•Clinton, Trump, others vote in presidential election
Millions of Americans went to the polls to decide who their 45th president will be. The final result is expected to be announced today. Four candidates were jostling to succeed Barack Obama, who is stepping out of the White House next year. The contenders are: former American First Lady and one-time Secretary of State, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of the Democratic Party; billionaire businessman Donald John Trump of the Republican Party; former New Mexico State Governor Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Mrs. Jill Stein of the Green Party. But the race was clearly between Trump and Clinton.
DEMOCRATIC and Republican parties candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump joined millions of voters across the United States (U.S.) yesterday in casting ballots for President Barack Obama’s successor.
The election dropped the curtain on a long and bitter campaign between the two leading contenders.
But Trump alleged that the process was being electronically manipulated to favour his opponent.
Mrs. Clinton started her day by casting her vote in Chappaqua, New York, where she and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, have lived since he left office in 2001.
“I know the responsibility that goes with this,” she said, as she greeted people at the polling station.
“So many people are counting on the outcome of this election and what it means for our country, and I’ll do the best I can if I’m fortunate enough to win today.”
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee voted in New York City at the polling station nearest his home in Trump Tower.
Arriving at the polling station with his wife Melania, who also cast a ballot, Trump said: “Everything’s very good,” he said when asked what he had heard about early returns.
People shouted “loser” and booed the candidate from behind a barrier set up by police on the street. Some also shouted, “Go, Donald” and gave him a thumbs up.
Trump introduced a new twist to the process with his alleged claim on reports of automatic voting machines in various places failing to register Republicans’ votes and instead switching them to the Democrats.
He reported made the claim in an interview with Fox News in which he again expressed doubt over whether he would accept the result of the election if he does not win.
“We’re going to see how things play out today. Hopefully they’ll play out well and hopefully we won’t have to worry about it, meaning hopefully we’ll win. I want to see everything honest”, he was quoted as saying.
It was learnt yesterday that Trump’s team had on Monday filed a lawsuit in Nevada, claiming that officials in Las Vegas had illegally tried to boost the Democrats’ vote by keeping a polling station open late.
At a polling station in Williamsburg, a neighbourhood in New York City’s Brooklyn borough, Jasmin Stein said she felt somewhat tired of the divisive campaign.
However, she said she was glad that the election cast a spotlight on underlying anxieties among Americans.
“A lot of things have been coming to the light that I think the country feels and I kind of would rather have it out in the open than it just be in peoples’ homes,” Stein, 29 said.
Another voter, Matt Sutton, who works in public relations, said he didn’t want to take any chances to let Trump get elected.
He said: “It’s amazing that I voted for the first woman president. “I didn’t know if I would even see that in my lifetime,” 29-year-old Sutton said.
Sutton said he was planning to go to Times Square in the evening to await the results.
Jessica Quinn, 37, who brought her eight-month-old daughter, Emma, to the polls, said she got so anxious about the elections.
According to her, she volunteered to work for the Clinton campaign on Monday, making about 30 phone calls.
“I needed to do something productive with all of my anxiety about what was happening with the election,” Quinn said.
Both campaigns kept up the pressure until the end. Clinton’s campaign ticked down the minutes until the start of the polls with calls to vote and to “build bridges, not walls,” a dig at Trump’s promise to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants.
Trump highlighted his final round of campaign stops, saying on Twitter: “Today we are going to win the great state of Michigan and we are going to win back the White House!”
Clinton was favoured to win based on nearly all surveys of likely voters.
Voters were also electing members of the lower chamber House of Representatives and one-third of the U.S. Senate.
Voting continued until polling stations close in Hawaii, the state furthest to the west.
Polls were to close at 6 p.m. in the Eastern Time zone, and early results were expected shortly after that.
The winner will become the 45th U.S. President on inauguration January 20, and will succeed Obama, the nation’s first African-American president.
What Americans say
Pence
Indiana governor Mike Pence, before casting his ballot in his home state, called the experience of voting for himself for vice president as “very humbling.”
Pence said: “We are so grateful for the support and prayers of people all across the United States for Donald Trump and our firm belief that we can ‘Make America Great Again’.
“I just would encourage every American who believes like we do that America can be stronger at home and abroad, can be more prosperous, that we can chart a future on our highest ideals to take time today to vote and to join us in support Donald Trump as the next president of the United States.”
Michelle Obama
“The only vote that is down compared to where it was for Barack is the African American vote. And, you know, obviously that’s because our folks love us so dearly.
“But this election is just as important if — not more — because it’s about the legacy and it’s about the progress and as you both know, we still have work to do,” she added.
Sanders
“I hope today we defeat Donald Trump and we defeat him badly.”
Donald Trump Jnr
“Of course, all we’ve wanted is a fair fight, okay?’ Trump, Jr. said.
“If he loses, and it’s legit and fair, and there’s not obvious stuff out there? Without question, we just want a fair system,’ Trump, Jr. continued.
He then asserted that “some stuff’s going on, I don’t know that it’s enough to move elections, but we’ve seen states that it’s a few thousand votes can make a difference.
“All we want is a fair fight, and I think that’s what we want, not just for this election, but for all elections, so that everyone has a chance to have their voice be heard and not have it manipulated.”
I’ll do my best if I win, says Clinton
DEMOCRATIC Party’s standard bearer Mrs Hillary Clinton yesterday cast her vote at New York Primary School in the presidential election, describing the moment as “the most humbling feeling.”
Taking part in an election in which she was the firm favourite to win, the Democrat was greeted by supporters outside the ballot box in her hometown of Chappaqua, New York.
If she wins, Clinton would become the America’s first-ever woman to occupy the White House as president.
She was joined by husband and former President Bill Clinton, who said he’s already “good” at being a political spouse, joking that he had “15 years of practice”.
As Mrs Clinton emerged from the polling station, she told crowds: “I’m so happy, I’m just incredibly happy.”
She shook hands and chatted people with the crowd before telling reporters it was “the most humbling feeling” to vote for herself.
“I know how much responsibility goes with this and so many people are counting on the outcome of this election, what it means for our country,” she said, adding: “I know how much responsibility goes with this,” Mrs. Clinton said. “What it means for our country… and I’ll do the very best I can if I am fortunate enough to win today (yesterday).”
Earlier, Mrs. Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine, joked that he was beaten to being the first to vote at his polling booth by a 99-year-old woman named Minerva Turpin.
“I wanted to be first at my polling place, but 99-year-old Minerva Turpin beat me to it. Looks like I need to get used to being number two! pic.twitter.com/9YvWOjuKUe”, Senator Tim Kaine (@timkaine) posted yesterday.
Kaine refused to let the biggest election of his life get in the way of his Tuesday routine.
After voting at 6 am and doing a round of national morning TV shows, he met a group of friends for breakfast at the City Diner in Richmond.
According to the AP, Kaine and his friends try to meet every Tuesday at the diner, a few miles from his home.
The senator and former Virginia governor was greeted with cheers as he walked into the restaurant.
His vote came hours after Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill voted at a New York primary school at around 8am.
Huge turnout in Florida
THERE were indications that early voting numbers in the State of Florida surpassed the total figure recorded in the highly contested 2000 election.
Reports said that Florida early voting turnout may tilt the scales in favour of Hillary Clinton, the Deocratic Party’s flag bearer.
The state is key in the U.S. election. The reports said that if Donald Trump lost the 29 electoral votes at the close of polls, his odds of reaching 270 would have been diminished greatly.
More than 6.4 million voters made it to the poles between October 24 and November 6 – surpassing the 5,963,110 ballots cast in the controversial 2000 election between George W Bush and then – Vice President Al Gore.
Latinos in particular, make up a significant portion of Florida voters. They were expected to choose in overwhelming favour of the former Secretary of State.
Based on early voting alone, Latino turnout has been up by 108 per cent since 2008. Their numbers have gone up by almost 90 per cent since 2012, according to Florida Division of Elections figures.
Additionally, the African American vote has increased by nine per cent from 2012, as 70,000 participated in early voting.
Trump: we’ll make America great again
REPUBLICAN Party candidate Donald Trump yesterday voted in New York in his bid to become United States (U.S.) 45th President.
He was seen stepping out of an Armoured Personnel Vehicle (APC) at a polling station in Manhattan after his motorcade left Trump Tower.
Hundreds of onlookers watched on Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared, arrived at the East Side building.
The republican waved at supporters as he alighted from the vehicle and gave high-fives to two children but he was also booed by a section of the crowd, according to U.S. reports.
“It’s a great honour, a tremendous honour”, he said after dropping his ballot in the box. He urged his supporters to turn out and vote.
In a video posted on Twitter shortly after he cast his ballot, the Republican candidate encouraged voters to find their local polling station and “vote today”.
“We’re going to make America great again, I promise”, he said. The billionaire businessman said he was feeling confident about the outcome, adding there had been “tremendous enthusiasm” surrounding his campaign.
He also reiterated his longstanding concerns about voter fraud, commenting “we’re always concerned about that.”
In a final message to voters, Trump said: “Make America great again. That’s all it is. That’s what it’s all about.”
Addressing his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he told supporters they were at the “crossroads of history” on their “Independence Day”.
Police report: all quiet at polls
LAW enforcement agencies in major United States (U.S.) cities said that, as of midday yesterday, the election was running smoothly with no serious problems reported at the polls.
There had been fears of polling day disruption in the build-up to what has been termed one of the America’s ugliest elections.
But so far, there have been no significant threats or violence, NBC News reported multiple major city law enforcement agencies as saying.
There have also been no internet disruptions so far, law enforcement officials said.
U.S. presidential election results in last 20 years
An overview of American elections since 1996, showed that they have chosen a Democratic candidate on three occasions and a Republican on two.
The report noted that Democrat Bill Clinton was re-elected in 1996 by a considerable margin, gaining 47,402,357 votes (49.24 per cent) by comparison with just 39,198,755 votes (40.71 per cent) for Republican candidate Bob Dole.
It noted then that the Electoral College vote was even more lopsided with Clinton securing 379 electors to just 159 for Dole. Turnout was a low 49 per cent.
In 2000, George W Bush was elected the 43rd President. Although, the final decision dragged for several weeks as the Supreme Court was called on to decide the outcome in the key state of Florida.
Bush, with 50,456,002 votes secured the backing of 47.87 per cent of the electorate, less than Democratic candidate Al Gore with 50,999,897 votes and 48.38 per cent.
Nevertheless, Bush had the backing of 271 electors to Gore’s 266. The turnout was 51.21 per cent.
Bush was re-elected in 2004 as he gained a clear majority with 62,040,610 votes (50.73 per cent) over his Democratic challenger John Kerry with 59,028,444 (48.27 per cent) and 286 electors to Kerry’s 251.The turnout then was 56.70 per cent.
The report stated that in 2008, Obama was elected the 44th president, becoming the first African-American to hold the office.
It said the senator from Illinois polled 69,498,516 votes (52.93 per cent), against 59,948,323 (45.65 per cent) for John McCain, the Republican senator for Arizona.
The outcome gave Obama 365 electors and McCain 173. Turnout was 58.23 per cent.
In 2012 Barack Obama was re-elected, securing the backing of 332 electors. His opponent, Republican Mitt Romney had just 206.
It explained that Obama secured 51.06 per cent of the popular vote (65,915,795), against 47.20 per cent (60,933,504) for Romney. It described that voter turnout as 54.87 per cent.
