An Election To Remember

Everyone has said it in the days leading up to the election. No matter the outcome, this would be a truly historic election. But the focus of those saying this has primarily been on the Presidential election, not the other parts of the election from around the country. Granted, our Presidential election is huge, and I suspect because of it, we will see a great deal of change in the next 4 years. Whether that change is good or bad... we'll have to wait and see.

Still, there were plenty of other things in this election to call it historic, and I think it's important to look at these things as well when we talk about this election as a historical one. I admit, until I went on my news feeds this morning (after neglecting them for a couple days), I wasn't aware of many of these, which is why I think it's important to share them with all of you. Take them for how you will.

First up, my home state. Or, considering I'm an Army brat with no real home state, the state I'm living and currently voting in. The newly turned blue state of Colorado. Colorado's Second Congressional District elected Jared Polis to the House. What's so great about Jared Polis, you ask? Well, he's the first openly gay man to be elected to the House as a freshman (non-incumbent). Granted, this doesn't particularly surprise me, since the Second Congressional District is Boulder, the liberal hotbed in Colorado (I'd be more surprised if it included El Paso County, home to New Life Church and Focus on the Family), but it's still history making.

On the flip side, gay marriage was banned in several states: Arizona, California, and Florida. While this is by no means a first, I think it's still important to note. Arkansas also passed an amendment that would ban any unmarried person from adopting, which was primarily aimed at gay couples. The abortion ban in South Dakota, with language much gentler than that proposed 4 years ago, was shot down again. The far reaching Amendment 48 in Colorado (which would define 'person' as anyone from the moment of conception) was similarly shot down by an overwhelming majority (approx 73% to 27%).

Affirmative Action will likely end in Nebraska, but will continue in Colorado. Washington joins Oregon as the two states allowing those who are terminally ill to "die with dignity" through Physician-Assisted Suicide.

These were the only major changes I saw in this election, but I'm not familiar with the ballot in every state. These are simply those that made national (or state, in Colorado) news. If your state has some more firsts you'd like to share, feel free to add on!