If you’re looking for the short answer to how many votes for Jill Stein were cast in the most recent election, the number is roughly 862,049. That’s the national total she secured as the Green Party nominee alongside running mate Butch Ware.
It’s a weirdly specific number, right?
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Most people just glance at the top two candidates and assume third parties don't exist. But roughly 0.6% of the American voting public decided that neither major party worked for them this time around. That’s nearly a million people. To put it in perspective, that’s more than the entire population of Seattle or San Francisco.
The Breakdown: Where Those Votes Actually Came From
When we talk about the 2024 results, the national total is just one part of the story. Politics in the U.S. is a game of geography. Stein's performance varied wildly depending on where you look.
In some states, she was a non-entity. In others, she was a lightning rod for specific policy protests.
The Big State Numbers
California, as usual, provided a massive chunk of her raw vote count simply because of its size. Stein pulled about 1% of the vote there. In New York, despite being disqualified from the primary ballot and forced to run as a write-in, she managed over 46,000 votes. That's a lot of people taking the extra time to literally write a name on a piece of paper.
The Swing State Impact
This is where things get spicy. In Michigan, Stein pulled 0.7% of the total vote.
That might sound like a rounding error.
It’s not.
In a state like Michigan, where the margin between the two major candidates was razor-thin, every thousand votes feels like a landslide. Her appeal there was largely driven by a massive surge in support from Arab American and Muslim American voters who were frustrated with the status quo. Some polls before the election showed her leading among these groups in Michigan with up to 40% support.
How 2024 Compares to the Stein Legacy
Jill Stein isn't new to this. She’s been the Green Party’s standard-bearer in 2012 and 2016 as well. If you’re tracking how many votes for Jill Stein have been cast over the years, the trend line is pretty fascinating.
- 2012: She grabbed about 470,000 votes.
- 2016: This was her high-water mark—1.45 million votes (roughly 1.1% of the popular vote).
- 2024: She landed at 862,049 votes.
Why the drop from 2016?
Well, the 2024 cycle was crowded. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (even after dropping out) and Cornel West both ate into that "alternative" voter pool. Plus, the pressure from major parties to "not waste your vote" was at an all-time high.
The "Spoiler" Debate: Did She Change the Outcome?
Honestly, this is the question everyone asks after the dust settles.
Critics often point to the fact that her vote totals in states like Wisconsin (where she got 0.3%) or Pennsylvania (0.4%) sometimes exceed the margin between the winner and the loser. In Wisconsin, Biden won by 20,000 in 2020. In 2024, the math remains just as tight.
But Stein’s supporters argue that most of her voters wouldn't have voted for a major party anyway. They see her as a "safety valve" for people who would otherwise stay home.
Why People Voted for Stein in 2024
It wasn't just about "being Green" this time. While climate change is her brand, the 2024 campaign was heavily focused on:
- Foreign Policy: Specifically, the conflict in Gaza. Stein made this a central pillar of her platform, attracting voters who felt abandoned by the administration.
- The "Broken" System: She leans heavily into the idea that the two-party system is an oligarchy.
- The Economy: Focus on a "Green New Deal" that promises union jobs and a transition off fossil fuels by 2035.
She spent over $100,000 on signature gathering, sometimes using firms also used by Republicans. It's a messy reality of third-party politics where "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
What Happens Now?
Jill Stein has officially secured the third-place spot in the 2024 popular vote. Her running mate, Butch Ware, is already looking ahead to the 2026 California gubernatorial race.
For the Green Party, hitting nearly a million votes ensures they stay in the conversation, even if they aren't winning electoral votes. They’re playing the long game.
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Actionable Next Steps for Tracking Election Data
If you're trying to dive deeper into these numbers, don't rely on just one source.
- Check Certified Results: National totals shift slightly as late mail-in ballots and overseas votes are tallied and certified. Use the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website for the final, official "gold standard" numbers.
- State-Level Deep Dives: Visit individual Secretary of State websites (like Minnesota or New Mexico) to see the granular breakdown of write-in vs. ballot votes.
- Historical Context: Compare these results with 2016 and 2020 via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab. It helps to see if third-party energy is actually growing or just shifting between different names.
The 2024 numbers show that while the "Green surge" of 2016 has cooled off, there is still a persistent, nearly million-strong block of voters who refuse to pick between the "lesser of two evils."