Barack Obama takes the Presidency for the United States Tuesday Nov 4th.

During his victory speech that night Obama said, “The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.”

With that confidence hopefully now the moral of this country will be brought back up.  Obama and Biden four-part economic plan has a lot steps that it wants to achieve and many good things to come out of it for the middle class and seniors.

“Now that Obama has when maybe we will see changes, changes we so desperately need,” said Mayor John Rink of Barrington.

Obama will be sworn in on January 20th, 2009.  2009 is also the year that will mark the centennial anniversary of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  The youth and minority vote was an all time high for this years election.  People wanted to see change and Obama is there way to do that.

“I am nervous yet excited to see what happens with Obama as president.  We need a new face in the White House and I think he will make the changes that this country needs,” said Councilman Kirk Popiolek of Barrington.

Some of the first things done will be putting the four-part economic plan into action.  Supporters of Obama know that everything won’t be fixed overnight but they are hopeful that it will change that things will start to eventually get better rather then worse.

“All we can do now is support Obama and patiently wait for better things and work together as communities and cities and states to help with his changes,” said Mayor Rink of Barrington.

To check out Tricia Dove’s election preview story click on this link here.

Citizens of this country can stop holding their breath and fill their lungs with the air of a new presidency.  As of last night, Barack Obama was declared the next president of the United States of America in a 349-163 Electoral vote.  The sounds of celebration and upset swept through the nation.

Now that the country has spoken, campaign drama and anticipation can be put to the past and the focus can be aimed on the future.

President Obama will be putting his policies to the test for issues such as the energy crisis that America is facing.

Obama’s energy plan includes ideas such as providing a $1,000 emergency energy rebate to American families for temporary relief, getting 1 million plug-in Hybrid cars by the year 2015, and creating millions of new, green jobs according to his campaign website.

“I believe Obama’s policy can bring us out of the grave this world has dug”, said Kait Daly, public relations major at Rowan University.

Those who did not vote for Obama are still trying to understand their feelings.

“When it comes to the new president’s energy policies, I am trying to be optimistic.  I don’t agree with his views, but I hope it will all work out for the best,” said 21-year-old Rowan University student Jennifer Beattie.

As for the runner-up, John McCain, he has told the media that he will continue his term in the Senate, which ends in 2010, representing Arizona.

He will also stay involved in many committees such as the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee which oversees a varied range of issues such as oceans, climate change, disasters and technology.

McCain spent his election night in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife, Cindy, running mate, Sarah Palin, and his many supporters.

Aside from citizens who were thrilled or upset by the outcome of the election, McCain’s Concession Speech explained what it was really all about.

“Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans and please believe me when I say, no other association has ever meant more to me than that.”

To check out Danielle Fol’s election preview story click on this link here.

It’s 11 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, and Barack Obama has been projected by CNN as the next American president.

This election brought out the nation’s youth, and they showed an overwhelming support for Obama by doing the best thing they could do – showing up to vote! If it wasn’t enough that this year alone brought in 1.3 million new voter registrations, but Project Vote reports that the largest percentage of those new registrations belonged to Americans between the ages of 18 and 30.

Michael Slater, Executive Director for ACORN, a community organization that works with Project Vote, believes that “the face of the electorate has dramatically changed this year.” For Slater, this election was historic in nature, but also in overall voter turnout. “Americans from all walks of life have become impassioned and empowered to take their place in the democratic process; it’s truly a powerful story,” Slater says.

Loryn Simonsen, 24, a current Stockton College student, volunteered along with dozens of other young people at the Obama Campaign Headquarters in Egg Harbor Township. In terms of the ratio of adult-to-youth volunteers, Simonson was impressed and excited that so many young people were on board for Obama.

“Being a part of a generation that has been constantly berated for their apathy, I was glad to see so many of my peers involved in this election,” Simonsen says. “I felt very proud, because I am able to say that I did my part to help Obama in his campaign by going beyond what I have done in the past.”

Simonesen believes the youth voters really did give Obama the upper hand, because not only were they finally motivated to vote, but they were also motivated to motivate. “I think that young people who mobilized across the country were able to inspire older generations to vote for Obama, as well,” Simsonsen says. “As young people increase their involvement, they increase their importance to candidates.”

Youth Internet outlets, such as Facebook and MySpace, were also pushing the youth’s buttons to go out and vote. When opening your Facebook account, the first thing the site asks of you is if you voted, and then keeps a running count of every Facebook member who has clicked the “I Voted” link. With more than five million Facebook members openly admitting to voting, and more than 90 percent of Facebook members falling within the age range of 18 to 30, there’s no uncertainty that the youth have finally spoken up and out for their future.

(Oh yeah, and it didn’t hurt that Ben and Jerry’s, Starbucks and Krispy Kreme offered free food incentives for casting a vote.)

To check out Rebecca Grites’ election preview story click on this link here.

Now that the landslide is complete and arguably the most historic election in our nation’s history has come to a close, the countdown is on until George W. Bush’s final day in the Oval Office.

Barack Obama will take office on January 20, 2009 and with that, millions of senior citizens across America wonder how much attention the 47-year old Junior Senator from Illinois will pay to their cries.

“I hadn’t heard a whole lot from the candidates about issues important to seniors such as health care, specifically Medicare,” said Jane Clifford, AARP’s Burlington County Coordinator for Advocacy Issues.

Clifford feels that during his campaign, Obama tried to make a connection with seniors. Still, she wonders how sincere it was.

“When Senator Obama talks about his childhood and how his family was so poor and things that he did with his grandfather and so on, I have a feeling that he’s sort of indirectly talking to the old folks to get their support. To show them that he’s a regular guy. I think that he and McCain, I don’t think that they’re totally plugged into what the issues are because of the fact that they’re living very well.”

Since senior citizens represent the largest registered voting demographic in America, it’s obvious that the majority of their support lied in Obama’s corner. Perhaps this is because of Obama’s vice presidential selection of Joe Biden.

“He seems like a regular guy,” said Jake Tallen, 73, of Paramus, NJ about Biden. Tallen is a self-proclaimed democrat who, this past Tuesday, cast his vote for the Democratic presidential slate largely because of Biden.

Biden will turn 66 on November 20, so his age is an asset in relating to the needs of the elderly. His humble roots can’t hurt either.

In a September New York Times article, Obama explained that he selected Biden to be his running mate because of his experience in foreign affairs and national security. One can not help but wonder whether age played a role in Obama’s decision.

Obama handily won both the senior vote and the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Biden is a Scranton, PA native who is popular among seniors, so it’s difficult to discount the role he played in helping Obama become the 44th president of the United States.

To check out Cody Chrusciel’s election preview story click on this link here.

After a long desperate wait for Americans, Barack Obama was named President of the United States late Tuesday night.   His victory was just over 7 million more votes than McCain.  With his moto, “The Change We Need” he intends on bringing many changes to the White House.

Obama had made many promises to the American people during his campaign.  Some changes he spoke about were on the economy.  Which many Americans are hoping the changes occur quickly like promised.

“He already backed out of his promises he made during the campaign.  He turned around and said well it could take a year or another term for the changes to occur,” taxpayer and voter, Bonnie Zappacosta stated.

Obama stated in his second debate against McCain, “ Step one was a rescue package that means making sure taxpayers get their money back. The middle-class need a rescue package. That means tax cuts for the middle-class. It means help for homeowners. It means we are helping state governments set up projects that keep people in their jobs.”

Currently, the middle-class are the ones suffering the most with the economy in poor shape. Obama made many promises to the middle- class that Americans are holding on to his words.  “I look forward to the promises he made us on tax- cuts and more money for the middle-class,” taxpayer and voter Jessica Ferguson states.

Throughout Obama’s campaigning he was asked on several occasions about Wade v. Roe and pro-choice.  He has middle grounds on the  issue and is willing to satisfy both pro-life and pro- choice people.  On the 2008 Democratic Compassion forum of  Messiah College, Obama suggests two ways to find middle grounds on Abortion.  First, there is a moral dimension to abortion, which I think that all too often those of us who are pro-choice have not talked about or tried to tamp down. I think that’s a mistake because I think all of us understand that it is a wrenching choice for anybody to think about. And secondly, people of good will can exist on both sides. That nobody wishes to be placed in a circumstance where they are even confronted with the choice of abortion. How we determine what’s right at that moment, I think, people of good will can differ.

“I do no think a woman’s choice to do what she wants with her body should be a government issue its morals and values.  Obama hit the nail when he said there was a moral  dimension to abortion,” said taxpayer and voter, Peggy Ulmer.

Obama and Biden have agreed on all the issues during their campaign ride and are bound to make a great team.

To check out Heather Highley’s election preview story click on this link here.

CNN declared Barack Obama the 44th president of America al little after 11 p.m. on election night. Some democrats may have thought it wouldn’t be that easy after being tarnished by long ballot counting in 2000. But after picking up key swing states such as Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, Obama was declared winner with 349 electoral votes.

What brought out the vote in Pennsylvania and what does Obama’s grass-roots win mean for the future of politics? According to Mark Berkey-Gerard, an online journalism professor at Rowan University, it means a permanent place for the internet in campaigns and the beginning of a “new era” in politics.

“The Internet is no longer a “new” media,” said Berkey-Gerard. “Trying to run a campaign without making use of the internet would be like trying to run a campaign without making use of TV. It’s a new era. The Republican campaign strategies that worked for the last eight years have ended and Barack Obama did not run his campaign with a traditional Democratic strategy. He created a new way of campaigning and it worked. It is now the new standard.”

In Pennsylvania over 3.1 million people came out to vote for Obama and over 2.5 million voted for John McCain. Altogether, 400,000 more voted in this election and than in 2004. Such a raise in voters may not have been possible without campaign organizations such as Generation Obama.

“We had Generation Obama folks knocking on doors and directing people to the polling location,” said Jocelyn Gabrynowicz Hill, a Generation Obama coordinator. “But everyone in the community knew there was a very important election and did everything they could to bring their friends and family to the polls. Many people said they didn’t care whether it was raining or how long the lines were. They were going to vote come hell or high water.”

Hill, also an attorney at McCarter & English, LLP in Philadelphia, was a part of Voter Protection, a group of people familiar with voter’s rights recruited to monitor the polls. While some may have anticipated pandemonium, Hill said her voting booth was very enjoyable.

“My polling place was so much fun,” said Hill. “There was a drill team marching around the block. The drill team coach told me they had just won nationals. There were people barbecuing, people hanging out their windows, people playing music all day long.”

Julie Crudele, a 24-year-old graduate student at University of Pennsylvania, said she didn’t encounter any problems when she voted around 4 p.m. at St. Anthony’s senior residence in Philadelphia.

“It was not busy at all,” said Crudele. “I had to wait in line for about a minute. It was a good experience. I already knew who I was voting for. Everything so it was quick and easy. Nothing really interesting happened.”

That is until Crudele’s candidate was named winner that night.

To check out Bobbi Lee Hitchon’s election preview story click on this link here.

History was made on Nov. 4th; Barrack Obama is now the elected President of the United States of America.

History was also made in Lawnside, N.J., with the record turn out of over 1,400 voters. It is not clear exactly as to the exact numbers; however the estimated numbers for the amount of votes casted in both districts for the town council members are as follows: democrats, Clifford L. Still Sr. (972), Mary Ann Wardlow (920), republicans, Virginia Culver (532), and Dolores L. Logan (528).

Former poll worker, Janine Bryant, says she remembers previous years when the town council only received approximately 200 or so votes.

“I believe the difference was many people especially new voters just voted column 2 all the way down, which increased the numbers drastically. I remember working and the numbers barely reaching 200. Today when I went to vote at 10 a.m., I was number four hundred and something,” said Bryant

Obama is said to be the “face of change” for our nation by many. However, at the local polls in Lawnside, the young adult community was the “faces of change”. There were many young African- American men and women out voting, as anticipated this year.

“I saw a lot of young guys that were my age that I have never seen before in town but they were out in forces to vote. It was a beautiful thing,” said town resident, Moet Palmer, 21.

For Lawnside, the historically African- American, community, having Obama elected is remarkable.
“I still can’t believe he won. I cry every time I talk about it. I cried watching his speech; I watch it over and over again. I never thought I would be alive to see this day. It’s remarkable,” said town resident, Margaret Reeves, 70.

History was made, locally and nationally for our nation and the African- American community at large.

To check out Jean Jones’ election preview story click on this link here.

Senator Barack Obama took home a victory on November 4, but the high percentage of African-American voters may not have been what made the election go his way.

According to MSNBC, young voters had a record turnout on Election Day. Reports indicate that the youngest members of the country’s electorate voted Tuesday in higher numbers than any other election.

Diandra Schonyers, a freshman at Rowan University, voted for the first time on Tuesday, and she only turned 18 years-old two weeks before Election Day.

“After I voted, I felt like I voted for a candidate that has the best interest of a lot of people, that are my age, at heart”, said Schonyers.

Schonyers also previously said that she wasn’t voting for Obama because of his race, like a lot of people suspected. She voted for Obama because she believes that he will hold true to his promise of change. However, that didn’t stop her from expressing her feelings about him being the first African-American President of the United States.

“I was in shock because CNN said that they projected that the winner was Barack Obama”, Schonyers said. “I actually had to call my mom to see if it was real”.

Sixty-eight percent of young voters preferred Obama over John McCain. According to CIRCLE, a non-partisan organization that promotes research on the political engagement of Americans between ages 15 and 25, that is the highest share of youth vote obtained by any candidate since 1976.

“It’s actually extraordinary,” said Peter Levine, the director of CIRCLE. Traditionally, young people tend to support the same candidate, by roughly the same percentage, as voters older than 30, although they might be “just a tick or two more Democratic,” he says. “But because they are so apparently tilted in one direction, turnout becomes the issue.”

Kimberly Jordan, a freshman at Rowan University, also shared an experience similar to Schonyers. She too voted for the first time on Tuesday and she can’t believe that after her first time voting, she helped to elect the first African-American president.

“I felt like I was apart of history after I voted”, she said. “Even though I am black, I didn’t vote based on race, but him being black is an added bonus on top of all of his qualifications”.

Jordan also feels like Obama is setting an example for other children, even her own future children.

“All kids say, ‘when I grow up, I want to be the President’, but now it’s like, it really can happen”, said Jordan.

On Tuesday and even before that day, Rowan University students made their way back home to be apart of a historical election. Some even went as far as to Atlantic City, NJ to vote. Freshman, Abrina Hillson said that traveling wasn’t her issue because she took the time out a week ago, to mail in her absentee ballot.

Hillson, who was previously undecided about who she was going to vote for, ended up voting for Obama in this election. This was her first time voting as well, and she feels that she will forever be apart of history.

“Every one has their time to shine”, she said. “Now, it’s all of the African-American’s time to shine. We’ve been in this country for so long, so it’s about time we had a black leader. We’ve been behind the White House, we’ve been inside of the White House, but we’ve never had control of the White House”.

To check out Portia Porter’s election preview story click on this link here.

The 2008 presidential election has made history.  America has elected its first African-American president, Barack Obama.  Obama beat out Senator John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin with a popular vote of 64,058,618 to 56,499,923 and electoral vote of 349 to 163 respectively.

James Soos the 34 year-old electrician from Tinton Falls, NJ knows history is in the making but still cannot believe there is a Democrat back in the White House.  “I’m a little angry” he said, “But mostly scared.  And with a Democrat controlled Congress and three Supreme Court appointments he could change this country however he wants to.”

And that’s not all he had to say, Soos is very outspoken on this matter adding to his statement “The America we knew is gone.  We might have to rename the country.  Something like Obamica.  1776 to 2008.  Rest in Peace America.”

Ed Callirgos from Keyport, NJ has a totally different opinion on the matter.  “I’m glad the Democrats are back in office.  I’ve been waiting for this day since George Bush was elected.  And the fact that Obama won well that’s just awesome.  We’ve come so far as a nation and it’s about time we branch out from the men we’re used to electing.  The last election I was pacing around my house hoping for a victory in John Kerry until they announced Buch as the winner at 2 a.m.  And this year Obama won at 11 p.m.!  I couldn’t be prouder that our country had finally learned the error of its ways and has gone back to democrats in the White House.”

However let us not forget Prohibitionist Party candidate Gene Amondson who too was running for President of the United States.  He received 631 votes for president overall.  Soos said, “I’m not shocked by that at all, when your platform is basically taking away everything fun in this country how can you really expect to win?  True I’m not happy with who has won as I have stated but if it was Obama running against Amondson well then I don’t know what I would have done.  Move to Canada maybe?”

Callirgos who does believe in staying away from drugs and alcohol is disappointed Amondson didn’t receive more of the vote.  “If more people held views like mine and his I believe this country would be a better place.  And the fact that he only received 631 voted makes me sad.  Granted he wasn’t on the ballot in New Jersey and even if he was, well, I still wouldn’t have voted for him like I said but if more people held my views, then a vote for him wouldn’t be a ‘waste’ it would be progress.”

To check out Jessica Revere’s election preview story click on this link here.

Barack Obama was elected the 44th President in the history of the United States, handily defeating John McCain in Tuesday’s election. Obama is the first African-American to be elected the President of the U.S, and the first Democrat to be elected since then incumbent Bill Clinton defeated Bob Dole.

Garnering about 53% of the voters with a little over 64 million votes, Obama received just about 7.5 million more votes than McCain. With Missouri and North Carolina considered too close to call, Obama was still able to gather 349 electoral votes, more than enough to meet the 270 required to become President. Obama is also the first elected Democrat to win over 50% of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

A key to Obama’s victory was his ability to win states that John Kerry, the Democratic candidate four years ago, was not able to accomplish. The President-elect was able to gain key victories in Ohio, New Mexico, Iowa, Virginia, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, and Nevada, all of which voted for George Bush in 2004.

Among these unlikely state victories, Indiana and Virginia showed the true change that this election brought about in the United States. Each of these states traditionally vote Republican, but when Obama won each it was the first time that a Democrat has secured their electoral votes since 1964.

In his acceptance speech, Barack Obama not only relished his election victory, but looked toward the future, as he will be taking office on January 20th and has a lot of work to do to help America solve the problems that have plagued the nation since President Bush was elected in 2000.

While the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress,” Obama said, in front of the over one hundred thousand people at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.

Obama also discussed the future, saying, “There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem…. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.”

Obama will have the support of a Democratic majority in Congress, marking the first time that the Democratic Party will have control of the White House and Congress since 1994.

Now that the election is over, the real work only now begins. With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the United States facing their worst economic times in one hundred years, Obama has his work cut out for him, but it is a job that he is determined to complete.

“We may not get there in one year or even in one term,” he said. “But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.” Obama said.

To check out Anthony Sciarrino’s election preview story click on this link here.

College students across New Jersey cast their ballots, absentee or otherwise, in record numbers in the 2008 general elections.

According to state exit polls reported on CNN.com, voters between the ages 18 and 29 comprised 17 percent of the electorate. This puts the young voter demographic ahead of the 65+ group, which made up 15% of the electorate.

“I really wish I had bothered to find the forms for an absentee ballot,” Rowan University biology major Renee Ilori said Monday evening. The senior student hailing from Flemington in Hunterdon County said she faced at least an hour drive home to vote.

“As much as I want to be a part of this election, it does seem pretty inconvenient that I’ll be spending two hours on the road roundtrip just to get to and from the polls,” Ilori said.

So cumbersome was her drive, Ilori said, she decided to watch election results be tallied from her hometown.

“It would have been nice to go to an election day party or two to celebrate with friends, but I didn’t want to miss anything while I was on the road,” she said.

Meanwhile, junior business major Travis McDougal at Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus said the 20 minute drive home to Edison to vote was no problem.

“I’m usually making trips there to visit with my mom and brother and sister anyway. I did have trouble finding my polling place though,” he said Tuesday afternoon.

Fairleigh Dickinson senior biology major Tisha Hutchinson voted by absentee ballot back in September, she estimates.

“It was almost too easy and too convenient. I kind of wish I had been forced to go stand in line so I could feel like I was more a part of the whole process,” Hutchinson said.

She would have faced a relatively short trip home, Hutchinson said, as she would have had to travel only 40 minutes to reach her Middlesex County polling place.

“I dodged voting problems though,” she added. Hutchinson recalled stories she saw during Election Day coverage about problems at the polls.

Although several watchdog groups offered their services, in some cases lawyers sat ready to defend voters’ rights, problems cropped up here and there.

“That may just be because I wasn’t there when my absentee ballot was received and counted,” Hutchinson said. “I wish they would send you a receipt or something to let you know that you’ve been counted.”

To check out Stacy Jones’ election preview story click on this link here.

The 2008 Presidential election saw a remarkable spending increases in campaigns, political parties, and interest groups. This increase has made the 2008 Presidential election the costliest in history.

According to FEC, Federal Election Committee, numbers that were released on November 5, the total spending by candidates in the 2008 Presidential election was a whopping $1,536,096,379.

An even larger number, was the amount spent by campaigns, political parties, and interest groups in Congressional, as well as this Presidential election cycle. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the complete figure for this is $5.2 billion, up 27% from 2004′s $4.2 billion figure.

President elect, Barack Obama, and Presidential candidate, John McCain, were responsible for raising nearly $1 billion of that figure alone. Barack Obama, the victor in the battle for President, raised $639 million, while John McCain raised a total of $335 million. This disparity in fund-raising numbers can be attributed to McCain’s participation in public financing, which limited his fund-raising  in October and November.

This is not the first time that the winner of a Presidential race won by outspending their opponent. This has the been the case for many elections, including the previous two, in which then Governor George Bush outspend his opponent, Vice President Al Gore, in 2000, and outspent Senator John Kerry in the 2004 election.

The most remarkable thing, is not the numbers themselves, but the way in which this money is being raised. Obama’s fund-raising has been unparallel in history, yet has mostly received donations under $250. This was done by expanding the amount of donors immensely, by the use of a strong fund-raising apparatus, that included modern social networking sites, like facebook and twitter.

But what does this mean for elections to come? Will this change the way elections are run?

Some believe the record fund-raising by Barack Obama, while impressive, will hardly be able to be matched in Presidential elections to come. According to an interview for politico.com, an online only news publication, Anthony Corrado, a campaign finance expert, believes this to be true.

“The false reasoning is Obama is necessarily the new model, He had a perfect environment,” said Corrado, “He was an inspirational figure who already had celebrity status entering the race.” According to Corrado a large part of this has to do with an “extraordinary” primary race, coupled with his appeal to youth voters and skill at social networking.

When asked about the possibility of this being a recurring theme, Corrado asked himself, “Will the next presidential nominee be able to tap into all these facets?”

“Probably not,” said Corrado.

To check out Christopher Carmena’s election preview story click on this link here.

On Tuesday evening, Senator Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States in a virtual landslide.  An overwhelmingly long election highlighted by inspirational speeches, dirty ads, and the prospect of change had culminated with Americans nationwide electing the first African-American president.

Obama defeated Senator John McCain by nearly 7.5 million votes, acquiring 53 percent of the popular vote to McCain’s 46 percent.  As of November 6, Obama had accumulated 349 electoral votes to John McCain’s 163, and had won states on both coasts, the Midwest, and even the south.

In New Jersey, Obama also won handily, as polls and media pundits had predicted for months.  Students and faculty at Rowan University, a relatively liberal college in southern New Jersey, had previously noted that personality would be a key issue in how America voted.  McCain’s erratic campaign, marred by truth-stretching statements in front of the podium, a risky vice presidential pick, and a series of disastrous debates seemed to have put the final nail on the GOP’s coffin.

Howard Rau, 20, said that he believed McCain’s loss was at part his fault, as well as how the media projected him to be. 

“McCain’s campaign was very weak,” Rau said.  “His debates were spotty at best and the media grilled him for it. Most intelligent people could see how McCain and Palin would always respond with shallow retorts and usually tried to get off topic.”

Jeff Branchek, 20, agreed with Rau, citing McCain’s concession speech as an example of how he should have run his campaign.

“I really liked McCain’s concession speech,” Branchek said.  “He seemed like more of a normal guy.  If he had the same demeanor he did in his concession speech during the race it would’ve been much closer.”

Still, it seemed obvious by the results that the public was not too impressed by McCain’s strategy of attacking Obama for his inexperience all while failing to express his policies fully.  Obama came across as calm, cool, collected, intelligent, and just another everyday person who happened to be running for the presidency. 

“[Obama] seemed like someone who is on our level,” Dan Angelucci, 20, noted.  “He didn’t act distant or unrelated.  You could talk to him about health care, but you could also probably talk to him about movies and feel like he really listens.”

To check out John Gurbisz election preview story click on this link here.

As Kristie Bankes, 20, of Mantua N.J., stepped out of the polling booth this Tuesday, she received an enthusiastic “high-five” from her girl friend. This is the first Presidential election Bankes has had the opportunity to be a part of, and according to the demographics of this past election she is one of many young people making this first big step. Among the young voters under 30 casting their ballots, 69% gave their vote to Barack Obama. “I’m just so excited to be a part of this influential election,” explains Bankes, “I hope that Obama will bring change to this country like he promises, I know a lot of other people my age are feeling the same way.”

Democrat Barack Obama was elected the 44th President on Tuesday, making him the first African-American President. Obama won the race on Tuesday with 349 electoral votes, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain received 147. Obama’s victory was cemented with the votes of the key battle states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The popular vote showed a much closer race, Obama receiving 51.7% to McCain’s 47.1%.

Obama addressed the nation after his win at Chicago’s Grant Park. The speech drew a huge crowd, including well-known figures in the African-American community such as Oprah Winfrey and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Many in the crowd were seen in tears, overcome by the emotion of this influential night in American history. Chicago’s Grant Park was not the only place supporters gathered, Grand Central Park in New York City drew crowds of overjoyed and tearful followers who watched Obama’s address the nation in the bright advertisements and enormous screens. In New York’s Harlem, hundreds flocked to the Apollo Theater where music thumped and men played conga drums in celebration. In Philadelphia, evoking memories of fans flocking to Broad Street to celebrate the Phillies World Series win, an impromptu march gathered to make their way down Broad Street in commemoration of Obama’s victory. “I was at the rallies in Philadelphia after the Phillies won, the coverage of Obama’s win tonight is more exciting than even that!” exclaims Erica Power, 22, of West Deptford, N.J. “I knew this was going to be an exciting night but…whoa!”

On Tuesday night, with millions watching, a solemn Obama made his way to the podium. Obama’s address was considered more subdued than past President’s, he spoke of the enormity of this night in our nation’s history and called for the coming together of the country including all spectrums, both democrat and republican. “I felt his speech was spot on what our country needs to hear right now,” explains Christina Roginski of Bellmawr, N.J., “His speech was a culmination of all he had done this past election, as he said in his speech ‘Change is coming to America.’”

Our new president for the 2008-2009 Barack Obama was truly proud to stand in front his nation with such pride. So many Americans were not surprised about him winning because most Americans already see the changes that Obama will improve. The percentage between Obama and McCain was quite amazing because the last vote’s people saw were that Obama has 336 where McCain has 156.

Once Obama walked onto the platform, the audience got very emotional because they witness history.  All my friends and I were watching Obama when he gave his speech and I just started crying, it was emotional for me. It is a wonderful feeling to have an African American male leading our country. My family were so happy that my mother said she could not stop calling people on the phone and sharing her excitement. I know that this is kind of personal, but I wished I could have voted because I would have felt more confident. However, I am still proud that out country made the right and beautiful decision.

Being here in America has changed my life in so many ways and the last president that I feel like it helped me was Bill Clinton. And now Barack Obama is my second favorite and I know he is going to be incredible in helping our country. Also, seeing other people reactions made me sad because they were crying and I know they were tears of joy.

Based on the people I interviewed in my election story, were so excited that Obama won and taking over the country. “I am so excited that I could not go to sleep that night, finally there is history happening after all and Obama is going to be a wonderful president”, says Nicolette Cobbold.   “Bringing our troops is very important to me and I am so happy that Obama was elected for president, and I know he is going to make a wonderful president and get our troops back home” says Kristen Stobbe. According to Kris Marie Tucker, she was optimistic that Obama will get everyone to agree with him, and now that he is our new president, I know that he is going to improve health care much better for our nation. “First I was not sure that if Obama was elected for president, I thought that he might not be able to fellow through with everything he plans; but my perspective has definitely changed” says Laura Brown.

To check out Naza Hajra’s election preview story click on this link here.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 marked the end of one of the longest campaign seasons in decades. For Cumberland County residents it marked the beginning of a new season. A season that will bring a lot of change.

The results of the county’s election brought in many new faces to the local government. One of those faces is that of Jane Jannarone. Jannarone, a Democrat, was running for the first time as county freeholder and was elected along with all four of her ticket mates. That election removed long time county surrogate, Arthur Marchand, and county sheriff, Michael Barruzza, from office. Douglas Rainear was elected as surrogate, with Robert Austino stepping in as the new county sheriff.

The local polls reported heavy volume for the election Tuesday. Vineland residents, Bart and Jan Feldman, said that they had to wait for over twenty minutes when they went to vote at 7 am. “Usually I’m number thirty five. Once I was somewhere in the fifties when I got there later than usual. Today I was early and I was number sixty five,” Bart Feldman said.

When looking at the large turnout, compared the amount of work done in the campaign, some candidates felt they hadn’t completely gotten what they worked for. “Half and half,” Jannarone said. “We put out a good amount of work and we definitely earned our win. But I think a lot of the turnout had to do with the Obama factor. I don’t know if things would have been different if that factor hadn’t been there.”

Some of the work that Democrat candidates did was one on one. They went to local Wawa’s and supermarkets and talked to people as they came in and out of the store. Several of them also did some door to door work. “If I was doing this over again I possibly would have started earlier with the one on one stuff,” Jannarone said. “But I feel like we did almost everything we needed to do.”

Now that she has been elected Jannarone has a lot to say to the people of Cumberland County. “I am definitely going to work as hard as I can, which I have proved through my campaign,” she stated. “I’m going to listen and learn from the citizens of Cumberland County to help improve the quality of life around here.”

To check out Shayna Singer’s election preview story click on this link here.

With Barack Obama being the newly elected President, it is clear that change is on its way to America. With change comes lots of planning. Most people want change to happen soon, that is what almost every American wants, but change is not going to happen in the near future. Change takes time, and Americans need to understand that. Obama even mentioned in his acceptance speech that it will take time, and for them to be patient.

Another thing that is clear is the impact both Barack Obama and John McCain have had on young voters. 7 out of 10 first time voters, mostly between the ages of 18-22, voted for this election, which is much higher then the 2004 election.

One of Obama’s proposals is a $60 billion tax cut for middle and lower income people. These tax cuts will create jobs and new spending for public works projects. Obama is under pressure to make sure his proposals get done right and that jobs are created sooner then later.

Adam Asher, a recent college graduate who currently works for ABC News radio in New York City, says college was a big burden for many of his friends.

“Luckily for me, my parents paid for the majority of my college education. I can’t say the same for most of my friends though. We just graduated a few months ago and they are already stressing out about paying back their loans.”

Making college more affordable is something Asher believes would help out so many people, so when students come out of school they don’t have such large debts to pay off and can concentrate on getting a job.

“Students would have more time finding jobs and won’t pressure them so much to pay off huge loans,” said Asher.

McCain supporters are very cautious for Obama. Christie Brennfleck, a 2008 graduate of Rowan University and first time voter, is one of them.

“Everyone is praising Obama, but they shouldn’t be praising him until something is accomplished,” said Brennfleck. “He has to get the housing market back on track and strengthen the stock market and. He has to cut the national debt, which will hopefully lead to more jobs being created. He should stop shipping jobs and outsourcing jobs to India and China. He should give tax breaks to companies that use U.S. labor. Until at least one of those things are accomplished, he doesn’t have my praise yet.”

Voices have been heard in this past election, now that Obama has been elected, people are hoping that they will be put to good use.

To check out Julie Shannon’s election preview story click on this link here.

Many members of the predominately African-American community of Lawnside, N.J., young and old, have taken a huge interest in this year’s presidential election for many different reasons, more than in previous years.

There is a major difference in the current 2008 presidential election than in previous years. The difference surfaced in the primaries when a woman, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and a black man, Sen. Barack Obama, joined the race for president of the United States. The victory of either of the two would make history; there has never been a woman or a black man as the president of the U.S.

In the Borough of Lawnside, according to statistics, 62.36% are registered Democrats, 38.86% are registered Republicans, and 0.79% are independent. With the majority of the community Democratic, it would be safe to say whoever was the Democratic candidate, whether it be Clinton or Obama, would have won the majority of the town’s votes either way.

However, this election has grabbed the attention of more than just the normal voters, who religiously go out and vote every year, and those who pay close attention to the race each term; it has grabbed the attention of the youth and young adults more than usual.

“I would never usually even care about the election if Obama wasn’t running,” said Ryan Kersey, 22 year-old Lawnside resident.

Kersey isn’t the only young adult who feels the same way on the issue of whether or not the only reasons many of the community’s young people are paying attention to the election just because there is a black man running for president.

“I come from a large family of politics; I have always paid attention to the election, although never as much as this year. I actually have Obama memorabilia,” says Janine Bryant, 19-year-old Lawnside resident.

While Bryant represents some of the younger residents and their newfound interests in the election, there are also many older members of the community who have taken interest solely on the fact that a black man is a presidential candidate.

“I am not one to really care about politics, I am a registered Democrat, therefore I would have voted for whoever was the Democratic candidate, just because I feel it is my civil duty. But now I watch the debates and listen to the news updates and a lot of my interest has to do with the chances that a black man might be our president,” said Wilma Parker, 47-year-old Lawnside resident.

Parker’s biggest reason for voting for Obama may be because he is black, but for many it would take more than just the color of his skin to get them to vote for Obama.

The historically African-American borough has a history of being firm about their politics, but that doesn’t mean that everyone in the town has intentions on voting for the same political party, however the fact that a black man is running has changed the opinion of one man. Levi Combs III, 22-year-old well-known black Republican, has decided he will vote for Obama, a Democrat.

According to Combs’ Facebook page, he has joined groups such as Republicans for Obama, a group that is “a grassroots organization of proud party members who all share one important trait— we are Americans first and Republicans second. (Even if it is a close second.) Founded in late 2006 as part of the nationwide effort to encourage Senator Obama to run for the Presidency, our volunteer-run, grassroots group now includes over 2000 registered members from across the nation,” according to the group’s home page on www.facebook.com.

The decision of citizens like Combs and the rest of the Republicans who are deciding to vote for Barack Obama shines a different light on the reasons many may have assumed African Americans are voting for Obama; on the sole basis that he is of African-American decent opposed to political views.

The reasoning behind the new change of interest in politics, after conducting various interviews, seems to be because many believe Obama brings something new to the table, and that is what many believe this country needs at this time.

“I have been registered to vote for as long as the law allowed. I have been active in my community’s political advising for many years. I would vote Democrat no matter who was running, but with Obama running I feel more confident and excited about my choice. He is a new face and different breath of air,” said Valerie Wallace, Lawnside resident.

It is hard for many to grasp the concept that in just 15 days they will step into a voting booth and see the name of a black man on the ballot.

“I am 70 years old, and I could have never imagined this day would ever come. Even if Barack Obama doesn’t win, just seeing him make it this far before I die is satisfying,” said Margaret Reeves, neighboring town resident.

According to recent polls, Obama is leading the race. Reeves as well as other African-American citizens who want Obama to win may just see history being made on Nov. 4.

The new interest in the current election is important for this country. The slogan for Obama’s campaign is based upon the word “change”, and that is exactly what many voters are hoping for.

“White, black, it doesn’t matter. I just want to see change in the office. I am sick of the Bush administration. I do believe Obama is the answer,” said Fanta Rosado, Lawnside resident.

The times are changing. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced on “Meet the Press” he will be crossing party lines and endorsing Obama, according to the official Web site of Obama, www.barackobama.com.

The change in Powell reiterates the facts that Americans as a whole, more than just the citizens of Lawnside, N.J., are ready for change, and have taken a huge interest in seeing that change comes.