2022 Election Night from Michener Library

By: Seth DiMarino and Zvi Gutierrez

WELD COUNTY, Colo. - Election night has come and is a very controversial topic. In
the Senate alone, 34 seats are up for grabs along with all of the 435 seats in the House of
Representatives. The election is crucial for which party will gain power in Congress. Along with
representative control up for change, many controversial laws will be voted on and potentially
implemented. Students at Michener Library reacted live to incoming election results tonight.

“I usually vote for the Democratic party,” said Katie Nord, a Junior communications
major. “But I’m not a line voter. I vote based off their policies.”

Proposition 124 and 126 are a hot topic of discussion for this midterm election since each
one will be changing Colorado’s liquor laws. Prop. 124 is trying to allow retail liquor retailers to
open an unlimited number of locations that would start in 2037. Currently, Colorado’s liquor
laws only allow retailers to have three locations in the state. By 2027, if the proposition passes,
the liquor law will allow retailers to have 13 stores. In 2032, it’ll jump from 13 to 20 stores.
Then, the end goal would be by 2037, liquor retailers can operate an unlimited amount of stores
within the state.

“I voted that they should be allowed to have multiple licenses since my dad owns a liquor
store.” Nord said. “Local businesses need to be able to grow.”

Also dealing with alcohol, Prop. 126 would allow third-party delivery services such as
Uber Eats and DoorDash to deliver alcohol to people 21 years or older. People are in support of
this proposition because during the pandemic, the ability to order alcoholic beverages from
takeout places boosted Colorado’s restaurant revenues at a time when in-person dining wasn’t
allowed. This ends in July 2025. Prop. 126 would be adding guidelines on age restriction for
delivering the alcohol and would allow liquor and grocery stores to not have a limit on how
much revenue can come from alcoholic delivery, restaurants and bars would still have a limit on
only being able to sell a certain amount.

While waiting for the polls to close, in Michener the studying was at a minimum as the
library was buzzing with political opinions. While being far busier than usual at this time of day,
groups of students were discussing their opinions on potential changes and what the future of
Colorado could look like. The groups of students were very loud and talking in a very aggressive
tone at times. They were clearly becoming divided based on their opinions of tonight's election.

“When it comes to stuff like this, people need to understand how important it is to
vote,”said Spencer Cheek, a Sophomore nursing major. “No matter what your opinion is, you
make a difference.”
 Once 7 p.m. hit, the debates got a little more heated since the polls officially closed in
Colorado. People were seeing the initial results come in with Jared Polis looking like he will stay
the governor of Colorado.

“I’m glad that Polis will still be our governor,” Cheek said. “It’s nice to know some stuff
will still be the same.”

Other propositions are falling behind with voters such as proposition 122. Prop. 122 deals
with legalizing and decriminalizing psychedelic plants for people over the age of 21. Some other
major propositions that are boding well is Prop. FF. This proposition raises the taxes on people
who make more than $300,00 a year, which is roughly the top 5% of Coloradoans.