The Purge: Election Year (2016) Ending Explained – Final Scene & Meaning

Roan's election victory matters because she has promised to abolish the Purge entirely. After losing her family during a Purge night, she dedicated her political career to ending the annual government-sanctioned violence. Her win represents the first real chance at dismantling the system entirely, making it a pivotal moment in the franchise's storyline.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Roan's campaign explicitly frames the election as the final opportunity to end the Purge, establishing the high stakes of her candidacy.

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The Purge does not end immediately after the movie. While Roan's election victory positions her to abolish the Purge, the ending shows that violent protests from opposition supporters have already begun. The film explicitly states that the fight to truly end the Purge is far from over, leaving the system's destruction as an ongoing struggle rather than an accomplished fact.

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Bishop changes his mind when he realizes that assassinating Owens would make him no different from the corrupt system he fights against. After Roan warns him that killing Owens would turn him into a martyr and worsen the violence, Bishop recognizes that resorting to murder would undermine his own principles. He refuses to become "just another purger," choosing to stand against violence rather than embrace it.

Foreshadowing: Bishop's earlier disagreements with the violent methods of other resistance fighters hinted at his moral conflict.

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The violent protests at the end reveal that Roan's election victory has immediately sparked backlash from opposition supporters. This indicates the nation remains deeply divided and that the chaos surrounding the Purge will not disappear simply because someone anti-Purge won an election. The protests show the systemic violence is embedded in society itself, not just in the annual event.

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Roan tries to stop the assassination because she believes killing Owens would backfire catastrophically. She fears Owens would become a martyr, transforming him into a symbol that could strengthen pro-Purge sentiment and provoke even more violence. Roan insists that true change must come through legitimate political process, not assassination, staying true to the moral principles she has championed throughout her campaign.

Foreshadowing: Roan's entire campaign is built on opposing violence, making her stance consistent with her established character.

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The ending is bittersweet. Roan wins the presidential election, giving real hope that the Purge can finally be abolished, which is a significant victory. However, this comes after major personal costs including Joe's sacrifice, and the ending immediately shows violent protests erupting against Roan. The film concludes with the message that the struggle to end systemic violence is far from over, leaving viewers with qualified hope rather than complete triumph.

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Dante Bishop survives the Purge night and ultimately decides against assassinating Minister Owens. Rather than becoming an assassin, Bishop chooses to abandon the violent plan and presumably continues working within whatever resistance network he leads. His character arc concludes with him rejecting the very violence he once used as a survival mechanism, committing instead to fighting corruption through means other than murder.

Foreshadowing: Bishop's shift away from violence was foreshadowed by his growing disillusionment with the revolution's violent tactics.

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Roan's election victory alone cannot solve everything because the Purge represents deep-rooted societal violence, not just a political policy. The ending demonstrates that millions of citizens actively support the Purge and will violently resist its abolition. Additionally, changing the law requires more than winning one election, legislation, enforcement, and overcoming entrenched corruption all pose ongoing challenges. The protests show that a significant portion of the population views Roan's victory as a threat, not a solution.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish that the Purge has become a profitable industry and cultural tradition for many Americans.

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