How many total votes for President were there in 2024?
Executive summary
The total number of people who voted for President in the 2024 U.S. election is best measured two ways: survey-based estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau place total turnout at about 154 million voters [1], while near-final, candidate-level tallies reported by analysts and tabulated by outlets sum to roughly 152.25 million votes for the two major-party nominees (Donald Trump 77,266,801; Kamala Harris 74,981,313) [2]. The gap reflects third‑party and write‑in votes plus differences between survey estimates and administrative counts [1] [3].
1. What “total votes for President” actually means and why it’s not a single number
“Total votes for President” can refer to the total ballots cast in the presidential race (including undervotes and overvotes), the aggregate of votes counted for every presidential candidate on the ballot, or survey-based turnout estimates; the U.S. Census Bureau’s CPS Voting and Registration Supplement reports 154 million people voted in the 2024 presidential election (65.3% of the citizen voting-age population) using a household survey methodology that can differ from administrative tallies [1].
2. The candidate totals most media analyses use
News organizations and election-data projects often report “popular vote” totals by summing votes for each named candidate; Brookings cites near-final counts of Donald Trump at 77,266,801 (49.9%) and Kamala Harris at 74,981,313 (48.4%), which together total about 152.25 million votes for the two major-party candidates [2]. These figures come from compiled, near-final reporting (AP/NPR/Edison/other data sources) and leave room for ballots cast for third-party and write-in candidates as recorded in official FEC documents [3].
3. Official records and the small gaps: FEC, National Archives and counting conventions
The Federal Election Commission published an “OFFICIAL 2024 PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS” packet that lists ballots for all presidential candidates and notes that write-in votes are included where applicable; the National Archives posts Electoral College certificates showing Trump won 312 electoral votes to Harris’s 226, but those documents focus on electors rather than the national popular‑vote total [3] [4]. Administrative totals reported by newsrooms and the FEC can differ slightly from survey estimates like the Census CPS because of timing, late-counted ballots, and how undervotes/overvotes are treated [1] [3].
4. Reconciling the headline numbers: a concise answer
Using the Census Bureau’s post‑election CPS estimate, about 154 million people voted in the 2024 presidential election [1]. Using near‑final candidate totals reported by analysts and cited by Brookings, the two major-party nominees together received about 152.25 million votes (Trump 77,266,801 + Harris 74,981,313) with the remainder of ballots going to third‑party and write‑in candidates or recorded as undervotes/invalid [2] [3]. Both figures are defensible depending on whether the question seeks total ballots cast (CPS) or aggregated candidate tallies (media/FEC compilations).
5. Where reporting and interpretation can mislead and what to watch for next
Different sources emphasize different measures: survey-based turnout percentages (Census CPS) versus certified vote tallies by candidate (FEC and major outlets), and live trackers updated during counting (Reuters, CNN) may show evolving totals until tabulation concludes [1] [5] [6]. Researchers and readers should note methodological notes in the Census release about survey nonresponse and vote misreporting, and check the FEC certified results for the most granular accounting of write‑ins and minor‑party totals [1] [3].