Donald Trump Wins 2016 U.S Presidential Elections US Presidential Election

The 58th quadrennial US Presidential election to elect the 45th President of the United States of America is coming to an end. It was a long campaign season, unnatural for its heightened hostility and negativity.

1.40 PM IST – 45/50 states results are in. Trump – 278 votes vs Clinton – 218 votes. Donald Trump wins 2016 U.S Presidential elections.

1.30 PM IST – After the results were announced from 44 out of the 50 states, Donald Trump is in lead with 265 votes vs Hillary Clinton’s 218 votes. A candidate needs 270 votes to win majority.

The Logical Indian looks back on the main points of the election.

Main parties (and their Presidential nominee):

Democratic Party (Hillary Clinton)

Republican Party (Donald Trump)

Libertarian Party (Gary Johnson)

Green Party (Jill Stein)

A brief on the US Presidential election process:

Every four years, the United States goes to the polls to elect their President. This election is indirect in nature – that is, the voters don’t elect their President directly; instead, they elect State electors (who form the Electoral College) who in turn elect the President.

In the modern era, the process is preceded by primaries, caucuses and conventions. The candidates who wish to be elected President must first be nominated by a party. The United States has many political parties but due to its electoral history and system, it has developed into a two-party set-up. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party have dominated US politics (and elections) since 1860. While there have been third-party or independent candidates over the years, the last time either of them carried a State was in 1968.

The candidates who want to be elected President first run for the nomination of either major party. For this, the candidates must campaign through primaries and/or caucuses in the fifty States of the US. Primaries and caucuses are essentially a form of indirect election where either the entire population of a State or the registered party members in that State elect the candidate of their choice. The voters choose delegates who represent them to choose the candidate. After this process is completed in all the States, the candidate who has more than half the number of total delegates is declared the presumptive nominee of the party. Then, in July, the party holds a convention where all the delegates and party members convene to formally elect the victor candidate as their party’s nominee. Thus, by now, there are two nominees – one from each of the major parties. Each nominee picks a Vice-presidential candidate who is also recognized at the respective convention.

Following the declaration of the nominees, the general election season begins. Campaigns are conducted nation-wide but are concentrated in certain swing States which are deemed safe for neither party. Presidential and Vice-presidential debates are conducted between the conventions and the election. The debates are not constitutionally mandated but they have been a regular feature in recent US history.

The election normally takes place on one of the earlier Tuesdays of November. Again, the election is indirect in nature. Voters in all States elect electors who in turn elect the nominee. Each State has a certain number of electoral votes proportionate to its population. The candidate with the most number of votes wins all the electors of that State – this is essentially a winner-take-all system. Eventually, the Presidential election is won by the candidate with the most number of electoral votes (that is, at least 270 out of 538).

The current US President, Barack Obama, cannot run for a third term due to the two-term limit set by the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution.

Main people involved:

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Former First Lady, Senator from New York and Secretary of State; Democratic Nominee for President.

Donald John Trump: Businessman and television producer; Republican Nominee for President.

Tim Kaine: Senator from Virginia; Democratic Nominee for Vice-president.

Mike Pence: Governor of Indiana; Republican Nominee for Vice-president.

Bernie Sanders: Senator from Vermont; Democratic candidate.

Ted Cruz: Senator from Texas; Republican candidate.

Marco Rubio: Senator from Florida; Republican candidate.

Jeb Bush: Former Governor of Florida; Republican candidate.

Main events:

12 April 2015 – Hillary Clinton enters the race to secure the Democratic nomination.

16 June 2015 – Donald Trump enters the race to secure the Republican nomination.

August 2015 to April 2016 – Debates and forums are held between the various Democratic and Republican candidates by their respective parties.

22 October 2015 – Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Select Committee on Benghazi in an eight-hour-long public hearing; the hearing transforms into a trial concerning Clinton’s email controversy.

November 2015: Trump calls for Muslims in the US …