You probably remember the 2020 election as a blur of mail-in ballots, late-night map watching, and a whole lot of stress. But if you look at the raw data, something truly wild happened. We didn't just see a winner; we saw a total shattering of every historical record on the books.
When people search for the most votes ever in a presidential election, they’re usually looking for one name: Joe Biden. In 2020, he pulled in over 81 million votes. To put that in perspective, that’s about 12 million more than Barack Obama got in his historic 2008 run. It's a massive, staggering number that felt like a once-in-a-century outlier—until 2024 happened and proved that high-octane turnout might just be the new normal in American politics.
The 81 Million Peak: Joe Biden’s Record-Breaking Run
Let’s get into the weeds of the 2020 results because the numbers are kinda hard to wrap your head around. Joe Biden ended up with 81,283,501 votes. That is the current gold standard. He didn't just win; he commanded the largest raw popular vote total in the history of the United States.
But here’s the kicker that honestly shocks a lot of people: Donald Trump also broke records that year. Even though he lost, he brought in 74,223,975 votes. At the time, that was the second-highest total ever recorded for a presidential candidate. Think about that. The person who lost the 2020 election still got more votes than any winning president in history prior to that year.
Why did this happen? It wasn't just that people liked the candidates more. It was a perfect storm of factors:
- Expanded access: Mail-in voting became the standard for millions due to the pandemic.
- High stakes: Polarization was (and is) at an all-time high. People felt like the world would end if the other side won.
- Technology: It’s easier than ever to register and get reminded to show up.
The 2024 Shift: Did the Record Hold?
Fast forward to the 2024 election, and the "most votes" conversation got even more interesting. While Joe Biden still holds the all-time record from 2020, the 2024 race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris showed that the era of "low turnout" is dead and buried.
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Donald Trump’s 2024 victory saw him rake in 77,302,580 votes. While it didn't quite catch Biden's 81-million-vote ghost from four years prior, it comfortably took the spot for the most votes ever cast for a Republican candidate. Kamala Harris, meanwhile, tallied 75,017,613 votes.
So, if you look at the "Top 4" highest vote-getters in history, they are all from the last two election cycles.
- Joe Biden (2020): 81.2 Million
- Donald Trump (2024): 77.3 Million
- Kamala Harris (2024): 75.0 Million
- Donald Trump (2020): 74.2 Million
It’s basically a modern-day arms race. Before this era, Barack Obama’s 2008 total of 69.4 million was the mountain everyone was trying to climb. Now, 69 million looks like a "slow" year.
Percentage vs. Raw Totals: The Nuance We Forget
One thing that drives political junkies crazy is when we talk about "most votes" without talking about population. Of course we have more votes now—there are more people! If you look at the percentage of the voting-age population that actually showed up, the story changes a bit.
The 2020 election had a turnout rate of about 66.6%. That was the highest since 1900. Back in 1900, William McKinley won in a year where 73.7% of eligible people voted. But back then, the "eligible" pool was much smaller (no women, and systemic disenfranchisement of Black voters).
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If we look at "landslide" victories based on the share of the vote rather than the raw number, the 2020 and 2024 races actually look pretty tight. For example, in 1984, Ronald Reagan won 58.8% of the popular vote. In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson grabbed over 61%. Joe Biden’s record-breaking 2020 run "only" took 51.3% of the popular vote.
It turns out that having the most votes ever in a presidential election is a sign of a massive, engaged electorate, but it doesn't necessarily mean a candidate has a "mandate" in the way the old-school landslides did.
Why the Numbers Keep Climbing
It’s tempting to say it’s just population growth. The US population grows by a few million every year, so the ceiling for votes naturally rises. But that’s not the whole story.
According to the Pew Research Center, the biggest driver is "partisan antipathy." Basically, we aren't just voting for someone we like; we are voting against someone we fear. This fear is a much stronger motivator for getting people off the couch than a polished campaign ad.
We’ve also seen a massive spike in turnout among younger voters and minority groups. In 2020, for example, Asian American turnout jumped by 10 percentage points compared to 2016. In 2024, the "non-college white" demographic—a group that often stays home—showed up in massive numbers for Trump. When every demographic starts treating the election like a "must-win" battle, the record for most votes is going to keep breaking.
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Does the Popular Vote Even Matter?
We have to talk about the elephant in the room: the Electoral College. You can get the most votes in history and still lose. Just ask Hillary Clinton. In 2016, she got nearly 3 million more votes than Donald Trump but didn't win the presidency.
Even Joe Biden’s 81 million votes in 2020 came down to a razor-thin margin in the states that actually mattered. Experts at the Center for American Progress pointed out that despite his 7-million-vote lead nationally, the election was actually decided by about 42,918 votes across three battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin).
That’s the paradox of modern American elections. We are seeing the most votes ever in a presidential election, yet the power is concentrated in a tiny fraction of those voters. It leads to a lot of frustration. Some people argue it’s time to move to a direct popular vote, while others say the current system protects smaller states from being ignored.
Surprising Records and Oddities
- The Third-Party Peak: In 1992, Ross Perot got 19,743,821 votes. That’s still the record for someone who didn't belong to the two major parties. He didn't win a single state, though.
- The Nixon Surge: Before the 2000s, Richard Nixon’s 1972 win was a monster. He got 47 million votes, which was huge for that time, winning nearly every single state except Massachusetts and D.C.
- The 1824 Mess: Andrew Jackson actually won the popular vote and the most electoral votes, but he didn't get a majority, so the House of Representatives gave the presidency to John Quincy Adams instead. Jackson was, understandably, pretty mad about it.
What This Means for You
Understanding the scale of these numbers helps cut through the noise of "voter apathy." People aren't apathetic; they are more engaged than they’ve been in a century.
If you want to track where these trends are going, keep an eye on these specific metrics for the next cycle:
- Voter Registration Rates: Look at states like Georgia and Arizona, where registration drives have changed the math entirely.
- Youth Turnout: Gen Z is voting at higher rates than Millennials or Gen X did at their age.
- Mail-in Balloting Laws: Any change to how easy it is to vote will directly impact whether we see another 80-million-plus total.
The reality is that 80 million is likely the new floor. As we head toward 2028, the infrastructure of American voting—and the intensity of the political divide—suggests that the record for the most votes ever in a presidential election will probably be challenged sooner rather than later.
To stay truly informed, don't just look at the national total. Dig into the turnout by demographic in your own state. That's where the real story of American power is written. Check your local Secretary of State website for "certified results" to see how your community compared to the national surge.