Joe Biden Broke Barack Obama's Nationwide Popular Vote Record

Joe Biden Broke Barack Obama’s Nationwide Popular Vote Record

Obama's record goes back to 2008.

While the entire nation (and let's face it, the entire world) waits for the results of the 2020 United States Presidential Election, democratic nominee Joe Biden is already making history. He's ahead in the popular vote with about 50.2% of the count and has already amassed a record-breaking number of votes.

So far, Biden has received 70,005,568 votes, which shatters the record set by Barack Obama back in 2008. He earned 66,862,039 votes during his successful presidential — with Biden by his side — according to the Associated Press and The New York Times. The newspaper also notes that Biden's current numbers eclipse President Donald Trump's 2016 benchmark of 62,985,106 votes.

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CNBC reports that this year's election marks the "highest voter turnout rate among eligible citizens in 120 years." Note that women weren't able to vote nationally until 1920. At least 159.8 million people cast their ballots this year, which also set records for early voting with 101.2 million people choosing to vote before Election Day. Only 47 million people voted early and in 2016.

Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, all battleground states in this year's election, all posted record voter registration numbers. In Georgia, another state that's being closely watched, 800,000 voters registered between 2018 and 2020. Though voter turnout is higher than ever, neither candidate has secured the 270 electoral college votes required for a win.