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Post-Election 2016 Recap & Resources

After a difficult and contentious 2016 election, this guide creates a supportive virtual space to explore, learn, and discuss ideas brought up in the election and the ideas we grapple with after.

Voter Turnout

What we know...

  • Around 138 million Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election. From Business Insider.

  • However, those 138 million Americans only make up 58.1% of our voting-eligible population (those American citizens over 18). From United States Elections Project.

  • In Pennsylvania, it is estimated that 61.3% of voting-eligible population voted, around 5,965,000 people. From United States Elections Project.

  • While these numbers seem high, our voter percentage is not higher than the 2008 (61.6%) or 2012 (58.6%)  election turnout. From United States Elections Project.

Graph of voter turnout in U.S. presidential elections

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graph above from FiveThirtyEight and the United States Elections Project.

How did Trump win?

This has been the question. Some of the blame has been placed on the media (see the Media Influence to learn more) and then it also comes down to who showed up at the polls. Game-changers include:

  • Rural voters supported Trump. In general, Republican voters in rural areas has been steadily increasing since 2008, up to 62% Republican in this election. From NPR.
  • A majority (roughly 53%) of white women voted for Trump. From NBC News.
  • Hillary was unable to keep core states that Obama had won 2008 (such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida). From American Presidency Project.