Honestly, the numbers are kind of staggering when you actually sit down and look at them. We all remember the chaos of that year—the masks, the social distancing, the constant news pings on our phones—but the sheer volume of humanity that showed up to the polls is the real story.
So, how many people voted in the presidential election in 2020?
The short answer is 158,402,026.
That’s over 158 million people. To put that in perspective, it was the highest voter turnout by percentage that the United States had seen since 1900. Think about that for a second. We hadn’t seen that kind of civic engagement since the era of the horse and buggy, yet it happened right in the middle of a global pandemic.
Breaking Down the Record-Shattering 2020 Totals
If you look at the raw data from the Federal Election Commission and the U.S. Census Bureau, the surge was basically everywhere. Joe Biden ended up with 81,282,632 votes, which is the most ever cast for a single candidate in American history. On the other side, Donald Trump pulled in 74,223,234 votes. Even in a losing effort, he actually received more votes than any sitting president had ever gotten before him.
👉 See also: Ethics in the News: What Most People Get Wrong
The turnout rate hit roughly 66.8% of the citizen voting-age population.
It wasn't just a slight bump. It was a massive 17-million-vote jump from 2016. Usually, these numbers creep up slowly, but 2020 was an explosion. People were motivated. Some were terrified, some were inspired, and some were just plain angry, but almost everyone felt like they had a "must-vote" reason to participate.
Why Everyone Actually Showed Up
You’d think a pandemic would keep people home. It did the opposite.
States across the country scrambled to make voting easier because of COVID-19. They sent out mail-in ballots like crazy and expanded early voting windows. According to the Census Bureau, a whopping 69.4% of voters used what they call "nontraditional" methods. That means most people didn't even wait until Tuesday to cast their ballot. They did it from their kitchen table or a drop box at the local library weeks in advance.
✨ Don't miss: When is the Next Hurricane Coming 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
The demographics tell a wild story, too. Every single racial group saw a turnout spike.
- Asian Americans saw a 10-point jump compared to 2016.
- Hispanic voters officially crossed the 10% threshold of the total electorate for the first time.
- Young voters (ages 18-34) turned out at 57%, which is pretty high for a group that historically tends to stay home.
It's also worth noting the education gap. People with a bachelor’s degree or higher turned out at about 80%. Meanwhile, those without a degree saw a massive spike as well, hitting 60%, which was a six-point jump from the previous cycle. It seems the 2020 election reached into every corner of the American experience.
The Geography of the Vote
If you want to see where the energy was highest, look at the northern Midwest and New England. Minnesota led the pack with an incredible 79.8% turnout rate. Maine and New Hampshire weren't far behind. On the flip side, states like Arkansas and Oklahoma were at the bottom, hovering in the low 50s.
New Jersey had one of the most interesting jumps. Because they switched to a primarily mail-in system for that year, their turnout rocketed from 61% in 2016 to 78% in 2020. That’s a massive shift in just four years. It really proves that when you make it easier for people to vote, they actually do it.
🔗 Read more: What Really Happened With Trump Revoking Mayorkas Secret Service Protection
What This Means for the Future
Now that we’ve seen what 158 million votes looks like, there's no going back. The 2024 election followed a similar high-turnout pattern, and it’s clear that the "sleepy" election cycles of the 90s and early 2000s are a thing of the past. We are living in an era of high-intensity political engagement.
Whether you think the 2020 numbers were a one-time fluke caused by the pandemic or the start of a new normal, they changed the map. Strategists now have to account for millions of "low-propensity" voters who decided they actually care about the outcome.
If you're looking to dive deeper into how these numbers affected your local area, the best move is to check your specific Secretary of State’s website for the "Statement of Vote" or "Official Canvass." Those documents break down the counts by county and precinct, showing exactly how your neighbors moved the needle. You can also visit the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website to download the full, certified spreadsheets of the 158 million votes.
Next Steps for You:
- Download the Official Data: Go to the FEC's official website and search for the "2020 Presidential General Election Results" PDF to see the final certified counts for every third-party candidate and write-in.
- Check Your Registration: Since turnout is hitting record highs, ensure your status is active via Vote.gov so you're ready for the next cycle.
- Compare Your State: Use the U.S. Census Bureau’s "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2020" report to see if your state’s turnout was above or below the national average of 66.8%.