**Originally published in the Lower Bucks Reader. Written by Kevin Deeny.**

How We Voted

We are a people with different concepts of where we are now and where we would like to be in the future. The election process in 2016 was, in my opinion, extremely divisive. After the dust has settled on the election, I thought that it would help me to understand a little better about how we got where we are and perhaps a little about where we are going. Given that I live in Levittown, Bucks County PA, that is where I have focused.

Election Results

At the state level, the republican candidate (TRUMP) won the popular vote by 44,292 votes out of 6,115,402 that were cast.[1] This represents 0.72 % of the total. Pennsylvania is a winner-take-all state when it comes to electoral college votes and all 20 votes were won by the republican candidate. Figure 1 indicates that voting was quite close between the two major candidates.

Figure 1:2016 Presidential Election Results for Pennsylvania

 

At the county level, the democratic candidate (CLINTON) won the popular vote by 2,699 votes out of 344,297 that were cast.[2] This equates to 0.78 % of the total. Figure 2 also indicates that voting was close between the two major candidates. Voter turnout at the county level was 75.95 %.[3]

Figure 2: 2016 Presidential Election Results for Bucks County, Pennsylvania

 

Bucks County includes 54 municipalities. Voting results at the municipality level are illustrated in Figure 3. These results indicate that the lower part of the county (Lower Bucks) and a portion of Central Bucks were carried by democratic voters while Upper Bucks and the remainder of Central Bucks were carried by republican voters.

Figure 3: 2016 Presidential Election Results for Municipalities in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

 

Levittown is located in Lower Bucks County and although it is a sizable area and a designated Census Data Place (CDP) it is not a municipality in its own right. Levittown spans portions of four (4) municipalities; Bristol Township, Falls Township, Middletown Township, and Tullytown Borough. All of these municipalities voted with the democratic majority. These results are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: 2016 Presidential Election Results for Levittown PA Municipalities

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Pennsylvania Department of State Election Results [http://www.electionreturns.pa.gov/ENR_New/General/SummaryResults]

[2] Bucks County Board of Elections

[3] Bucks County Board of Elections

[4] Data obtained from Bucks County Board of Elections.