Voters elect Donald Trump as 47th President of the United States

By Devin Watkins

Several US media networks have called the 2024 US election for former President Donald J. Trump, though official tallies have yet to confirm that result.

Exit polls showed that the 78-year-old Republican candidate won more than the required 270 electoral votes and roughly 51 percent of the popular vote.

President-elect Trump served as the 45th US President from 2017-2021 and will become the 47th President on January 20, 2025 to serve a four-year term in office.

Ohio Senator James David “JD” Vance will serve as US Vice President.

Republicans have also taken control of the Senate, and are projected to win a slim majority of seats in the House of Representatives, giving the party full control of the US Congress.

Speaking at a convention center in Palm Beach, Florida, President-elect Trump claimed voters had given him “an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”

“We’re going to help our country heal,” he said, while promising to “fix our borders”.

Referendums on abortion

Besides the presidential and legislative elections, voters in ten US states were asked to decide on issues related to abortion.

Florida residents rejected an amendment that would have enshrined the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability, which is roughly considered 24 weeks of pregancy.

Over 57 percent voted in favor but the result fell short of the 60 percent required to pass the referendum. Florida’s ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy will remain in place.

South Dakotans decisively rejected an amendment that would have overturned the state’s abortion ban and guaranteed a "right" to abortion in the first trimester by over 60 percent.

In Nebraska, voters had a choice to either enshrine the current twelve-week ban on abortion or to legalize abortion through fetal viability. Results showed that voters had chosen to keep the twelve-week ban on abortion.

Residents of Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, New York, and Missouri chose to create a constitutional right to abortion for their respective state constitutions.