More than 95 million Americans voted in the 2020 presidential election, 24 hours before the polls opened, America witnessed the largest number of votes before election day in history.
People in America are permitted to vote before election day, which always falls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Meena Bose, Executive Dean of Public Policy and Public Service Programs, Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, noted that this is the first time in US history that more votes are earned before elections than on D-day.
The voting plans vary from state to state; early voting is allowed by 43 states and the seat of power in Washington DC, although only six states and some US territories do not allow for that.
In about Nine states and Washington DC, registered voters get a mail and vote and send in the filled ballot via mail.
Bose told foreign journalists covering the US elections that the election night could be a long one depending on when the voting close.
“Seventeen states, including the key states of Florida and Arizona, permit counting to begin before election day, and 16 states permit counting to begin before polls close on election close, while 17 states require counting to begin after polls close on election day,” she said.
The numbers are close to 70 percent of approximately 137 million votes cast in 2016, where incumbent President Donald Trump lost the popular vote but won the electoral college.
Bose said 2020 votes could go as high as 150 million — over 12 million more than the numbers recorded in the Trump-Hillary Clinton election of 2016.
