2016 United States presidential election popular vote

2016 United States presidential election popular vote
Name	2016 United States presidential election popular vote
Country	United States
Type	presidential
Date	November 8, 2016
Nominees	Hillary Clinton; Donald Trump
Popular vote	Clinton 65,853,514; Trump 62,984,828

Contents

2016 United States presidential election popular vote The popular vote in the 2016 United States presidential election was the tabulation of ballots cast nationwide for presidential electors on November 8, 2016, producing a plurality for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump amid intense coverage by The New York Times, Fox News, CNN, WaPo, and NBC News. The divergence between the popular-vote plurality and the Electoral College outcome generated sustained commentary from figures including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, and analysts at institutions such as Pew Research Center, Brookings Institution, FiveThirtyEight, The Cook Political Report, and RealClearPolitics.

Overview and context

The nationwide popular vote occurred within a campaign season featuring candidates from the Democratic Party and the Republican Party—notably Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, and running mates Tim Kaine and Mike Pence—and was shaped by events involving FBI decisions about Hillary Clinton email controversy, debates hosted by Commission on Presidential Debates, rallies at venues like Madison Square Garden and Wrigley Field, and media coverage by outlets such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Politico, and Bloomberg News.

Official certified counts reported approximately 65.85 million votes for Hillary Clinton, about 62.98 million votes for Donald Trump, with third-party and independent candidates including Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, and Evan McMullin receiving the remaining totals recorded by state secretaries of state offices like those in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania. National aggregates compiled by Federal Election Commission filings and databases of Cook Political Report and RealClearPolitics indicated turnout approximating 55% of the voting-age population, contrasting with prior presidential elections such as 2012 United States presidential election and 2008 United States presidential election.

Clinton carried populous states including California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, while Trump won states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, producing an Electoral College victory. Territorial and district-level totals encompassed votes from Puerto Rico (non-voting in presidential electoral allocation), the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories recorded by secretaries in Guam, United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands for primaries or straw polls; certified state returns were maintained by offices including the Florida Department of State, Pennsylvania Department of State, Michigan Department of State, and Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Analyses by Pew Research Center, FiveThirtyEight, The Cook Political Report, American Enterprise Institute, Census Bureau, Brennan Center for Justice, and academic studies at Harvard University, Stanford University, Princeton University, University of Michigan, and Yale University examined subgroup patterns: Clinton performed strongly among African American voters in areas like Atlanta and Chicago, among Latino Americans in regions including California and Texas, and among women in urban counties such as Los Angeles County, whereas Trump showed strength with white working-class voters in the Midwestern United States and Rust Belt counties around Detroit, Cleveland, and Milwaukee. Turnout dynamics reflected changes in age cohorts, with youth participation analyzed relative to 2012 United States presidential election trends and third-party influence assessed for Gary Johnson and Jill Stein supporters in battlegrounds including Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Following the election, recounts and legal challenges were pursued by groups and individuals associated with Jill Stein and other advocates in states including Wisconsin Elections Commission, Michigan Department of State, and the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court; these efforts referenced voting systems by vendors such as Diebold Nixdorf and Election Systems & Software and raised issues addressed by officials including state secretaries like Kris Kobach (Kansas), Katherine Clark (note: representative—see state records), and Ruth Johnson (Michigan). Certification processes concluded with state canvassing boards and the National Association of Secretaries of State overseeing deadlines; federal litigation reached panels of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and commentary from legal scholars at Georgetown University Law Center, NYU School of Law, and Harvard Law School.

The mismatch between the popular-vote plurality for Clinton and the Electoral College victory for Trump prompted renewed debate in legislatures such as the California State Legislature, New York State Assembly, and statehouses in Colorado and Vermont over proposals including the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, reforms to the Electoral College, and modernization initiatives like paper-ballot audits recommended by groups including the National Conference of State Legislatures, Brennan Center for Justice, Common Cause, and the League of Women Voters. Several states enacted measures to change voting processes, including expanded access laws in California and Nevada, audit and security investments in Michigan and Pennsylvania, and continued legislative activity in Texas and Florida regarding ballot administration and certification standards.

Category:United States presidential elections