The 2016 Election Taught Us There’s a Lot We Need to Learn About the American Electorate

Well. To say that we were blindsided by the 2016 Election is an understatement. But since November 9, we have been poring over exit polling, turnout data, smart people writing smart things, and any other information we can get our hands on—all with a goal of better understanding what happened and what ReThink’s member organizations can learn from it.

Through the end of the dumpster fire that has been 2016, we will be posting about what we have learned and how it applies to our work.

Here are some of the questions we’ll be answering:

• Who turned out to vote, how does that compares to previous years, and what does it mean for strategic choices moving forward?
• What were the true motivations of people who previously voted for Obama, but this time voted for Trump? And are they lost to progressive issues forever?
• What happened on the Democratic side? Was there a Hispanic surge? What about white working-class voters?
• Are the media to blame for the election outcome?
• How should nonprofits plan for the next four years, and adapt their strategies given this information?
• Can I ever trust a poll again?

Are there other burning questions you have about the election? Tweet to us @rethink_media and let us know.

In the meantime, stay tuned for our analysis.