Did Less People Vote In 2024 Compared To 2020? While the 2024 election saw Donald Trump win the presidency, COMPARE.EDU.VN breaks down the data to show that while Trump gained more votes than in 2020, overall voter turnout decreased slightly. This article provides a detailed comparison of voter turnout, popular vote, and other key statistics from the 2024 election compared to previous years, offering insights into early voting trends and congressional demographics. Explore this analysis to understand the nuances of voter engagement and election outcomes.
1. Electoral College Results in 2024
The 2024 Electoral College vote concluded with Donald Trump securing 312 votes and Kamala Harris receiving 226 votes. Unlike the 2016 election, the 2024 vote was free of “faithless electors,” ensuring all electors voted as pledged. Trump’s 312 votes exceeded his 2016 count by eight votes, adjusted to six if not accounting for two faithless electors in the earlier election.
2. States That Switched Parties in 2024
In the 2024 election, Donald Trump successfully flipped six states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. All remaining states maintained their 2020 voting patterns.
3. Popular Vote Totals: Trump vs. Harris
Donald Trump received 77,284,118 votes in 2024, accounting for 49.8% of the total votes cast. This figure represents the second-highest vote count in U.S. history, only surpassed by Joe Biden’s 81,284,666 votes in 2020. Trump gained 3,059,799 more votes compared to 2020 and 14,299,293 more than in 2016, establishing him as the presidential candidate with the most cumulative popular votes in U.S. history, outstripping Barack Obama. Kamala Harris garnered 74,999,166 votes, or 48.3% of the votes cast. This represents a decrease of 6,285,500 votes compared to Biden’s 2020 count, but an increase of 774,847 compared to Trump’s 2020 total.
4. Total Voter Turnout in 2024
In 2024, over 155 million Americans voted, specifically 156,302,318, marking the second-largest total voter turnout in U.S. history. This election marks the second instance where voter participation exceeded 140 million people.
5. Voter Turnout Percentage in 2024 vs. 2020
The national voter turnout in 2024 was 63.9%. This figure is lower than the 66.6% turnout in 2020, which was the highest since 1900. However, the 2024 turnout remains high by modern standards. Since 1900, only the 1960 election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon (63.8%) exceeded 63% voter turnout. The 1876 election holds the record for the highest percentage voter turnout at 82.6%, a controversial election where over half the adult population was ineligible to vote.
| Year | Voter Turnout Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 82.6% |
| 1960 | 63.8% |
| 2020 | 66.6% |
| 2024 | 63.9% |
6. States with Highest and Lowest Voter Turnout
Wisconsin led the nation in voter turnout in 2024, with 76.93% of eligible voters participating. Five of the six battleground states that flipped from Biden to Trump exceeded the national average in voter turnout, with Arizona slightly below at 63.6%. Hawaii had the lowest voter turnout, with only 50% of its eligible voters participating.
7. Was the 2024 Election a Landslide Victory?
Despite early coverage portraying Trump’s victory as a landslide, it was far from it based on both Electoral College and popular vote metrics. Trump’s 312 Electoral College votes are only six more than Biden’s 2020 total, 20 less than Obama’s 2012 total, and 53 less than Obama’s 2008 total. His performance pales compared to historical landslides like Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936 (523 electoral votes), Lyndon Johnson in 1964 (486), Richard Nixon in 1972 (520), and Ronald Reagan in 1984 (525). More individuals voted against Trump than for him, and his victory margin over Harris was a mere 1.5 percentage points, marking the fifth smallest margin since 1900.
8. Number of Votes Needed to Shift the 2024 Election Outcome
To alter the outcome of the 2024 election, Kamala Harris needed to gain an additional 229,726 votes spread across Michigan (80,103), Pennsylvania (120,226), and Wisconsin (29,397). Comparatively, Hillary Clinton needed 78,000 votes in the same states to win the Electoral College in 2016, and Trump needed 65,000 votes in Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Nebraska’s second congressional district to win outright in 2020.
9. Close Presidential Elections: A Recurring Trend
The 2024 election marks the tenth consecutive presidential election with a single-digit margin of victory in the popular vote, setting a new record. The previous longest streak started in 1876 with seven consecutive elections. Ronald Reagan was the last president to win by a double-digit margin in 1984 (18 percentage points), and Barack Obama was the last to win by more than five percentage points in 2008 (7 percentage points).
10. Popularity of Early and Mail-In Voting in 2024
Early and mail-in voting remained popular in 2024, with a total of 88,380,679 votes cast. 52% of these votes were cast in person, while 48% were cast via mail-in ballots.
11. Party Affiliation in Early and Mail-In Voting
Data on early and mail-in ballots by party affiliation indicates that 41% were from registered Democrats, 38% from registered Republicans, and 21% from others.
12. Republican Control of Congress
Republicans gained control of both the House and Senate in the 2024 elections. However, their majorities are slim, particularly in the House.
13. Republican Majority in the House of Representatives
Republicans secured 220 House seats compared to the Democrats’ 215. This majority is two seats smaller than their 2022 midterm election win. The Republican margin is set to decrease further due to resignations. Representative Matt Gaetz will not return after being nominated as Attorney General, and Elise Stefanik and Mike Waltz are expected to resign to join the Trump administration. Special elections to fill these seats, likely won by Republicans, will occur in the spring. This situation may hinder the House Republican Conference’s ability to pass significant legislation, as a single Republican defection can block a bill if the Democratic caucus remains united.
14. Republican Control of the Senate
Republicans will hold 53 seats in the new Senate, gaining four seats. Their last Senate control was in 2020. The flipped seats were in Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. This number is still short of the 60 seats needed for a filibuster-proof majority.
15. Women in the 119th Congress
The 119th Congress will include 150 women, making up 27.8% of its members, a decrease of two from the current Congress. This number will increase by one when Elise Stefanik resigns to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
16. Women’s Representation in the Senate and House
The 25 women in the new Senate ties the record set in the 116th Congress (2019-2021). The House will seat 125 women, a decrease of two before Stefanik’s resignation.
17. Women Chairing House Committees
For the first time since the 109th Congress (2005-2006), no woman will chair a House committee. In the current Congress, three women chaired committees, but two declined reelection and the third gave up her gavel due to term limits for House Republican committee chairs.
18. Discrepancy Between Parties in Women Lawmakers
Democrats will have 110 women in the new Congress, up two from the 118th Congress. Republicans will start with 40 women in the House and Senate, down three members. Stefanik’s resignation will raise this number to four.
19. Women of Color in Congress
59 women of color will serve in the 119th Congress, down from the record of 61 in the current Congress, marking the first decrease since the 2008 election. Republicans will have five women of color in Congress, while Democrats will have 54.
20. Black Women in the Senate
For the first time in U.S. history, the Senate will have two Black women senators serving simultaneously. Angela Alsobrooks became the first Black senator elected in Maryland, and Lisa Blunt Rochester became the first woman and Black senator from Delaware.
21. Notable Firsts for Women in the House
Several women elected to the House also set firsts. Yassamin Ansari will be the first woman of Middle Eastern/North African descent to represent Arizona in the U.S. Congress. Janelle Bynum will be the first Black woman to represent Oregon in the U.S. Congress. Julie Fedorchak will be the first woman to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House. Mississippi remains the only state to have never sent a woman to the U.S. House. Sarah McBride of Delaware will be the first openly transgender member of the House, and Nellie Pou will be the first Latina to represent New Jersey in the House.
22. Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the 119th Congress
People of color will comprise approximately 27% of the new Congress. This includes 65 African Americans, up five from the 118th Congress; 52 Hispanic Americans, down one from the 118th Congress; 22 Asian Americans, up two from the 118th Congress; and four Native Americans, one less than in the 118th Congress.
23. African-American Members of the Senate
The election of Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester brings the total number of African-American members in the Senate to five. The others are Democrats Corey Booker of New Jersey and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, and Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina.
24. Hispanic Members of the Senate
Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Bernie Moreno of Ohio are the two new Hispanic members of the Senate. The Senate will have six Hispanic members, including Democrats Alex Padilla of California, Catherine Cortez Mastro of Nevada, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and Republican Ted Cruz of Texas. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida will step down to be nominated as Secretary of State.
25. Asian-American Members of the Senate
Andy Kim of New Jersey became the tenth Asian American to be elected to the Senate, joining Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.
26. Looking Ahead to Future Elections
The 2026 congressional midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats will be contested. The 2028 presidential election will be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2028.
FAQ About 2024 Election Voter Turnout
1. Was voter turnout lower in 2024 compared to 2020?
Yes, the voter turnout in 2024 was 63.9%, which is lower than the 66.6% recorded in 2020.
2. How many people voted in the 2024 election?
More than 155 million Americans voted in 2024, specifically 156,302,318 people.
3. Which state had the highest voter turnout in 2024?
Wisconsin had the highest voter turnout in 2024, with 76.93% of eligible voters participating.
4. Which state had the lowest voter turnout in 2024?
Hawaii had the lowest voter turnout in 2024, with only 50% of eligible voters participating.
5. How did early and mail-in voting impact the 2024 election?
Early and mail-in voting remained popular, with 88,380,679 votes cast. 52% of these votes were cast in person, and 48% were cast via mail-in ballots.
6. Did Republicans gain control of Congress in the 2024 election?
Yes, Republicans gained control of both the House and Senate in the 2024 elections.
7. How many women are in the 119th Congress?
The 119th Congress will include 150 women, making up 27.8% of its members.
8. Will there be any women chairing House committees in the 119th Congress?
No, for the first time since the 109th Congress (2005-2006), no woman will chair a House committee.
9. How many African-American members are in the Senate?
With the election of Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester, there will be five African-American members in the Senate.
10. When are the next congressional midterm elections?
The next congressional midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Navigating election data can be complex. Whether you’re comparing voter turnout, analyzing demographic shifts, or understanding the nuances of election outcomes, COMPARE.EDU.VN offers comprehensive and objective comparisons to help you make informed decisions.
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