As of the time this article is being written, The Associated Press has called the Presidential Race and multiple news outlets have announced that the 46th president and the winners of the 2020 election will be Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris. There are some states still counting their votes and speculations that a recount will be called; however, even with the uncertainty surrounding the presidential results this election has already proved itself to be one of the most progresive and inclusive elections in U.S. history.
1. Kamala Harris Becomes the First Woman Vice President
Kamala Harris is of multi-enthic and racial background as a Black and Asian American woman. Meaning that not only is Harris projected to become the first female Vice President in the entire history of the United States; but the first female Vice President is going to be a person of color which is an incredibly big deal and a historic moment towards more diversity and inclusion in the White House.
2. Arizona Voted Blue for the Second Time Since 1948
Apart from the Democratic-elect Bill Clinton in 1996, the state of Arizona has traditionally voted for the Republucan candidates. Making Joe Biden only the second Democratic candidate the state has voted for since 1948, flipping Arizona from red to blue.
3. Arizona Has Two Democratic State Senators for the First Time in 70 Years
With retired astronaut and Democratic candidate, Mark Kelly, beating out Republican party candidate, Martha McSally, he joins Kyrsten Sinema in the Arizona senate seats. Making this the first time in 70 years Arizona has had two members of the Democratic party as the state senators.
4. Arizona Joins the Growing List of States to Legalize the Use of Recreational Marijuana
Proposition 207 was just passed in Arizona. Meaning that those 21 years of age and older will be able to possess up to a gram of marijuana and grow up to six marijuana plants at home (up to 12 if there is more than one adult living in the house). And, once medical-marijuana dispensaries file for and receive their new, updated license they can begin to sell the drug to adults. This prop passing also means that “people who were arrested, charged with, adjudicated or convicted, or sentenced for possessing two and a half ounces or less of marijuana, not more than 12.5 grams of concentrate, or having six marijuana plants, or marijuana paraphernalia, can petition to have the record expunged” (Randazzo, 2020).
5. Oregon Decriminalized the Use of Hard Drugs
Measure 110 was just passed in Oregon decriminalizing the possession of hard drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone. Now this does not mean these drugs are legal for recreational use, but instead changes how the justice system in Oregon will treat those found with the drugs on them or in their system. “Instead of going to trial and facing possible jail time, a person would have the option of paying a $100 fine or attending new “addiction recovery centers” funded by millions of dollars of tax revenue from Oregon’s legalized, regulated marijuana industry” (Selsky, 2020).
6. Here are more of the senators and legislators that made history in the 2020 election, and are paving the way for inclusivity and diversity of those in power:
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Mondaire Jones Becomes the First Openly Gay Black Member of Congress
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Ritchie Torres Becomes the First LGBTQ+ Afro-Latino Congressman
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Sarah McBride Becomes the Highest Ranking Transgender Public Office in the U.S
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Mauree Turner Becomes the First Nonbinary State Legislator
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Cori Bush Becomes the First Black Woman Elected to Represent Missouri in Congress
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Kim Jackson Becomes the First Openly LGBTQ+ Person Elected to the Georgia State Senate
Randazzo, R. (2020, November 05). Legal recreational marijuana in Arizona: What you need to know. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2020/11/04/what…
Selsky, A. (2020, November 04). Oregon leads the way in decriminalizing hard drugs. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from https://apnews.com/article/oregon-first-decriminalizing-hard-drugs-01edc…