Undoubtedly the biggest debate this year has been about the US election 2016, which is nearing its end now. There are only a few days left until either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be named the new President of the United States. The tension and excitement continue to rise with each passing day. It is no secret that as the most powerful and strong country in the world, the results of the US elections will impact not only America but every country in the world as well. The final election day is scheduled to be on November 8, which is only days away now! In this article, we quickly recap everything that has happened during the elections campaigns and electing process so far.
Presidential Elections in the United States
Before we begin to highlight the ongoing scenario of the current election situation, it is first crucial to understand what how the presidential elections in the United States work. There are 51 states in the United States, including the State of Columbia. Each state has a predetermined percentile of vote’s weight in the electoral voting system. With a few exceptions, the voting is carried out on the winner-takes-all basis. However, this makes it clear that the popular votes are overshadowed by the electoral votes in the end.
What it takes to be President of the United States?
When you are talking about the leader of the biggest and most powerful country in the world, the candidate was chosen is expected to be very influential and fulfill many requirements as well. However, contrary to popular belief, such is not the case for the president of the US. What it takes to be the president of the superpower of the world is
- You only need to be American-born
- You should be above the age of 35 years
- You should be residing in the United States of America for at least the past 18 years or more
- The two final candidates running for the presidency finally should be representatives of the Republican party and the Democratic party respectively
Back in 2008; When Barack Obama was elected president
If we take a quick look back in the year of 2008, we can see what happened when Barack Obama was elected president to better understand how the presidential elections work in the United States. When Barack Obama was elected President, he only had 53 percent of the total popular votes collectively of all States of the US. However, he had a total of 68 percent of the total electoral votes.
US Elections 2016 see Hillary Clinton VS Donald Trump
The two people the world is seeing competing against each other to triumph and become the head of the biggest military superpower in the world are Hillary Clinton (wife of former US President Bill Clinton) and Donald Trump (New York-based Businessmen). In February of 2016, there were state-level elections held that officially nominated one candidate from each party. This candidate was scheduled to run for President in the elections later that year. However, those candidates were only nominated and not confirmed until July 2016. However, the party conventions that were held in the year of July saw Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump emerge victorious and as the final candidates who would run for President later in the year. However, when the name of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump emerged as final candidates for Presidency, it was much of a shock for many people. These two are dubbed as the most ‘unpopular’ and ‘least expected’ candidates in the history of US politics.
Controversies surrounding the current presidency candidates
There has been a fair share of controversies that have surrounded both Clinton and Trump as soon as the election campaigns for both were launched.
Controversies about Donald Trump
It wouldn’t be wrong to say the Donald Trump has proven to be the most controversial candidates in the history of the US elections.
- Trump sparked controversy right at the beginning of his campaign when he labeled the Mexican immigrants in America as ‘rapists’ and ‘criminals’.
- There have been rumors suggesting that Trump has not paid one penny to the federal income tax department, despite being the owner of millions of dollars’ worth of property and business.
- He has had an ongoing verbal war with several people.
- He has targeted the Muslims of the United States and the rest of the world; openly labeling them as ‘terrorist’.
- Trump has engaged in a series of abusive social media tweets regarding several matters throughout his campaign.
- The tape has been released showing trump verbally abusing woman; clearly showing he has no respect for women or minorities at all.
- More than a dozen women have blamed him for sexually assaulting and keeping sexual relationships with them. This includes a Miss Universe as well.
Controversies about Hillary Clinton
If we talk about Hillary Clinton, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that this woman is the perfect proponent for feminism and has been scoring high amongst people because of this factor. In addition to being a ‘woman of substance’ who has a political background and is all for ‘Feminism’ and ‘equal rights for women’, she is the wife of the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton. Hence she has been the first lady already and knows how the job is done! But this did not spare Clinton of controversies and allegations that she had to face as soon as she launched her presidential campaign.
- Hillary Clinton has been blamed for getting donations for her charity foundation named the ‘Clinton Foundation’ by unfair means.
- In October 2016, an email arrangement of Clinton was revealed that exposed the fact that she has indeed been involved in an unfair monetary exchange with a third party.
- A controversial biography of Hillary Clinton was launched as soon as she began her campaign. The autobiography criticized how Hillary was aware of her husband’s extramarital affairs and illegitimate relationships. She was also labeled as a power-hungry, egocentric and cunning woman.
Voting results so far
Hillary Clinton has been in the lead ever since the beginning of the elections. However, the recent turn of events has seen the gap between Clinton and Trump draw narrower. Though visibly Clinton can be seen in the lead of the US elections 2016, but the final result can turn out to be anything. The world is anxiously waiting for November 8.
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