Courtney Herring: Representation and Legislation Finally Start to Mirror the Population

By Courtney Herring

The results are in and Americans have spoken. After a tight race, President Barack Obama has been re-elected for another term. Although the President won the biggest race, history was made on a variety of fronts with House Representatives, Senate seats, and gubernatorial races won by quite a diverse group of people, as well as the passage of landmark legislation – previously considered unthinkable.

Last night, we saw representation and legislation finally start to mirror the population and its interests.Particularly, women are making huge strides in Congress – with 20 Senators – the most ever. This number of female representation tops the current number in the Senate: 17, which was also a record number. That’s not all, though- If we take a closer look, the diversity of these women is simply amazing, and there were a number of “firsts” last night. Tammy Baldwin, Senator-elect from Wisconsin, becomes the first openly gay person elected to the Senate.  Mazie Hirono, Senator-elect from Hawaii, becomes the first Asian-American woman in the Senate. Finally, Tammy Duckworth, the Representative-elect for Illinois, becomes the first disabled female veteran elected to the House of Representatives. History was also made in New Hampshire when women swept – winning the gubernatorial election and taking both seats in the House and the Senate.

All women. Not in binders. Breaking barriers.

There were also landmark changes in legislation. Voters approved same-s*x marriage measures in the four states where the issue was on the ballot:  in Maryland, Maine, Minnesota and Washington State (as of Wednesday, votes were still being tallied, but approval appears imminent). This is a stark change from 1998, where 32 states were opposed to it previously.  Tuesday night’s decisions increased the number of states permitting same-sex marriage to nine, with twelve allowing domestic partnerships and civil unions.

Likewise, voters in Indiana and Missouri (as well as the rest of the nation) likely breathed a collective sigh of relief that Richard “Pregnant by Rape Is a Gift From God” Mourdock and Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin will not represent them in Congress.

Who voted is, perhaps, the most important thing to note. Many argue the President clinched a victory because of an unprecedented amount of Latinos, African-Americans, and those under 30 showing up at the polls. Polls suggest that President Obama earned between 72-75% of the Latino vote. Although he gained less support from the youth overall, support for the President increased in key swing states like Ohio, Florida, and Virginia.

Tuesday night’s landmark election proves demographics are, indeed, changing in America. No longer can the Right rely on narrow-minded policies and homogenous voters to win elections, because this country is becoming more diverse than ever before. According to exit polls, the number of White voters decreased to 72% of the overall electorate, marking the lowest figure since 1976. Even with Bill O’Reilly suggesting that the “white establishment is now a minority,” it’s time to change the playbook on how the party addresses the needs and interests of this country. Mr. O’Reilly is right about one thing, “it’s not a traditional America anymore.