Thoughts on This Election - November 2016

Interesting Statistics and Facts - The journalist inside of me had to find out, so I did my own research.

There are approximately 218,959,000 people in the United States eligible to vote. Of those, 59,535,522 voted for Trump. This is only 27% of those eligible to vote.

For those saying that this proves that the popular vote should count... that was not the intent of this information. Keep this in mind. Less than 60% of those who are eligible to vote did so. More than 70% of United States eligible voters did not vote for Trump. You cannot describe our citizens by the result of this election. Some of you will celebrate this, others will mourn... but it is a fact. Our nation has neither been destroyed OR saved by this election.

The reason the popular vote does not rule in a presidential election in the United States is because we are not a Democracy. "The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy." (Scheb) Individual citizens do not choose the president... the sovereign states do that. The citizens of each state choose who their state will elect as president.

The state constitutions regulate how that vote happens. For most states, it is the all or nothing rule. (For those I went to high school with, this is like the Bennett All or Nothing Rule.) Only two states allow for split votes based on their voters' choices. Perhaps we should all look at changing our state constitutions to allow for split electoral college votes. You as a citizen can make that happen by being involved with your state legislators.

Regardless of all of this, I still do not believe that the results of an election, or the individuals in power, will make that much of a difference in our world. WE must do that. People must be involved. They must be the change they want to see. They must work in their communities and the world at large to make a difference and to change the way they and their fellow man live.

Get out and vote, but don't trust that to resolve all moral and social issues. Do Something!

(This post was not intended to cause any additional controversy - only to make you think. Any negative or party specific comments will be deleted.)

Research on this was done through the U.S. Census Bureau voter information, various news sources, and Scheb, John M.; Scheb, John M. II (2002). An Introduction to the American Legal System. Florence, KY: Delmar, p. 6. ISBN 0-7668-2759-3.