(NEXSTAR) – The rate of voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election was among the highest in over a century, with nearly 67% of eligible voters heading to the polls on Nov. 3, 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Some states, though, were really bringing up that average.
Ballots mailed out for Colorado voters: Here are the deadlines to know
Data from the last few presidential elections suggests that a handful of states — usually led by Minnesota — have a far higher percentage of voter turnout than the national average in each election year. In 2020, for instance, approximately 79.21% of voting-eligible Minnesotans turned up to the polls, followed by Colorado with 76.69%, Oregon and Washington with 75.33% each, and Wisconsin with 75.04%, according to the University of Florida Election Lab, a resource overseen by Dr. Michael P. McDonald.
McDonald, a political science professor whose data has been cited by outlets including The New York Times and the Associated Press, has also compiled data from historical elections in his U.S. Elections Project, which makes clear a consistent trend among states that report their total ballots counted. (Some jurisdictions do not tally total ballots counted, a figure which accounts for all votes cast, including those with blank votes for the presidential office. Depending on the election year, that data may not be available for certain states.)