By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor Former President Donald Trump is the winner of the 2024 presidential election. The announcement came at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, according to the Associated Press (AP). As of press time, Trump has earned 295 electoral votes. A simple majority of 270 votes is required to be declared the winner. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the election results were announced Tuesday evening. Vice President Kamala Harris is projected to win Massachusetts by 61.3%, according to AP. Cities and towns across the state will have 14 days to submit official results to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, according to the Secretary of State’s website. Throughout the day on Tuesday and after the results were announced on Wednesday, students shared their concerns about the future of the nation under a second Trump presidency. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the Department of Political Science, Law, and Global Studies hosted “The 2024 Presidential Election Watch Party” in the McCarthy Forum. Political Science Chair Joseph Coelho said the goal of the event was to get students across campus to “come together and have a civil discussion about politics, but make it more of a social event rather than just something that's very formal. “We intended to create an environment where students could enjoy each other's company, while discussing political issues,” Coelho added. Coelho said throughout the night, he heard conversations fueled by “a lot of anxiety. Who's going to win? Who’s not going to win? About the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza … and just in general, the economy and the prospects of getting a job once they get out of [college].” Political Science Professor Thomas Severo said awareness about political issues is an important part of understanding democracy. “I think just getting people out here to watch this and have a community that they can share and talk about their opinions is a great way to spark an interest in politics for people,” Severo said. “There are a lot of people here tonight because there's free pizza and extra credit, and there are a lot of people here tonight because they genuinely care about the election. I think we're doing the biggest service for the former group, for the people who are like, ‘Hey, I'll see what this is all about,’ and then maybe they latch on to something and say, ‘Oh, this is actually a big deal, and I can get involved, and I can make a difference in my community,” he added. Political Science Professor Guliano Espino said the energy was “high at the beginning of the evening. However, the mood grew somber as the night progressed and many students began to realize their preferred candidate was not going to win.” President Nancy Niemi said, “It’s wonderful to see students come together and see the school supporting them coming together to pay attention to something that's pivotal to the next steps in how our country works.” Niemi said regardless of the outcome of the election, “We should be continuing to have more frequent and more robust conversations about what civic participation means. It's been studied for a long time around the country how people are less civically engaged." She added the watch party was an opportunity for everyone to demonstrate to each other how they can participate in all aspects of the community. Niemi said participating in democracy is an important aspect of being an active member of a community. “Yes, it's voting, but it's so much more. Any chance that we can develop what it means to be part of a community, and the ways in which you can engage, is really important.” On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the the Department of Political Science, Law, and Global Studies hosted two events. The first, in the Henry Whittemore Library, was “Unpacking the results.” The event focused on “understanding the current election results and the evolving state of the race,” with the goal of having “an engaging discussion that unpacks what we know so far and explores the implications of our political landscape,” according to an email sent by Niemi. The second event took place in the Center for Inclusive Excellence. It was called “Decompress & Discuss: Understanding the Election Results.” The event was hosted by Espino and focused on discussing “the election results and their broader implications. … This space offers a chance to unwind, reflect, and gain an informed perspective on the outcomes.” Espino’s panel specifically dealt with de-stressing after the election. Turnout and engagement was incredible given the short turnaround time for creating and advertising the panel series,” he said. He added, “it is important to stress that action can still be taken at the state and local level if you are unhappy with the partisan composition of the national government.” “Students have found it reassuring to have it explained how our system of government was intentionally designed to make it difficult to get policy priorities passed,” Espino said. “Furthermore, the filibuster in the Senate requires most contentious legislation to get 60 votes for approval, which will likely mitigate many extreme measures that the Trump administration may try to enact,” he added. Sophomore Jamie Kuenzel said she was “very nervous” on election night. She added the election watch party gave students “open access to information. People might not be able to access this without an open environment. I feel like it makes people more willing to want to engage with democracy.” Kuenzel said professors in the political science department are very supportive about researching and looking at past candidates and the policies they wanted to enact. Senior Sofia Wilson said she was feeling “very nervous” about the election. “To be frank, I wasn't super excited for any of the candidates, but I feel confident that I made the right choice for what I want to see happen.” Wilson said she put an emphasis on researching the five ballot questions because they have the most immediate impact on her and life as a Massachusetts resident. She added, “I think a lot of the campus community really cares. … I think that genocide and Palestine is a really big one right now in a lot of communities on campus, and I think a lot of queer communities on campus really care about this election, because I know that it poses a great threat to a lot of people right now.” Wilson said the event “makes it more accessible to people. … I'm a double major in political science and English and I get access to a lot of this stuff, but I know people who don't major in political science and they don't see it on a daily basis. So I feel like events like this invite people to come in - even if you don't agree with people in the room.” In the race for the Senate, Democrat Elizabeth Warren was reelected with 59.6% of the vote, defeating her Republican opponent John Deaton, according to AP. Ballot Question 1 passed with 71.6% of the vote. The state auditor now has the authority to audit the Legislature, according to AP. Ballot Question 2 passed with 59.0% of the vote, according to AP. The act eliminates the requirement that students must pass the MCAS in order to graduate high school. Students are still required to complete coursework that meets standards set by the state. Ballot Question 3, the right for rideshare operators to unionize, passed with 53.8% of the vote, according to AP. Rideshare operators now have the option to form unions to collectively bargain with rideshare companies regarding wages, benefits, and conditions of work. Ballot Question 4, the limited legalization of psychedelics, did not pass, with 57.0% voting against the act, according to AP. If the measure had passed, it would have allowed citizens over the age of 21 to use natural psychedelic substances under supervision of a medical professional, and to grow and possess limited quantities of those substances in their homes. Ballot Question 5, which proposed increasing wages for tipped workers over a five-year period, did not pass, with 64.3% of the population voting in opposition, according to AP. If the act had passed, it would have increased the minimum hourly wage an employer has to pay a tipped worker. It would have been implemented over five years, at which point employers could pool all tips and distribute them to all restaurant workers. On election day, there were 10 polling locations across the City of Framingham. This included The Farley Building located on Flagg Drive. Luis Fernandez, 31, class of ’16, voted at the Farley Building and said he felt “apprehensive” after leaving the polls. He added, “I've been trying to not get bogged down with all of the minutiae of all the politicking back and forth and all the ‘B.S.’ To me, I'm more worried about the stuff that will actually impact us.” Fernandez said he is a local restaurant owner and Question 5 was an important issue to him this election. “After speaking to all of my staff and so many different staff members of different restaurants, we all don't want question five to pass, especially because it's being proposed by an out-of-state organization that has nothing to do with how we do our business in Massachusetts,” he said, Fernandez added, “Do I agree that the tipping system that we have in this country makes sense? Absolutely not. But it's also a house of cards, and if you just pull a card from the bottom without properly supporting the actual industry, it's all going to come crumbling down.” Sophomore Ashley Carvajal, who voted at the Farley Building, said she felt as if she “saved the world” after voting. Caravjal said access to abortion was an issue she felt strongly about going into this election season. She also said the MCAS ballot question was important to her. “I thought it was stressful, so I don't think it's necessary.” Sophomore Meghan Tomasi said she felt scared after the election. “I know a lot of my family members have things like IUDs, so that increases their risk for ectopic pregnancy and without abortions, they won't be able to get the treatment they need in case something unfortunate does happen.” Tomasi said she was also concerned about her own rights. Sophomore Katherine Evers said she felt “not great. It did not go the way I wanted at all. I was really upset when I found out Kamala Harris didn’t win. I'm feeling really pessimistic about the future of the country. I think it's going to become more authoritarian and rights for women and climate change protections are going to be reduced.” Evers added, “It scares me that he won the popular vote and that so many people believe in his message. I don't think it bears well for future elections and the kind of people that voters will be choosing.” Senior Andreas Schaniotakis said he is “ feeling hopeful, because we got through it last time. “Reproductive rights were extremely important to me. I think that overall freedoms regarding that need to be upheld and preserved.” Sophomore Makyle Hayes said he was disappointed with the results. The presidential election officially concluded when Harris offered her concession to President-elect Trump on Wednesday, Nov. 6. [Editor’s Note: The information in this article is subject to change as ballots continue to be counted nationally. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.apnews.com.]