Title: Election 2020 Voter Turnout 'at 67 Percent', Highest in 120 Years
Headings: Election 2020 Voter Turnout 'at 67 Percent', Highest in 120 Years
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Election 2020 Voter Turnout 'at 67 Percent', Highest in 120 Years
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Content: Numbers then dipped for several years, until the 1960 election between Nixon and Kennedy mentioned above. Newsweek subscription offers >
In the years since, turnout has hovered anywhere from 48 to 60 percent of eligible voters. But pundits point to two primary reasons for the massive increase anticipated for 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic and increased enthusiasm among Americans for this year's election. The pandemic has upended life in so many ways, including how people are casting their ballots. At least nine states mailed a ballot to every registered voter before Election Day as a way to encourage more people to use the option, as many health officials see it as a safer way to vote. Early voting has become an increasingly popular option over the years, with the previous record being reached in 2016 with 47 million ballots cast before Election Day, or 23.7 percent of the total number of votes cast, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. But for the first time in modern history, more Americans are anticipated to vote early than on Election Day this year, according to a ccording to SA Today. The Bipartisan Policy Center estimated that 50 to 70 percent of all ballots cast this year will be absentee ballots. Civic engagement ahead of the November 3 election has also increased.