2016 United States presidential election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
United States presidential election, 2016

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Nominee Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Party Republican Democrat Home state New York New York Running mate Mike Pence Tim Kaine Electoral vote 306 232 States carried 30 + ME-02 20 + DC Popular vote 62,352,375 64,429,062 Percentage 46.5% 48.1%

Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Trump/Pence. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state. Blue denotes states won by Clinton/Kaine.

President before election Barack Obama Democrat Elected President Donald Trump Republican

The 2016 election for President of the United States was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. On this day, people across the United States voted to choose their 45th President and 48th Vice President of the United States. The president at the time, Barack Obama, could not run again because of a rule in the Constitution that limits presidents to two terms.

After the election, Donald Trump became the President-elect, and his running mate, Mike Pence, became the Vice President-elect.

Choosing a President: The Rules

To become President of the United States, a person must be a natural-born citizen of the U.S. They must also be at least 35 years old and have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

People who want to be president usually join a political party. Each party then holds special elections called primaries or meetings called caucuses. These help them choose the best person to represent their party in the main election. Once a candidate is chosen, the party officially nominates them at a big meeting called a convention.

Democratic Party Candidates

The Democratic Party chose Hillary Clinton as their candidate for president. She had been the U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. Her running mate, who would become Vice President, was Tim Kaine. He was a U.S. Senator from Virginia.

Democratic Party Ticket, 2016
Hillary Clinton	Tim Kaine
for President	for Vice President
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee.	Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
67th U.S. Secretary of State (2009–2013)	U.S. Senator from Virginia (2013-present)
Campaign

Republican Party Candidates

The Republican Party chose Donald Trump as their candidate for president. He was a businessman and chairman of The Trump Organization. His running mate was Mike Pence, who was the Governor of Indiana at the time.

Republican Party Ticket, 2016
Donald Trump	Mike Pence
for President	for Vice President
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.	Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential nominee.
Chairman of The Trump Organization (1971–present)	50th Governor of Indiana (2013-present)
Campaign

Other Parties in the Election

Besides the two main parties (Democratic and Republican), other parties also had candidates running for president. These are often called "third parties."

Green Party

The Green Party focuses on environmental issues and social justice. Their candidates for president and vice president were Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka. They were on the ballot in many states, but not all of them.

Ballot access for the Green Party     On ballot     Not on ballot, write-in access     Not on ballot

Green Party Ticket, 2016
Jill Stein	Ajamu Baraka
for President	for Vice President
Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential nominee.	Ajamu Baraka, the Green Party vice presidential nominee.
Physician from Lexington, Massachusetts	Activist from Washington, D.C.
Campaign

Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party believes in less government involvement in people's lives. Their candidates were Gary Johnson for president and William Weld for vice president. They were able to be on the ballot in all 50 states.

Ballot access for the Libertarian Party     On ballot

Nominees

Libertarian Party Ticket, 2016
Gary Johnson	William Weld
for President	for Vice President
Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential nominee.	William Weld, the Libertarian vice presidential nominee.
29th Governor of New Mexico (1995–2003)	68th Governor of Massachusetts (1991-1997)
Campaign

Battleground States

Some states are called "battleground states" because both major parties have a good chance of winning them. Candidates spend a lot of time and money campaigning in these states. In 2016, important battleground states included Nevada, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire, Maine, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Donald Trump won Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, and one congressional district in Maine. Hillary Clinton won Nevada, New Hampshire, and the rest of Maine. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania were expected to vote for the Democratic candidate, but Trump won all three, which was a big surprise to many.

Party Conventions

Political parties hold conventions to officially nominate their candidates for president and vice president. It's a big event where party members come together.

• The Democratic National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016.
• The Republican National Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio, from July 18 to 21, 2016.
• The Libertarian National Convention was held in Orlando, Florida, from May 26 to 30, 2016.

Debates

Before the election, the main candidates participated in debates. These are public discussions where candidates answer questions and explain their plans. It's a chance for voters to see them side-by-side. The Commission on Presidential Debates organized these events.

Images for kids

• 

  The incumbent in 2016, Barack Obama. His second term expired at noon on January 20, 2017.

• 

  Campaign signs of third-party candidates Jill Stein and Gary Johnson, October 2016 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont

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  A general election ballot, listing the presidential and vice presidential candidates

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  President Barack Obama casting his vote early in Chicago on October 7, 2016

• 

  A continuous cartogram of the 2016 United States presidential election

See also

In Spanish: Elecciones presidenciales de Estados Unidos de 2016 para niños