Biden’s victory another example of how Electoral College wins are bigger than popular vote ones
Looking back at presidential elections since 1828, the winner’s electoral vote share has, on average, been 1.36 times his popular vote share.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Election System & Voting Process
All
Election System & Voting Process
Publications
-
-
It’s not just 2020: U.S. presidential elections have long featured close state races
Here’s a look back at some of the closest races of elections past and an assessment of just how common such races are.
-
Sharp Divisions on Vote Counts, as Biden Gets High Marks for His Post-Election Conduct
A large majority of Americans say additional COVID-19 aid is needed – and want Congress to pass it as soon as possible.
-
Most mail and provisional ballots got counted in past U.S. elections – but many did not
In the 2016 general election, voters submitted nearly 33.5 million mail ballots, but more than 400,000 (1.2% of the total) weren’t counted.
-
Amid pandemic, the long decline of in-person voting on Election Day is likely to accelerate this year
Votes cast on Election Day have grown steadily less significant over the past several election cycles as a share of total votes cast.
-
From voter registration to mail-in ballots, how do countries around the world run their elections?
Ahead of the 2020 U.S. election, here’s a look at how elections are run in the United States and other countries around the world.
-
Election night marks the end of one phase of campaign 2020 – and the start of another
We developed this explainer to help people understand how, and why, the complex U.S. electoral process is even more so this time around.
-
Deep Divisions in Views of the Election Process – and Whether It Will Be Clear Who Won
Just half of registered voters expect to know results within a day or two of Election Day, including nearly identical shares who support Trump and Biden.
-
Mail-in voting became much more common in 2020 primaries as COVID-19 spread
Mail-in ballots accounted for just over half of this year’s primary votes cast in the 37 states (plus D.C.) for which data is available.
-
Voters anxiously approach an unusual election – and its potentially uncertain aftermath
Many Americans are heading into the 2020 election with a sense of uncertainty that goes beyond their traditional concerns over who will win.
