Fact check: How is the disparity between how many people were voting in 2020 and how many people voted in 2024 opposed to how many people voted in 2016.

1. Summary of the results

The comparison of voter turnout between 2016, 2020, and 2024 requires careful consideration of several factors:

• The 2020 election marked the highest voter turnout in US history with 158.4 million ballots cast and a 66.6% VEP participation rate ^[1]
• Initial data from 2024 showed Kamala Harris receiving approximately 67 million votes ^[2], though this number was incomplete
• Projections suggest the final 2024 turnout would be around 155-156 million votes, representing a slight decrease of about 2.5 million voters compared to 2020 ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual factors need to be considered:

• As of November 2024, vote counting was still ongoing, with several states having 20-40% of votes unreported ^[2]
• California alone had nearly 5 million uncounted ballots as of November 11, 2024 ^[3]
• Election experts, including Kim Wyman from the Bipartisan Policy Center, explain that voter shifts between elections are normal and can be attributed to:
• Independent voters changing preferences
• Some Democrats not voting
• Voters choosing alternative candidates ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains several problematic assumptions:

• It assumes final vote totals were immediately available, when in fact vote counting was still ongoing ^[5]
• It overlooks the fact that election security officials have found no evidence of widespread fraud ^[2]
• The question might imply that disparities between elections are unusual or suspicious, when experts confirm that voter shifts between elections are common and normal ^[4]
• Making direct comparisons while vote counting is incomplete can lead to premature and potentially misleading conclusions ^[2]