes for the state, but they would have eliminated most state support for higher education.
Amendment 60 would reduce property taxes, but force the state to pick up the shortfall. Amendment 61 would limit the government from borrowing money from other regions, unless the voters approved it and Proposition 101 would lower the state income rates and would reduce the fees for automobile registration. Many of these cuts would decrease the amount of money the state earned, where most funds for education would go towards filling the gaps of funding for K-12 students, leaving no extra money to spend on those pursuing higher education.
“It was not a unanimous vote on my part [between the amendments],” sophomore Matt Schnepfe said. “I supported one while putting down the others. I am aware of cuts to school funding, but that is not my prerogative.”
Sophomore Brittany Shaw, 19, said the results of the elections turned out pretty much the way she wanted them to.

ccsandli@mesastate.edu