Colorado and Washington state became the first to vote in favor of legalizing marijuana. Colorado’s UC-Boulder Chancellor Phillip DiStefano said, as he looked upon his student body, the Colorado plan, which involves taxing marijuana sales to fund constructing schools, was the “best idea a state ever had.”
In other news, UW-Madison’s alternative break trips to Washington and Colorado during winter break have filled up and UW officials are not sure why. The trip to rural Idaho, however, is still open.
UW-Madison student Daniel Hofferman took part in his civic duty during Election Day and voted after two Obama for America volunteers and a WISPIRG intern carried him to his polling place 10 feet from his apartment door. Hofferman said he felt a slight rush of excitement being an active participant that could change the outcome of the election, but he mostly just enjoyed the sound the ballot machine made when he turned in his vote.
Although Tammy Baldwin was elected Senator Tuesday night, voters reported being confused over who to vote for. Despite Baldwin and Tommy Thompson having spent millions on campaigning, their first names are still so similar they cannot be distinguished from one another.
Bipartisan organizations tried raising awareness about the importance of reading candidates’ last names on the ballot in addition to first names. If a similar situation arises in upcoming elections, they plan to pressure the state legislature to pass a law that would replace their respective names with the words “girl” and “boy.”
