Reflective Essay

Reflection on a Political Contest
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

Reflection on the Political Contest
The procedure of getting leaders to public offices in the country works based on a democratic electoral process. Even before the 2016 United States presidential elections, I had a rough idea of what takes place before one is announced to take over a political office in the government. According to the school curriculum, a democratic process entails leaders seeking the public mandate while the citizens cast their votes in response to the political agenda and manifesto of the contesting leaders. However, I had several new experiences on the political process during the 2016 presidential campaigns and elections. The method of electing the president gave me an opportunity to understand the politics of the United States. The voting process in the United States involves Electoral College and commences with the party primaries up to the polls where the delegates are mandated to elect the president.
The 2016 presidential elections started with the party primaries, and this coincides with the information I have already gathered from books and articles. The two major parties, Democratic Party and Republican Party, conducted their nominations. Interested candidates who met the qualifications stated in the American constitution, set out to the campaign. For the case of the 2016 presidential elections, both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party had their interested candidates subjected to debates with the intention of wooing party delegates in their favor.

Party delegates then voted during a national convention of the parties. The Democratic Party elected Hillary Clinton as their presidential candidate while the Republican Party nominated Donald Trump as their presidential nominee.
After the party nominations, I observed the nominees subjected to a televised debate. During this debate, the candidates discuss various issues affecting the country ranging from foreign policy to economic issues. Elections were then conducted across the country as the eligible citizens of the United States voted across multiple polling stations through a secret ballot system. On the other hand, the delegates voted through the Election College (Persily, 2017). The Republican Party presidential candidate had more Electoral College votes. The Democratic candidate, on the other hand, had more popular votes. Based on the two results, the Republican candidate was declared the president-elect.
In summary, I have learned many lessons from the presidential elections of the United States. The experience I gained from the 2016 elections gave me the real picture of the events that unfold during the United States presidential election process. I understood the significance of the party caucuses, the national delegate’s conventions, the debates, and the polls in the Electoral College. As a result, I have appreciated the entire team that oversaw the American electoral proceeding and the conduct of all citizens. Despite the disagreements and controversies that came after releasing the results, all American citizens continued to embrace the spirit of democracy and respected the majority’s opinion.

ReferencesPersily, N. (2017). The 2016 US Election: Can democracy survive the internet? Journal of democracy, 28(2), 63-76.