Tuesday’s midterm election brought mixed emotions from UCLA students and community members about the Republican takeover of the Senate, as well as excitement from student leaders over the passage of Proposition 47 in California.
Across campus, many students involved in student government responded with strong words in support of the passage of California’s Proposition 47, which will reduce the punishment for petty crimes, including possession of drugs and theft valuing less than $950, from a felony to a misdemeanor.
“I think student organizers across the UC really made a difference in terms of getting (Proposition) 47 passed,” said Conrad Contreras, Undergraduate Students Association Council external vice president, who helped organize a rally supporting the proposition last week.
Other students have voiced concerns about the measure threatening the safety of community members, especially by reducing sentences for the personal possession of date rape drugs.
Some students said they were worried that the decriminalization of the drugs would increase the risk of sexual assault, but Contreras said he disagrees.
“I don’t think (Proposition) 47 will increase sexual assault,” he said. “Date rape drugs don’t create sexual assault, it’s the people that create sexual assault.”
The nation’s focus on Tuesday night was the Republican takeover of the Senate.
Many students and staff members said they were disappointed with the results, and they felt uncertain about what the final two years of Obama’s presidency would bring.
Political science professor Chris Tausanovitch said he is curious to see how the Republican takeover of the Senate will change the dialogue in the House and force House Republicans to be more active with legislation in the absence of a Democratically controlled Senate.
“Because we still have a filibuster and because Obama still has a veto, I don’t expect (the Republican takeover) to change policy in an immediate way, except for nominations,” Tausanovitch said.
Other students, including those in conservative campus groups, said they were happy about the Republican win in the senate.
“This election is about the fact that a lot of people are fed up with the failed economic policies of President Obama. People are fired up about the issues and they want this country to be on a different path than what it is on right now,” said Ryan Jones, a fourth-year mathematics and economics student and president of Bruin Republicans.
Other students said they were more concerned with specific races, like the one between Ted Lieu and Elan Carr for California’s 33rd Congressional District.
At Carr’s election party, most attendees said they have a personal relationship with Carr, including many UCLA students who knew him through Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity of which Carr was the national president for the last two years.
Jason Ramin, a close friend of Carr who attended the party, said Carr was a role model to him, and that this was the election he most cared about.
Lieu also held a party Tuesday with his supporters, including Henry Waxman, District 33rd’s previous representative, and L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti. Attendees responded positively when asked about Lieu’s chances.
“The highlight of this whole evening is to see Ted win,” Waxman said.
The final major local race was between Ben Allen and Sandra Fluke for California’s 26th State Senate District, and ended with a victory for Allen.
Manuel Zarate, a recent graduate from UCLA, said he was part of an internship with the Allen campaign, which awaited results in Santa Monica. As the numbers revealed a large lead for Allen in the race, supporters crowded the stage.
“Folks here … have put in hours of work and dedication into the microcosm of phone banking and canvassing,” Zarate said. “I’ve never been in an environment where the person in charge is so involved in a personal level.”
The passed propositions will go into effect and the new officials will take office in January.