ferguson , missouri elected three black officials to city council seats on tuesday , up from one last term .
black officials now comprise half of the city council in the city .
this just over a month after a justice department report detailed a culture of racism and abuse among city officials , employees and police .
voter turnout hit record highs , with 29.4 percent of registered voters going to the polls , up from 12.3 percent last april .
the elected black officials include wesley bell and ella jones , while dwayne james , the incumbent , was not up for reelection .