Preliminary Data Suggests Highest U.S. Election Turnout Since 1900

The U.S. Elections Project, a nonpartisan website run by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald, has announced that the 2020 presidential election has had the highest voting turnout rate in 120 years. McDonald tweeted preliminary estimates of turnout among the voting-eligible population, putting it at 66.9 percent with 160 million people casting their vote.

That would make the 2020 election the contest with the highest voter turnout since 1900 when the voting-eligible turnout rate was 66.9 percent. McDonald added that there is a fair amount of guesswork involving outstanding ballots to be counted and that he will continue to refine his estimates over the coming weeks.