Record number of votes cast in Washington in 2020, but turnout rate shy of 2008
The nation reached new heights in voting in the 2020 presidential election, and the state of Washington is no exception: It broke the record for numbers of ballots cast and came close to the record for percentage of voters voting.
Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced Tuesday that 4,116,894 voters, or 84.14% of Washington’s 4,892,871 registered voters, filled out their ballots for the Nov. 3 election. The 84.14% turnout rate is less than half a percent shy of the all-time record set in 2008, when Barack Obama was elected president.
But it was a record number of voters participating in the election, with more than 4.1 million voters casting a ballot this year, compared to the 3 million cast in 2008.
“Throughout this election season, voters were energized, engaged, and eager to make their voices heard,” Wyman said in a statement.
There was also a major turnout for voter registration for the 2020 election. In the two weeks leading up to Election Day, over 55,000 people registered to vote. Nearly 20% of them were able to register on Election Day, thanks to Washington’s same-day voter-registration laws.
President-elect Joe Biden, who won 58% of the state’s vote, will receive the state’s 12 electoral votes at the Electoral College on Dec. 14.
This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Record number of votes cast in Washington in 2020, but turnout rate shy of 2008."
