Story highlights
- A little more than half of voting-age Americans took part in the general election
- That's down from the most recent elections
- The rate was up in some battleground states
Washington (CNN)Voter turnout this year dipped to nearly its lowest point in two decades.
While election officials are still tabulating ballots, the 126 million votes already counted means about 55% of voting age citizens cast ballots this year.
That measure of turnout is the lowest in a presidential election since 1996, when 53.5% of voting-age citizens turned out.
As election officials go through outstanding ballots -- such as provisional ballots and those with write-ins -- the turnout figures will change.
But it would take another 18.7 million votes to reach the high point for turnout of 2008, when nearly 64% of voting age citizens cast a ballot.
Early results in some of the key states that propelled President-elect Donald Trump to his win reveal that more voters cast ballots this year than in 2012, even though overall turnout was down.
Photos: The 2016 presidential race, in photos
Photos: The 2016 presidential race, in photos
President-elect Donald Trump delivers his acceptance speech in the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 9, as his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, applauds in New York. The 2016 presidential campaign was one of the most dramatic and unpredictable races in U.S. history. How did we get to this point? Here's a look at how the campaign unfolded.
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a conservative firebrand from Texas, stands on stage with his family March 25, 2015, after becoming the first Republican to announce a presidential run. Cruz, who made headlines with his staunch opposition to Obamacare and his willingness to shut down the federal government, presented a direct challenge to the expected bids of establishment Republicans such as Jeb Bush -- candidates Cruz coyly referred to as the "mushy middle."
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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is reflected by glass before speaking at a leadership summit in Nashua, New Hampshire, on April 18, 2015. Walker, who rose to national fame by taking on unions in one of the most blue-collar states, officially became a presidential candidate three months later.
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U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican presidential candidate from Kentucky, looks down as New Hampshire Sen. Andy Sanborn, standing on a chair, makes opening remarks at the opening of Paul's campaign office in Manchester, New Hampshire, on June 5, 2015. Paul, the son of former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, has carefully built a brand of mainstream libertarianism since riding the tea party wave into the Senate in 2010.
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U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, speaks to the media at a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa, on June 5, 2015. Graham, one of the Senate's leading foreign-policy hawks, announced earlier in the week that he would be running for President.
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Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, a former first lady and secretary of state, delivers a speech at a New York City park on June 13, 2015. Clinton used the first major rally of her campaign to make a populist case, declaring that the goal of her presidency would be to tip the nation's economic scales back toward the middle class' favor.
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Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley, left, plays with a borrowed guitar during a meet-and-greet in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on June 13, 2015. A couple weeks earlier, the former Maryland governor launched his campaign with an appeal to the party's progressive base, hoping to upend the conventional wisdom that Clinton was destined to clinch the Democratic nomination.
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Campaign volunteers with the Jeb Bush campaign inflate thunderstick noisemakers before he formally announced his candidacy in Miami on June 15, 2015. Bush, a scion of the most recognizable family in Republican politics, fashioned an image as a sober-minded conservative truth-teller while governor of Florida.
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Donald Trump, a real estate mogul and TV reality star, announces himself as a Republican candidate during a news conference in New York on June 16, 2015. "Sadly the American dream is dead," Trump said at the end of his speech at the Trump Tower. "But if I get elected President I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before."
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People in Madison, Wisconsin, cheer at a campaign rally for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on July 1, 2015. The Vermont independent, seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, drew nearly 10,000 supporters in Madison.
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Louisa Hill, 3, walks onto a stage in Hanover, New Hampshire, as Clinton speaks on July 3, 2015.
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A baby looks at Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan at a diner in Annapolis, Maryland, on July 15, 2015. Hogan was there to endorse Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, at left in the blue tie. Christie joined the race with strong national name recognition and a record in public office that spans more than a decade, having served as New Jersey's governor since 2010 and a U.S. Attorney from 2002-2010.
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Supporters reach out to Trump as he leaves a stop in Laredo, Texas, on July 23, 2015. During a four-hour visit, Trump met with local officials and toured the border between the United States and Mexico. His visit was the culmination of more than a month of attention centered on Trump's branding of undocumented Mexican immigrants as killers and rapists -- remarks that drew condemnation from the Republican establishment but also helped rocket him to the top of the polls.
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Trump raises his hand during the first Republican debates of the campaign, which took place in Cleveland on August 6, 2015. Trump kicked off the event by refusing to rule out a third-party run and pledge his support to whoever becomes the Republican nominee. He was joined on stage by nine other candidates -- seven of the lower-polling candidates had a separate debate before the main event.
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Seconds after Sanders took the stage for a rally in Seattle, a dozen protesters from the city's Black Lives Matter chapter jumped barricades and grabbed the microphone on August 8, 2015. Holding a banner that said "Smash Racism," two of the protesters -- Marissa Johnson, left, and Mara Jacqueline Willaford -- addressed the crowd. Sanders stood just feet away off stage, chatting with his wife and the three aides that came to Seattle with him. His aides said the senator had no plans of leaving during the protests, but once Johnson did not appear willing to give up the mic after a moment of silence, organizers effectively shut down the event. Sanders never addressed the crowd, but he did make his way through it to shake hands and take pictures.
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People at the Iowa State Fair use corn kernels to show support for their favorite presidential candidates on August 13, 2015. Many candidates attended the fair, mingling with voters in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
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Brian Bolton, from Creston, Iowa, participates in a mounted shooting competition at the Iowa State Fair on August 14, 2015. Photographer Landon Nordeman visited the fair in search of presidential candidates and interesting people.
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Bush is seen on a camera at the Iowa State Fair on August 14, 2015.
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Trump poses for a picture with a woman and child at the Iowa State Fair on August 15, 2015.
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Trump supporters take photos of Trump as he leaves a rally in Mobile, Alabama, on August 21, 2015. The rally was held in a football stadium to accommodate 30,000 supporters.
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Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, left, asks Trump a question about his immigration plan during a news conference in Dubuque, Iowa, on August 25, 2015. Ramos squabbled with Trump twice during the event, and at one point a security officer ejected Ramos before he was allowed back in.
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Keith Schiller, Trump's director of security and longtime bodyguard, holds back demonstrator Efrain Galicia at Trump Tower in New York on September 3, 2015. Galicia was among five protesters who later filed a lawsuit against Schiller, Trump, Trump's campaign and his company. The plaintiffs allege that Trump security officials, namely Schiller, assaulted them as they protested outside of a campaign event. A campaign spokesperson told The Washington Post that the protesters "were harassing people on the street" and that a Trump security guard was "jumped from behind."
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Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, left, holds hands with Kim Davis in front of a detention center in Grayson, Kentucky, on September 8, 2015. Davis, a Rowan County clerk of courts, spent several days in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Huckabee latched onto Davis as a symbol of the fight against what he said is government overreach.
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Cruz and Trump joined forces in Washington during a tea party rally against the Iran nuclear deal on September 9, 2015. "It is a bit of a romance," Trump told CNN at the time. "I like him, he likes me. He's backed me 100% about illegal immigration. He was the one person that really -- and there were a couple of others -- but Ted Cruz was out there and he backed me very strongly."
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Liberty University students pray before a Sanders speech in Lynchburg, Virginia, on September 14, 2015. Sanders, who was popular with many young voters during the Democratic primaries, staunchly defended abortion rights and same-sex marriage during his visit to the largest Christian college in the world.
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A man helps himself to a fried chicken buffet near an anti-abortion display at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Fall Family Dinner in September 2015. Defunding Planned Parenthood was a popular topic during the forum.
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Cruz speaks during the annual banquet of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition on September 19, 2015.
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Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, right, visits a pregnancy center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on September 24, 2015. Fiorina continued her attacks against Planned Parenthood, which was under fire because of a series of secretly taped, edited videos accusing it of breaking federal laws by profiting off the sale of organs and tissues of aborted fetuses. Planned Parenthood denied it had broken any laws.
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Clinton, right, appears on an episode of "Saturday Night Live" opposite Kate McKinnon, who has been playing Clinton during the campaign, on October 3, 2015.
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Trump poses with a woman he brought up on stage during a rally in Las Vegas on October 8, 2015. The woman kissed Trump as she clutched a copy of his People magazine cover. "I'm Hispanic and I vote for Mr. Trump! She said. "We vote for Mr. Trump! Yes! Mr. Trump! We love you! We love you, all the way to the White House!" Trump, who had come under fire for his comments about Hispanics, seemed to understand how it might be perceived. "I swear to you -- I think she's totally beautiful and great -- I've never met her before, I swear," he said.
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During a Democratic debate on October 13, 2015, Sanders and Clinton shared a lighthearted moment following Sanders' take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America." Clinton said, "Thank you, me too," and then later shook his hand to the applause of the audience.
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U.S. Vice President Joe Biden turns to his wife, Jill, after announcing October 21, 2015, that he would not be running for President. The announcement took place at the White House Rose Garden with President Barack Obama.
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Clinton testifies before the House Benghazi Committee on October 22, 2015. Clinton mounted a passionate defense of her response to the attack, which claimed the lives of four Americans in 2012. But she came under repeated criticism from Republicans who tried to prove she ignored pleas from U.S. diplomats for better security.
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Trump is flanked by impersonators Taran Killam, left, and Darrell Hammond during his "Saturday Night Live" monologue on November 7, 2015.
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Trump supporters boo the media after a heckler was removed from a campaign stop in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 21, 2015. Trump has been critical of the press throughout the campaign, saying it is biased against him, and he has denied press credentials to several prominent news outlets, including The Washington Post, Politico and The Daily Beast.
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Sanders sits in an Atlanta cafe with rapper Killer Mike on November 23, 2015. The rapper introduced Sanders at a campaign event later that day.
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Hidayah Martinez Jaka wears an American flag hijab as Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley speaks at a mosque in Sterling, Virginia, on December 11, 2015.
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Nine of the highest-polling Republican candidates take part in a debate in Las Vegas on December 15, 2015. Vincent Laforet, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and director, set up seven still cameras at the debate, which was held at a theater inside the Venetian hotel and casino.
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Trump shares a laugh with fellow candidate Ben Carson during the Las Vegas debate.
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A supporter reacts as Trump signs her poster during a campaign rally in Lowell, Massachusetts, on January 4, 2016.
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A protester is removed by security personnel during a Trump campaign event in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on January 8, 2016.
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While visiting the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 18, 2016, Sanders touches the actual jail bars that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was behind when he wrote his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in 1963.
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Trump shakes the hand of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after she endorsed him in Ames, Iowa, on January 19, 2016. Palin was the GOP's vice presidential candidate in 2008.
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A giant Trump poster is illuminated outside a home in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 28, 2016.
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Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, second from right, drinks a beer at a pub in Waukee, Iowa, on January 28, 2016. The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania also ran in 2012.
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A woman in a Princess Leia costume makes a "Star Wars"-themed plea for Sanders during a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on January 30, 2016.
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Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his daughter, Chelsea, listen to Hillary Clinton speak in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on January 30, 2016. Clinton went on to win the Iowa caucuses by a razor-thin margin, edging Sanders by a few percentage points. Cruz won on the GOP side.
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Sanders speaks during a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 31, 2016.
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Former first lady Barbara Bush jokes with her son Jeb while introducing him at a town-hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, on February 4, 2016.
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A campaign worker brushes snow off Sanders signs in Manchester, New Hampshire, on February 5, 2016. Sanders won the New Hampshire primary a few days later.
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Trump and Christie talk to each other during a commercial break at the Republican debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, on February 6, 2016. At left is U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Trump won the New Hampshire primary on February 9 -- his first victory on the way to the nomination.
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Sanders, left, appears in a "Saturday Night Live" skit with comedian Larry David on February 6, 2016. David has been playing Sanders during the campaign.
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Timothy Kierstead, a married gay man from Manchester, New Hampshire, confronts Rubio about his position on same-sex marriage. "Why do you want to put me back in the closet?" Kierstead asked Rubio on February 8, 2016. Rubio said he didn't. "I just believe marriage is between one man and one woman," the Florida senator said.
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A performance artist named Vermin Supreme -- who officially registered as a presidential candidate -- talks to a motorist as he campaigns in Manchester, New Hampshire, on February 6, 2016.
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Clinton plays goalie during a campaign stop at an indoor-soccer center in Las Vegas on February 13, 2016. After her loss in New Hampshire, Clinton rebounded to win the Nevada primary on February 20.
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Sanders meets a 3-month-old dressed like him at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on February 14, 2016. The boy, Oliver Jack Carter Lomas-Davis, died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome a few weeks later.
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Pallbearers carry the flag-covered casket of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia during his funeral in Washington on February 20, 2016. The vacancy left by Scalia's death -- and when and how to fill it -- added another hot-button topic to the presidential campaign.
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Cruz speaks from a truck bed at a rally in Pahrump, Nevada, on February 21, 2016.
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Clinton greets supporters at a town-hall meeting in Florence, South Carolina, on February 25, 2016. Her landslide victory in the South Carolina primary restored her as the undisputed front-runner in the Democratic race.
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Trump tosses a water bottle while speaking to supporters in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 26, 2016. He was mocking Rubio's 2013 State of the Union response, where Rubio took a sip of water mid-speech.
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Christopher Morris, a photographer on assignment for Time magazine, is escorted by police during a Trump rally in Radford, Virginia, on February 29, 2016. Morris said a Secret Service agent choked him and slammed him to the ground as he tried to leave a media pen at the event. The incident was caught on video.
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Bernie Sanders is joined by his wife, Jane, at a rally in Burlington, Vermont, on March 1, 2016. Sanders won his state's primary on Super Tuesday, but he lost to Clinton in seven of the other 10 states.
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Christie, who suspended his campaign in February, stands near Trump after introducing the GOP front-runner in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 1, 2016. Christie's facial expression drew laughter on social media, where the hashtag #FreeChrisChristie took flight. Christie later insisted his blank stare was only because he was listening intently. "All these armchair psychiatrists should give it a break," Christie said. "I was standing up there, supporting the person who I believe is the best person to beat Hillary Clinton of the remaining Republican candidates. It's why I endorsed him."
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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gives a speech about the state of the Republican Party during a forum at the University of Utah on March 3, 2016. Romney went after Trump, calling the GOP front-runner a phony and a fraud. Trump hit back by mocking Romney's loss in the 2012 presidential election and saying that Romney back then "was begging for my endorsement."
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Trump holds up his hands during a Republican debate in Detroit on March 3, 2016. Trump assured American voters that despite what Rubio had suggested, there was "no problem" with the size of his hands -- or anything else.
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Ohio Gov. John Kasich, one of the Republican presidential candidates, poses with a Sanders impersonator at the end of a town-hall meeting in Palatine, Illinois, on March 9, 2016.
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Rubio and Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly are touched up before an interview in Hialeah, Florida, on March 9, 2016. Rubio dropped out of the race a week later after losing in his home state.
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Trump supporter Birgitt Peterson argues with protesters outside a canceled Trump rally in Chicago on March 11, 2016. Peterson told the Chicago Tribune that she responded with a Nazi-style salute after anti-Trump protesters called her a Nazi. Trump's campaign postponed the rally amid fights between supporters and demonstrators, protests in the streets and concerns that the environment at the event was no longer safe.
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Secret Service agents surround Trump as he speaks at Dayton International Airport in Dayton, Ohio, on March 12, 2016. A man had tried to rush the stage.
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Kasich celebrates his Ohio primary victory on March 15, 2016. It was the only win of his campaign.
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Sanders smiles at a bird after it landed on his podium in Portland, Oregon, on March 25, 2016.
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Cruz laughs at a poster while speaking a town-hall event in Madison, Wisconsin, on March 30, 2016.
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Clinton swipes a MetroCard to ride the subway in New York on April 7, 2016. The sight of her riding the rails looked out of place for a candidate more used to riding in a Secret Service-protected van and private plane.
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Kasich has lunch at a deli during a campaign stop in New York on April 7, 2016.
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Clinton shakes hands during a campaign event in Wilmington, Delaware, on April 25, 2016.
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Cruz waves with Fiorina after naming her as his running mate on April 27, 2016. Cruz was trying to regain momentum after it became mathematically impossible for him to win the nomination outright. Fiorina had ended her own presidential run in February.
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Protester Biseat Yawkal yells as she is pushed by police outside of the California Republican Convention on April 29, 2016. Trump protesters -- some of whom wore bandanas over their faces and carried Mexican flags -- blocked off the road in front of the Hyatt Regency, forcing Trump's motorcade to pull over along a concrete median outside the hotel's back entrance. Trump and his entourage got out and walked into the building.
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A military-style truck promoting Trump's campaign passes over the Memorial Bridge in Washington during the annual Rolling Thunder biker rally on May 29, 2016. The event is a tradition on Memorial Day weekend, paying tribute to prisoners of war and Americans missing in action.
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Sanders, at center in the light-blue shirt, watches a playoff basketball game in Oakland, California, on May 30, 2016. The candidate, campaigning for the state's primary, saw the Golden State Warriors win Game 7 of the NBA's Western Conference Finals.
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A Trump supporter wipes egg off her face after clashes broke out between Trump supporters and Trump protesters in San Jose, California, on June 2, 2016. Trump was holding a rally at the nearby convention center.
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People wait in line to attend a Sanders rally in San Francisco on June 6, 2016.
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Clinton arrives to a primary night rally in New York on June 7, 2016. A day earlier, she had secured enough delegates to become the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee.
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Sanders walks with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on June 9, 2016. The two met for more than an hour. When it was over, Sanders vowed to work with Clinton. Obama also formally endorsed Clinton.
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Chelsea Clinton holds her newborn son, Aidan Clinton Mezvinsky, as she leaves a New York hospital with her husband, Marc, and her parents on June 20, 2016. It's the second grandchild for Bill and Hillary Clinton.
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A man plays the bagpipes next to Trump after the candidate arrived at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland on June 24, 2016. Trump became the GOP's presumptive nominee in May.
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U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, center, talks with reporters after Trump met with the Senate Republican Conference on July 7, 2016. Trump had come to Capitol Hill with the hopes of unifying the party. Sessions, one of Trump's staunchest supporters, argued that Trump had accomplished his goals at the meeting by making a more strenuous effort to bring the party together. But there were reports of tension.
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Naked women hold mirrors as part of a large-scale art installation in Cleveland, across from the site of the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2016. The project by artist Spencer Tunick is called "Everything She Says Means Everything."
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Talk-show host Stephen Colbert performs on the floor of the Republican National Convention during a taping of his program on July 17, 2016. Colbert played "Hunger Games" character Caesar Flickerman at both the Republican and Democratic conventions.
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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivers a fiery speech on the opening night of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016. He unleashed a stinging barrage against Clinton's character, and he attacked the Democrat over Benghazi and immigration.
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Trump's wife, Melania, delivers a speech at the convention on July 18, 2016. "If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you, he's the guy," she said of her husband. Afterward, it was revealed that passages of her speech were taken from Michelle Obama's 2008 speech at the Democratic National Convention. A speechwriter identified herself as the person responsible for the plagiarism, and she offered her resignation. The Trumps did not accept. "She made a mistake. ... We all make mistakes," Donald Trump told ABC News.
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Trump waves as he leaves the stage during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016.
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A Republican's hat carries old campaign buttons at the convention in Cleveland.
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Carson speaks on the second day of the Republican National Convention. The former presidential candidate said Trump skeptics who would vote for Clinton are "not using their God-given brain to think about what they're saying. ... She'll be appointing people who will have an effect on us for generations. And America may never recover."
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Trump's daughter Ivanka smiles for a man's photo at the convention.
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House Speaker Paul Ryan, right, talks with Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, as Priebus explains Alaska's votes on the second day of the Republican National Convention. Trump shared Alaska's delegates after the state's caucuses on March 1, but a little-known rule allowed him to receive all of them at the convention.
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Cruz, Trump's main adversary in the primaries, walks off the stage after his speech at the convention. He was booed at the end of his speech when it was clear he wasn't endorsing Trump. Cruz told people to "vote your conscience."
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People react to Cruz's speech at the convention on July 20, 2016.
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Trump gives an "air kiss" to his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, after Pence's speech at the convention on July 20, 2016.
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A protester wears a Hillary Clinton mask outside the Republican National Convention. CNN sent photographer Peter van Agtmael into the crowds of both conventions to get a handle on what it's like away from the politicians and delegates.
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Clinton was not a popular figure at the Republican National Convention. An outsider's look at the RNC
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Trump delivers his speech at the Republican National Convention. "I have had a truly great life in business," he said. "But now, my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country -- to go to work for you. It's time to deliver a victory for the American people."
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Clinton, accompanied by first responders and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, visits a memorial outside of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on July 22, 2016. The nightclub was the site of a June shooting that killed 49 people.
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First lady Michelle Obama waves to delegates in Philadelphia as she speaks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention on July 25, 2016. Obama cast the presidential race as one between a positive role model for children and a damaging one.
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Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, arrives for a delegation breakfast in Philadelphia on July 25, 2016. Wasserman Schultz resigned at the end of the convention after leaked committee emails appeared to show favoritism toward Clinton in the primary race.
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A woman reacts after allegedly being pepper-sprayed as a group of protesters tried to push through the police lines and enter the Democratic National Convention.
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Because of the leaked committee emails, many Sanders supporters entered the convention upset.
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President Obama hugs Clinton after speaking at the convention on July 27, 2016. Obama told the crowd that Clinton is ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to Clinton's stint as secretary of state.
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Khizr Khan holds his personal copy of the U.S. Constitution as he speaks at the Democratic National Convention on July 28, 2016. Khan's son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in 2004 while serving in Afghanistan. "If it was up to Donald Trump," Khan said, "(my son) never would have been in America. ... Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with our future. Let me ask you: Have you even read the U.S. Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy."
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Clinton waves after her speech on the final day of the Democratic National Convention. She officially became the first woman to lead the ticket of a major political party. "When there are no ceilings," she said, "the sky's the limit."
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Former President Bill Clinton acknowledges the crowd after his wife's speech at the convention.
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The Clintons celebrate backstage with U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and Kaine's wife, Anne Holton. Kaine is Hillary Clinton's running mate. During the convention, photographer Callie Shell was behind the scenes with Clinton on assignment for CNN.
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Trump holds two babies during a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on July 29, 2016.
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Billionaire Warren Buffett speaks at a Clinton rally in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 1, 2016. Buffett challenged Trump to discuss his tax returns publicly.
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Trump holds a Purple Heart medal that a veteran gave to him during a campaign event in Ashburn, Virginia, on August 2, 2016.
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Seddique Mateen, the father of the gunman who killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, wears a red cap as he attends a Clinton campaign rally in Kissimmee, Florida, on August 8, 2016. A Clinton aide said the campaign was unaware of Mateen's attendance until after the event. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill later issued a statement saying, "Hillary Clinton disagrees with his views and disavows his support."
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Law enforcement officers make Trump supporters remove a Confederate flag display at a Trump rally in Kissimmee, Florida, on August 11, 2016.
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An employee from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation removes a statue of a naked Trump from Union Square on August 18, 2016.
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Trump and Pence help unload supplies for flood victims during a visit to Gonzales, Louisiana, on August 19, 2016. The two were in the state following massive flooding in and around Baton Rouge.
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Trump supporters wear prison costumes with the Clintons' names on them at a campaign rally in Austin, Texas, on August 23, 2016.
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A Clinton supporter waves a flag during a campaign event in Reno, Nevada, on August 25, 2016.
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Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, left, attend a news conference in Mexico City on August 31, 2016. They discussed the wall that Trump vowed to build on the U.S.-Mexico border, but Trump said they didn't talk about his demand that Mexico pay for it -- an assertion the Mexican President later disputed.
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U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions shows off his hat while he speaks during a Trump rally in Phoenix on August 31, 2016. The hat is related to Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," and its debut came hours after Trump traveled south of the border to meet Mexico's President.
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Kaine greets a child as he and Clinton arrive at an airport in Cleveland on September 5, 2016.
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Trump gives a thumbs-up to supporters after speaking at a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, on September 6, 2016.
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A Clinton supporter cheers at a rally in Tampa, Florida, on September 6, 2016.
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Jill Stein, the Green Party's presidential candidate, spray-paints a bulldozer during a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline in Morton County, North Dakota, on September 6, 2016. A North Dakota sheriff's office charged Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, with criminal trespass and criminal mischief. Stein, who has a history of environmental activism, said the pipeline's construction desecrated Native American burial sites.
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Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate, appears on the talk show "The View" on September 8, 2016. A few hours earlier, Johnson appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" where he responded, "And what is Aleppo?" when co-host Mike Barnicle asked what Johnson would do about the war-torn Syrian city. Johnson addressed his interview gaffe when he appeared on "The View," saying there was "no excuse" for his response and that he was thinking of Aleppo as an acronym.
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Clinton is accompanied by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio during a ceremony at the city's 9/11 memorial on September 11, 2016. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days prior, left early after feeling ill. Video appeared to show her stumbling as she left the event.
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A Trump supporter waits for the start of a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa on September 13, 2016.
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Talk-show host Jimmy Fallon musses Trump's hair during an episode of "The Tonight Show" in New York on September 15, 2016.
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The campaign planes of Trump and Clinton sit on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport near Washington on September 16, 2016.
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Clinton attends the annual symposium of the Black Women's Agenda on September 16, 2016.
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The first debate between Trump and Clinton is seen on television at a bar in San Diego on September 26, 2016.
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Alec Baldwin plays Trump and Kate McKinnon plays Clinton in a "Saturday Night Live" skit on October 1, 2016.
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Audience members watch the vice presidential debate in Farmville, Virginia, on October 4, 2016.
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Kaine and Pence face off in the vice presidential debate.
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Donna Brazile, acting chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, talks with Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, before the vice presidential debate. Brazile later resigned from her role as a CNN contributor amid fresh revelations that she sent questions to Clinton's campaign in advance of a CNN debate and a CNN-TV One town hall. In a statement, CNN said it was "completely uncomfortable with what we have learned about her interactions with the Clinton campaign while she was a CNN contributor." CNN said it "never gave Brazile access to any questions, prep material, attendee list, background information or meetings in advance of a town hall or debate."
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Pastors pray with Trump during the Republican nominee's visit to Las Vegas on October 5, 2016.
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Workers prepare the stage for the second presidential debate, which took place in St. Louis on October 7, 2016.
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Bill Clinton shakes hands with Ivanka Trump before the second presidential debate.
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Trump looms behind Clinton at the second debate, which was a town-hall format with questions from undecided voters.
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Among those attending the second debate were, from left, Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broaddrick and Kathy Shelton. Less than two hours before the debate, those three -- along with Paula Jones -- appeared in a Trump news conference to speak out against the Clintons. Willey, Broaddrick and Jones have previously accused Bill Clinton of inappropriate sexual behavior. Shelton's rapist was defended by Hillary Clinton as a young lawyer. That man was convicted of a lesser charge and served 10 months in jail.
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Undecided voter Ken Bone, in the red sweater, listens to Clinton during the second debate. Bone became a viral sensation after asking his question about the two candidates' energy policies.
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Trump speaks at a campaign rally in West Palm Beach, Florida, on October 13, 2016.
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Attorney Gloria Allred, left, holds a news conference with Summer Zervos, a former contestant on "The Apprentice" who has accused Donald Trump of grabbing her breast and kissing her aggressively in 2007. The presidential candidate disputed Zervos' allegations in a statement on October 14, 2016. "When Gloria Allred is given the same weighting on national television as the president of the United States, and unfounded accusations are treated as fact, with reporters throwing due diligence and fact-finding to the side in a rush to file their stories first, it's evident that we truly are living in a broken system," Trump said. At a rally that day in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump called himself a "victim" as more women continued to come forward accusing him of sexual assault and harassment. "I am a victim of one of the great political smear campaigns in the history of our country," he said.
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Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson shakes hands with supporters in Lynchburg, Virginia, on October 17, 2016.
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A GOP office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, was firebombed in mid-October, with a swastika and the words "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" spray-painted on an adjacent building, according to local officials. Gov. Pat McCrory called the fire an "assault on our democracy."
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Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, speaking at a Trump rally on October 17, 2016, claimed that the presidential election was rigged and that it was "pitchfork and torches time in America." Trump has come under fire -- from both Democrats and Republicans -- for saying the election is rigged.
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Clinton walks toward moderator Chris Wallace at the end of the third and final presidential debate on October 19, 2016. There was no handshake between her and Trump.
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Clinton listens to Trump speak at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York on October 20, 2016. The annual event benefits Catholic charities and is often one of the final opportunities for presidential candidates to share a stage before the election. Historically, it has been a good-natured roast -- but CNN's Stephen Collinson said Clinton and Trump struggled to disguise the anger, bitterness and sheer open dislike that has pulsed through the race.
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Workers repair Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after it was vandalized on October 26, 2016.
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Clinton and aide Huma Abedin stand aboard Clinton's campaign plane as they head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a campaign rally on October 28, 2016. News broke on the flight that the FBI was reviewing new emails related to Clinton's personal server, bringing an issue they had assumed was behind them back into the campaign. The emails being examined were part of an investigation into former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, Abedin's estranged husband, who is accused of sexting with a girl who was purportedly underage. On November 6, 2016, FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers that after reviewing the new emails, the agency stood by its opinion that Clinton should not face criminal charges.
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A Trump supporter interrupts President Obama's speech during a Clinton campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on November 4, 2016. Obama rebuked the crowd for shouting down the protester, saying "we live in a country that respects free speech." He added that the man looked like he possibly served in military and that "we ought to respect that." The episode lasted for more than a minute before the Trump supporter was escorted from the venue.
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An empty lectern is seen at the Javits Center -- the site of Clinton's election night gathering in New York -- on November 9, 2016. With Clinton trailing in the Electoral College and a few remaining states too close to call, Clinton's campaign chief, John Podesta, announced that Clinton would not be giving a speech to the crowd. She later called Trump to concede the election.
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Clinton delivers her concession speech on November 9, 2016. She told her supporters she was sorry for not winning. "Donald Trump is going to be our President. We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead," she said.
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In Florida, nearly 9.4 million ballots were cast, compared to 8.5 million in 2012. Michigan saw 4.8 million compared to 4.7 million four years ago. And in North Carolina, the 4.7 million ballots this year was about 138,000 more than last cycle.
Full measures of turnout won't be clear for as long as several more weeks, when election officials in the various states finish tabulating and certify the results. The figures also do not include people of age who are ineligible to vote or have not registered.
