Weber State University students were invited to an Election Night Watch party on Nov. 8 to watch the ballots come in and see who was elected in the 2022 midterm elections.

The event, hosted by WSU’s department of political science, took place in Lindquist Hall, starting at 7 p.m. Professor Leah Murray, the head of the political science department, hosted the event. The watch party finished around 9 p.m. after most of the national results had come in and been decided.

Around 30 students attended, most of which were either political science students or studying a similar social science.

Midterm elections are not as popular as presidential elections, with only 40% of voters participating in midterms and 50-60% of voters participating in presidential elections, but midterms still have an impact on U.S. citizens.

“Voting in midterms is important because it demonstrates political continuity and a proclivity to remain involved in issues that are not popular,” Tyson Reese, a political science student who attended the event, said.

The event included a broadcast of the national election results, pizza eating, and students debating for each candidate on the Utah ballot.

Though Utah politics were the hot topic of the night, nationwide elections were discussed including Georgia, Idaho and Ohio senate elections.

Summer Thompson, a senior political science student, was one of the attendees for the event. She participated in the political conversation and commented on the results as they came in through the night.

“I came tonight to hang out with my friends and to hear their opinions on the elections,” Thompson said.

In the 2022 midterm election, Utah voted for seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as Utah Amendment A, which would set a limit on spending approved during special sessions of legislature.

Utah residents re-elected Republican Rep. Blake Moore as the winner for the District 1 seat in the House of Representatives and re-elected Republican Sen. Mike Lee for the seat in the Senate.

Lee has been a Utah senator since 2011, and Moore has been the Utah District 1 representative since January 2022. Utah residents also voted against Utah Amendment A.