Smoot

Aaron Smoot
The Pioneer
November 2016
Election Day Upset Confirms Countrys Sharp Divide

The presidential election wrapped earlier this week with an outcome that many did not

predict as well as shined light on the division within our country.

Republican candidate Donald trump defeated the Democratic representative Hillary

Clinton after earning 290 electoral votes to Clintons 228. The BBC news reports that although

Clinton edged Trump in the popular vote, she lost key states throughout the night. Trump

secured one crucial swing state after another. Trump won Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and finally

after triumphing in Pennsylvania many news outlets were predicting a victory for the Republican

candidate.

CNN reports voter turnout dropped to almost its lowest point in two decades with only

55% of voting age citizens casting ballots this year. The findings in the exit polls however, show

an apparent divide in terms of gender, race, location and age. Data from an article written by

Nicole Puglise from the Guardian News exposes these sharp differences. 54% of women voted

for Hillary Clinton and 42% voting for Donald Trump. A majority of white voters supported

Trump over Clinton, with 58% voting for Trump and 37% for Clinton. In comparison, black

voters strongly supported Clinton with 88% of the vote compared to the 8% for Trump.

The spilt between citizens from rural areas and those from more populated areas were

revealing as well. Puglises findings go on to show in cities with more than 50,000 residents, the

majority of citizens voted for Clinton. She earned 59%, with Trump only gathering 35% of the

votes. On the other hand a larger number of voters supported Trump in rural areas with the
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republican candidate earning 62% of the vote to Clintons 34%. Voters in the suburbs were

closer together however with 50% of voters choosing Trump and 45% Clinton.

In Oklahoma, Trump overwhelmingly won the state with over 65% of the votes going

towards the respective candidate. Statistics from NPR show that the states two most populated

counties, Oklahoma and Tulsa County, had the lowest support for Trump. Still, Trump ended up

earning the majority of votes in each county with a total of 51% in Oklahoma County and 58% in

Tulsa County.

Oklahomans who voted for each candidate are both excited and scared for what the future

holds. Patrick Grimes, a Putnam City North high school graduate, who grew up in Oklahoma is

optimistic about Trump and hopes to see major changes. I am really excited to see a candidate

who is not from the typical government establishment, Grimes explains. His policies, the

direction he wants to go toward is something that I strongly believe in.

30 year-old wholesale and office manager, Alison Martin, is very concerned about the

direction our country is heading towards. Martin is an Oklahoma City resident who attended the

Democratic watch party during Tuesday nights election. "I really am very uncomfortable and

afraid for the country's future. Both of the candidates scared me to be completely honest but the

reason I didn't vote for Trump is because of several issues, says Martin. It is not so much his

polices I'm concerned about but the cultural tone he will set for our society.

The division between the different groups is clear and leaving many citizens with

questions about the future. Grimes says that no matter what, the two groups will have to come

together and support the newly elected president in order for us to accomplish our goals.

Hoping that Donald Trump fails is like wanting a plane to crash that we are all on, says
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Grimes. It is clear change is needed and only by working together can we deal with our

countys many issues.

For more information on the election results or statistics on voter turnout, visit

Ballotpedia.org or the Oklahoma Election Board at ok.gov.

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References
Alison Martin - 30 year-old wholesale and office manager, Oklahoma City resident, attended
Oklahoma City Democratic Watch Party
Ballotpedia.org - https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_election_in_Oklahoma,_2016
BBC News - http://www.bbc.com/news/election/us2016/results
CNN - http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/11/politics/popular-vote-turnout-2016/
The Guardian Project - Nicole Puglise https://www.theguardian.com/us-
news/2016/nov/12/exit-polls-election-results-what-we-learned
Patrick Grimes 22 year-old Putnam City Graduate, Oklahoma City resident