GOT A NEWS TIP? E-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. INDEX Vol. CXXXII, No. 99 ©2022 The Michigan Daily NEWS............................1 A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 STAT E M ENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 O P I N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1 michigandaily.com For more stories and coverage, visit Follow The Daily on Instagram, @michigandaily michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Wednesday, November 16, 2022 ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Michigan voters have approved Proposal 3, also known as Reproductive Freedom For All, with 54% voting in support and 46% of votes counted, according to NBC News. Proposal 3 is a constitutional amendment that enshrines the right to abortion, birth control and other forms of reproductive healthcare in the Michigan Constitution. The initiative gathered a record- breaking 753,000 signatures in its support, of which the Board of State Canvassers estimates around 596,000 were valid. The proposal was initially kept off the ballot after the two Democrats and two Republicans on the board split the vote on whether to certify the initiative. Following an appeal from Reproductive Freedom For All, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled it would appear on the ballot. The amendment repeals Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban that criminalizes all abortions except to save the life of the pregnant person. While currently blocked by a preliminary injunction following a lawsuit from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the overturning of Roe v. Wade opened up the possibility of its enforcement. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Nursing senior Linda Camp said she was excited to vote yes on Proposal 3 this Election Day. Proposal 3 passes with 56.7% of vote NEWS SAMANTHA RICH Daily Staff Reporter Read more at MichiganDaily.com As temperatures dropped to the low 40s, over a hundred students and local residents stood in line — bundled up with blankets and cradling cups of hot chocolate — outside the University of Michigan Museum of Art polling station for hours after it officially closed at 8 p.m. The Ann Arbor City Clerk Satellite Office at UMMA opened on Sept. 27 and remained open until the last voter of the night, Rackham student Erik Pedersen, cast his ballot at 2:05 a.m. after waiting in line for 6 hours. “I was teaching my classes and I didn’t have time (to vote) at any point during the day,” Pedersen said. “I saw the line out here and I felt I had to make the effort to get out here and I got in line just in time as they were closing the doors.” As a speaker radiated music between the campus buildings next to the Diag, the atmosphere was filled with excitement and eagerness from the students lined up outside, despite the late hour. Pedersen said the support from volunteers impacted his decision to wait out the line. “E veryone’s been very supportive and upbeat,” Pedersen said. “People have been bringing me pizza. This coat and blanket is not mine — somebody gave it to me and everybody’s been very nice so far.” Kulin Oak, LSA and Business senior, said he joined the UMMA line around 7:30 p.m. and would continue to wait despite the cold weather. As a Michigan resident, Oak said he is taking advantage of same- day registration. “I know that if I don’t stay in the line, I miss my chance to vote, and I don’t want to let people who have different views than myself vote on policy that’s gonna affect me and my family,” Oak said. “So I want to at least give my best shot at having my voice be heard.” Oak said he was particularly interested in casting a vote for incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and voting ‘Yes’ on Proposal 3, a ballot initiative that would enshrine the right to an abortion and other reproductive health measures in the Michigan Constitution. “I’m excited to vote for Whitmer,” Oak said. “I know also with Prop 3 being on the ballot, it’s really important to show support for that. I know that there are things across the ticket, but those are the two main things I was interested in voting (for).” Public Policy junior Eva Hale, co-president of Students for Whitmer, said she has been at the UMMA polling location since 11 a.m. to support those waiting in line in the cold. She said volunteers from all around the city came to the line throughout the day to donate blankets and food. “We’re really just trying to make sure people are okay in line,” Hale said. “We have a ton of pizza, loads of blankets and we’re giving people snacks.” As the end of the line slowly crept closer and closer to the UMMA entrance, Hale stood on the grass field outside the building collecting and folding blankets with around a dozen other volunteers. Multiple community members credited the support to social media posts from Washtenaw County Democratic Party chair Chris Savage. Hale said the remaining blankets and food will be donated to the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County at the Delonis Center as well as Miller Manor, both local homeless shelters. Molly Ging, a longtime Ann Arbor resident, said she had been at the UMMA location volunteering for over two hours after seeing Twitter posts about how long students had been in line. As a mother in Ann Arbor, Ging said these posts inspired her to come out and support students waiting in the cold. “When that bat signal was sent out, all my mom friends came out with food and hand warmers,” Ging said. “If we hear they’re hungry and cold, we will be there.” Ann Arbor resident Julia Hale said she had been offered blankets, hand warmers, pizza, McDonald’s chicken nuggets, chocolate, granola bars, cheese, tea, coffee and hot chocolate while she was waiting to vote. She said at some point, a volunteer was walking around taking orders from prospective voters about what they needed. “I’ve gotta see it through; I have to see it through,” Julia Hale said. “I’ve been out here for like two hours now. I just feel like our country is in a really fucked up place…. I believe in doing my part for harm reduction.” KRISTINA ZHENG & ANNA FIFELSKI Managing News Editor and Daily News Editor Students stand in long lines after dark NEWS The Michigan Democratic Party announced Thursday that state Rep. Joe Tate, D-Detroit, will be the next House speaker and state Sen. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, will be the next Senate majority leader. The move comes after Michigan Democrats gained control of the governorship and both houses of the state legislature for the first time since 1984. Tate is currently serving his second term in the House, where he holds the position of vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee. He will be the state of Michigan’s first Black House speaker. In an interview with The Michigan Daily on Friday, Tate said House Democrats will continue working toward the priorities they’ve held in the past, which include workers’ rights, infrastructure investments and environmental protections. Tate said while he will bring his personal life experiences to this role, he also wants to ensure that the House’s legislation is representative of a diversity of voices and backgrounds in the state. “We are a diverse group that live in the state of Michigan and that was reflected in this leadership race,” Tate said. “I’m going to bring my experiences as a Black man, as a Detroiter to this role as speaker, but also, we know that what we do in the House — the policies that we vote on and the laws that we pass — we want to make sure that it will have a positive impact New House speaker, Senate leader make history NEWS SAMANTHA RICH Daily Staff Reporter Read more at MichiganDaily.com MICHIGAN GOES BLUE Michigan’s 2022 election saw a midterm-record 4.45 million voters turn out to the polls, resulting in a Democratic trifecta in the Michigan House, Senate and Governor seat for the first time in nearly 40 years. Voters across the state, including University of Michigan students, faculty and community members, voted on some pivotal issues, including abortion, crime, the economy, immigration, inflation and student debt. From early in the morning to late into the night, students and Ann Arbor residents sat through hours of cold on Nov. 8 waiting to vote at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, and countless others made their way to designated polling locations between Tuesday’s classes. With wins from incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, many U-M students said they feel hopeful for the future and the state of Michigan. LSA sophomore Philip Rentschler said he was especially glad to see the Democratic Party take control of the trifecta of state politics, with control of both legislative chambers along with the governor’s office. “I’m excited to see the Democratic Party hold this trifecta,” Rentschler said. “Although I find the Democratic Party to be less progressive than I’d like it to be, they’re still more likely to move forward than their opposition is. With this much hold over the legislative process, I hope to see them do just that. For example, I’d love to see them push for better education funding, climate regulation, racial equality, sexual equality and so forth while they have the best chance to do so.” LSA freshman Natalie Wise said she felt inspired by the voter turnout this year, which made history in the state of Michigan. At the University, students waited outside for as long as six hours in order to cast a ballot. The last student in line voted at 2:05 a.m., after getting in line just before the deadline at 8 p.m. JOSHUA NICHOLSON & ERYN STERN Daily Contributors See BLUE WAVE, Page 3 TESS CROWLEY/Daily JENNA HICKEY/Daily Students wait in line to vote and register at the UMMA Tuesday night. LILA TURNER/Daily A student wraps herself in a blanket as she waits in line to register to vote in the UMMA at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. GRACE BEAL/Daily Business junior Odhran Moloney lays on the floor of the UMMA and works on his laptop as he waits in line to register and vote at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. Moloney, an exchange student from Ireland and dual citizen in America, stated that he did not mind the five-hour wait to cast his first vote in the United States. Democrats control state trifecta for first time since 1984 MI voters approve constitutional right to reproductive freedom Same-day registration leads to hour-long waits Joe Tate, Winnie Brinks promote increased representation See STUDENTS WAIT IN LINE, Page 3