The 2016 election has been a rather significant political event which has garnered much attention. Though this attention has largely been focused on the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton facing off in the Presidential election. This election had many more things going on. A variety of elections for federal, state, and local offices, as well as various ballot measures in different places occurred. So, I will give some quick overviews of some of the things which have occurred; as well as some of my views on them.

Larger Share of Votes for Third Party candidates

The 2016 election saw a significant increase in results for minor parties compared to 2012. In the presidential election, the overall share of votes for third party candidates increased from 1.7 percent to 5.0 percent. The libertarian party had its largest vote total in its history. The Green Party had its largest results since Ralph Nader. The Constitution Party increased its vote total from 122,000 to 178,000. The Prohibition Party received its largest vote total since 1988, and had received over ten times its results in 2012. The Reform Party had its largest results since 2004. The independent conservative candidate, Even McMullen, received nearly a quarter of the votes in Utah. The third-party votes for Congress have increased. The Libertarian Party, which ran the same number of candidates as in 2014, saw its vote totals increase by 73%. In various state elections, third parties had gains. For instance, the Vermont Progressive Party had nine of its members elected as fusion candidates into the state legislature and had its candidate elected lieutenant governor.

This might end up being a positive sign for the future of third parties in the nation’s politics. As a Prohibition Party member, I am most pleased about its results.

Maine Ranked Choice Voting

The state of Maine held a referendum on whether to introduce ranked choice voting for state elections. Ranked Choice Voting is a system of voting in which people rank choices for a position in order of preference. A candidate needs a majority score to win. If a candidate does not get a majority in the first round, the lowest performing candidate is eliminated and the votes for them are reapportioned to the voters next choice. The process may be repeated until a majority score is gained. It is claimed that this system can help to enable people to vote in ways that better reflect their actual preferences, minimize strategic voting, and discourage negative campaigning. The referendum passed with about 52% of the vote. While a number of towns, cities, and counties across the country have already implemented Ranked Choice Voting, Maine will be the first instance of attempting to do Ranked Choice voting on a statewide level.

I, myself, am interested in seeing how this turns out. Hopefully it might help give insight on how to better conduct elections in the nation.

The Lack of Options for Georgia Legislature

One of the biggest matters effecting the options which people have in politics is ballot access laws. Restrictive ballot laws limit the choices and opportunities for candidates and voters. One of the most glaring instances of this was the elections for the Georgia State Legislature; 79 % of the legislative races only had one person on the ballot, this means that most of the people in Georgia effectively had no choice about who would represent them in the state government.

While this is a pointed example, there are many other instances in which restrictive ballot access laws limit voter choices and block candidates from getting on the ballot.

I for one think this is a good example of why the restrictive ballot laws across the country need to be replaced with fairer requirements. These laws serve to protect the parties and officials who hold power and to block and weaken challengers. Groups like the Council on Free and Open Elections are working to reduce these restrictive requirements. Though there are plenty of ways people can work toward fairer ballot access laws; such as contacting your state legislators and encouraging them to pass less restrictive ballot access laws.

A Setback for Human Wellbeing

In what a regard to be a major setback for human wellbeing and a reversal of this country’s progress, several states voted to legalize recreational or medical marijuana. The states of California, Nevada, and Massachusetts voted to legalize recreational marijuana. The Arkansas, Florida, and North Dakota voted to legalize medical marijuana. Montana voted to expand its medical marijuana access. The voters of Arizona had the good sense to vote against legalizing marijuana is their state. This furthers a continuing trend of states legalizing this brain damaging narcotic, and the growing libertine attitude of members of the public towards its use.

In my view, this is the worst thing that has happened in this election. It constitutes a major setback in the cause of human welfare. This is an attack on the ability of people to be secure in their wellbeing and their fundamental right to lead a moral life. This substance and the parasitic industry which pushes it are destructive to both of these things. This will enable this substance to more easily poison minds and ruin lives. The greedy traffickers who were previously opposed by the state, will now be able to openly peddle their toxic product in those states. This will be systematic poisoning of millions, with the states sanctioning and profiting from it. This will lead to the increased social persecution of strait edge people, and making many public spaces unsafe for abstainers.

Hopefully more people will begin to come to their sentences and start pushing things back in a positive direction, where intoxicants are prohibited and strong programs exist for prevention and rehabilitation.

Cuomo’s Backfire

The Machiavelli of Albany, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, has been embarrassed by his failed attempt to have the Democrats take control of the New York State Senate. The State Senate is currently the only part of the state government lead by Republicans. Governor Cuomo had previously cooperated with the Senate Republicans when Dean Skelos was Majority Leader. Following the indictments Majority Lead Skelos (as well as Democratic Speaker of the State Assembly Sheldon Silver) on corruption charges, the leadership in the state legislature changed to figures less accommodating to Cuomo. In this election Cuomo decided to finally try to help the Democrats take control of the State Senate. Instead of this happening, the Senate Republicans not only kept their majority, but may end up expanding expanding it by one seat.

As a resident of New York State, I am not a fan of how Governor Cuomo has run the state overall. He has harmed the public by signing laws to expand alcohol sales and to legalize the modern-day snake oil called medical marijuana. In the last months of state legislative session, he found place to include loosening the state's alcohol laws, but didn't bother to support a proposed law to help get justice for the victims of childhood sexual abuse. His administration has short changed upstate New York on funding for schools (billions less than was legally required to be provided), as well as for economic development programs. The economic development programs he has placed in the state have disproportionately placed money in the hands of people who donated to his campaign. Some of his closest political allies and associated have been indicted on corruption, and he may potentially be indicted himself. He and surrogates have attacked various people who have criticized how he runs the state. He has declared that those don’t agree with him on certain issues "have no place in the state of New York". He publicly touted his support for the 10 point Women’s equality legislative plan, when his actions effectively helped break down the effort. Then after the legislature managed to get 8 of the points passed individually, he left the bills languishing on his desk for months, waiting for a good PR time to sign them. Personally, I am amused by his loss, and hope that he will get replaced in 2018.

Minimum Wage

Referendums were held in 4 states about the state’s minimum wage. Colorado and Maine voted to raise the minimum wage to $12 dollars and hour by 2020. Arizona voted to raise it to $12 dollars and hour by 2020, and to require paid time off. Washington voted to raise it $13.50 an hour. In South Dakota, the Legislature attempted to reduce the minimum wage to $7.50, but the voters rejected this and the minimum wage will stay at $8.50.

Death Penalty

The states of California, Nebraska, and Oklahoma had votes in regards to whether to keep the death penalty in their states. In each state, voters decided to keep the death penalty. In Nebraska, the voters have overruled the state legislature, who had wanted to repeal it.

As someone who supports the death penalty as a just and fitting punishment for certain severe crimes, I find this to be good news. Hopefully, the next president will appoint people on the supreme court who will be in favor of overturning Kennedy vs. Louisiana, so that this country can undo one of the worst supreme court decisions and one of the worst setbacks for human rights and justice in this nation’s history.

No State Healthcare System

In Colorado, there was a referendum on whether to create a state funded state healthcare system. If it had passed, then the state would have created a system to pay for the cost of hospitalization, medication, medical equipment, emergency services, preventative and wellness services, chronic disease treatment, rehabilitation treatments, pediatric care, oral, vision, and hearing services, laboratory services, maternity and childbirth services, and palliative and end-of-life care. Voters rejected this 60.5% to 28.5%.

Given that the voters of this state had already rejected public health and wellbeing by making the mistake of legalizing recreational marijuana, I am not entirely surprised that they turned down public healthcare. Though there are likely a variety of reasons why people may have voted against it.

No 3^rd Party Congressman

In this election, all members of the House of Representatives will be Democrats or Republicans. There were several races across the country in which candidates from other parties were competitive. Most notably the New York 22^nd, in which Upstate Jobs/ Reform Party candidate, Martin Babinec, had polled competitively with the Democratic and Republican candidates, and had received the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He ended up getting around 12%.

I had hoped that at least one third party congressman would get elected. Well, hopefully 2020 will be different.

Conclusion

Here are some the other things which have gone on in this election. If you look deeper into the various things which have went on in this election, you can find all sorts of information, ideas, and events. In investigating and considering the other events of the 2016 election, it can offer a fuller picture of the political event.