Amid pandemic, the long decline of in-person voting on Election Day is likely to accelerate this year
Votes cast on Election Day have grown steadily less significant over the past several election cycles as a share of total votes cast.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Votes cast on Election Day have grown steadily less significant over the past several election cycles as a share of total votes cast.
Americans voted in record numbers in last year’s presidential election, casting nearly 158.4 million ballots.
Women make up just over a quarter of all members of the 117th Congress – the highest percentage in U.S. history.
Only six states now have U.S. senators of different parties – the smallest number of split delegations in more than a century.
Even as younger generations gain representation in Congress, older generations still make up the majority of senators and representatives.
Here’s a look back at some of the closest races of elections past and an assessment of just how common such races are.
When legislatures get the data to draw new congressional maps, Republicans will drive that process in 20 states, versus 11 for Democrats.
Looking back at presidential elections since 1828, the winner’s electoral vote share has, on average, been 1.36 times his popular vote share.
In the 2016 general election, voters submitted nearly 33.5 million mail ballots, but more than 400,000 (1.2% of the total) weren’t counted.
We developed this explainer to help people understand how, and why, the complex U.S. electoral process is even more so this time around.
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