On Nov. 4, Barack Obama was elected the 44th president. As the first African-American man ever to be elected president of the United States, his success is a significant achievement for equality for all races, a battle once led by Martin Luther King Jr. that is still ongoing today.

“It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America,” Obama said in his acceptance speech at Grant Park in his home state of Illinois.

In this historic race, Obama received a total of 349 electoral votes out of 538, significantly more than the 270 needed to secure the victory. When Eastern states such as New York and New Jersey began submitting their votes, the candidates stayed nearly fifty-fifty in the popular vote, but Obama had a decisive lead in electoral votes. When Ohio contributed its sufficient 20 electoral votes to Obama, it was projected that Senator John McCain’s chances to win were diminishing. At 8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Obama received enough electoral votes from the Western states, like California and Washington, to secure his lead.

“This election is the first time I felt like I wasn’t voting for the lesser of two evils,” English teacher Jordan Huizing said. “I felt like I was voting with my heart and spirit.”

The presidential election drew record voter turnout. “I am encouraged by the political participation.” U.S. Government teacher Mark Weisman said, “It was awesome that so many people went out to take part in the system.” The Associated Press figures show that a little over 123 million people cast their ballots in this election, with a voter turnout rate of 56 percent, surpassing the 122.3 million votes cast in the 2004 election.

“It’s good that we are probably going to see a change,” junior Tarina Cooper said.

Some Americans describe McCain's concession speech as dignified, gracious and one of the best speeches he has ever given. “My friends,” he said to a crowd of supporters in his home state of Arizona, “we have come to the end of a long journey.”

McCain still has many supporters across the nation, taking 47 percent of the popular vote while trailing Obama by fewer than 10 million votes. “I am glad Obama won, but I still hold a deep respect for McCain,” sophomore Leonard Woo said.

The country is expecting immediate action on many issues from President-Elect Obama. “I think it puts America in the right direction,” senior Nora Boyd said. Expectations are extremely high due to President George Bush’s low approval rating. “I hope that [Obama] will improve the economy, war and break down some of the cultural differences that still exist in the world today,” English teacher Nicole Cohen said.

Obama’s future plans will include not raising taxes for American families making under $250,000 annual income. Foreign policy is also a huge priority. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hope to develop a trade policy that widens foreign markets supporting good domestic jobs. Obama plans to curb the spread of nuclear weapons by negotiating a global ban on the production of new nuclear weapon material.

“[This election] makes me hopeful for us as a species,” Huizing said.