Turnout soared in 2020 as nearly two-thirds of eligible U.S. voters cast ballots for president
Americans voted in record numbers in last year’s presidential election, casting nearly 158.4 million ballots.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Americans voted in record numbers in last year’s presidential election, casting nearly 158.4 million ballots.
Mail-in ballots accounted for just over half of this year’s primary votes cast in the 37 states (plus D.C.) for which data is available.
Votes cast on Election Day have grown steadily less significant over the past several election cycles as a share of total votes cast.
Here’s a look back at some of the closest races of elections past and an assessment of just how common such races are.
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.
Looking back at presidential elections since 1828, the winner’s electoral vote share has, on average, been 1.36 times his popular vote share.
We developed this explainer to help people understand how, and why, the complex U.S. electoral process is even more so this time around.
After months of campaigning, debating, polling and fundraising, Democratic presidential candidates face their first real-world test Feb. 3.
The 2018 midterm elections significantly boosted the number of Millennials and Generation Xers in the lower chamber.
Turnout in this year’s primaries for Congress and most state governorships surged compared with the last midterms in 2014, particularly among Democrats. Nearly a fifth (19.6%) of registered voters – about 37 million – cast ballots in primary elections for the U.S. House of Representatives – a 56% increase over the 23.7 million who voted in 2014’s House primaries. Turnout that year was 13.7% of registered voters.
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