Shortly after 11 p.m. last night, the anxious and excited chatter of Brandeis students gathered in the Shapiro Campus Center atrium turned into whoops of joy (with a few groans of defeat) as the giant screen showing NBC's coverage of the presidential election projected President Barack Obama as the winner. Obama's victory in Ohio was the deciding factor, bringing him over the minimum 270 electoral votes required to gain a second term in the Oval Office.

In the final count, Obama won the hotly contested state with 50 percent support over Romney's 48.3 percent, according to the Washington Post. Toward the end of the race, several political pundits said that Ohio could make or break Romney's presidential hopes. As recently as Saturday, a poll conducted by NBC News, the Wall Street Journal and Marist College showed Obama with support from 51 percent of the state's voters, a six-point lead over Romney, while many voters were still undecided.

Before Florida's results were finalized, the electoral vote tally was 303 to 206. Obama also won the popular vote by the slimmest of margins, 57,886,061 to 55,979,738, according to the Washington Post's early morning count. Third-party candidates such as Independent Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein claimed 1,777,624 individual and no electoral votes.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney conceded defeat just before 1 a.m. on Wednesday. "This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray the President will be successful in guiding our nation," said Romney during the speech in Boston, in which he also thanked his team and his supporters across the nation.

Democratic President Obama's victory, the culmination of a divisive and extremely tight race, was a point of pride for Brandeis College Democrats officers and members, who cohosted the results viewing party in the atrium with Young Americans for Liberty, the Brandeis Libertarian Conservative Union, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, the Queer Policy Alliance and Google.

While Colorado, Nevada and Florida were too close to call at the time, students initially erupted in joy as Florida's preliminary results were shown.

Alex Faye '15, legislative affairs coordinator for the Brandeis Democrats, stood on his chair and raised his arms in victory with the other club officers and members when it appeared that Obama would win Florida.

"I feel absolutely fantastic," said Faye in an interview with the Justice. "It just kind of feels like redemption after 2000," he continued, referring to the closely contested victory of President George W. Bush in which Florida was decisive. "It's just fantastic; it's going to be an incredible four more years," said Faye.

"To be honest, I'm overjoyed. I can't put thoughts into words," said Brandeis Democrats Treasurer Ula Rutkowska '15 in an interview with the Justice. Rutkowska said she was surprised at the composition of the results, as Obama looked poised to win in Florida.

"I'm very proud, and I feel like my vote really, really mattered, because I voted for Obama in Florida. ... It feels good," said Joy Feagan '16 in an interview with the Justice.

Amid the ecstatic chaos, students kept an eye on the projector screen as results continued to come in. Screams of "We got Ohio!" went up from the crowd as it became apparent that Obama had clinched the state's electoral votes.

The election "was the most exciting thing of my life, because I was exercising a right as a citizen," said Jasenia Hartman '14, who, while she lives in New York, voted for the first time this year in Massachusetts. "I felt like my voice mattered."

Hartman said she was happy with the results of the elections, but was ultimately happier with the atmosphere in the room.

"It just feels so good to see a bunch of Brandeis students rally together for a cause. It doesn't matter who they voted for, it matters that we care about our future and ... the impact on the United States," she said.

The night was decidedly more subdued among the small Republican faction in the atrium, but BLCU representatives stayed and chatted with their more-liberal friends throughout the night.

Nationwide, heading toward election day, the Republican and Democratic candidates were neck-and-neck. A national Rassmussen poll from Oct. 31 showed Romney leading by a mere two percentage points, with the support of 49 percent of likely voters.

Three percent of polled voters remained undecided, while one percent said they were voting for other candidates. Similar polls conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News and Public Policy Polling showed Obama in the lead by one percentage point.

In a poll conducted by the Justice, 74 percent of Brandeis students said they were voting for Obama, while 11 percent said they were voting for Romney.

As victory was declared at his rally in Chicago and Obama appeared onstage to address his supporters, he was greeted with chants of "four more years."

"I want to thank every American who participated in this election," said Obama in his speech. "Thank you for believing all the way."