The turnout for the 2024 presidential election is still being finalized, but it is evident that there was a decrease in voter participation compared to the 2020 election. In this election, Donald Trump gained approximately 2.8 million more votes than in 2020, securing his victory. Conversely, Vice President Kamala Harris received about 6.8 million fewer votes than Joe Biden did in 2020, based on the latest election results as of November 25.
Several charts and maps provide insights into the US popular vote, state-level turnout, and the dynamics of the seven crucial battleground states where electoral votes were contested, shedding light on Harris' electoral setback.
The 2024 election marks one of the rare instances in the 21st century where the Republican presidential candidate garnered more votes than the Democratic candidate. It is also only the second time in the 21st century that the total number of votes cast decreased compared to the previous presidential election. The previous occurrence was in 2012 when approximately 2.2 million fewer votes were cast than in 2008.
Examining Trump's slight lead in the popular vote reveals that he secured the support of around a third of the citizen voting-age population, with a slightly smaller fraction backing Harris. Notably, one-third of the eligible population did not participate in the election at all.
