Read on Twitter
I’ve heard a lot of noise that this year’s general election turnout surpasses that of any other election in West Virginia.
Is this right?
Not according to the 1961 West Virginia Blue Book.
Is this right?
Not according to the 1961 West Virginia Blue Book.
It says 837,781 votes were cast for president in the 1960 general election (John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon), which was 76.86% of the state’s registered voters.
The state’s population then was around 60,000 higher, but you still had to be at least 21 to vote.
The state’s population then was around 60,000 higher, but you still had to be at least 21 to vote.
Right now, the unofficial count for ballots cast in the latest election is 793,088, which is 62.49% of voters.
During a call today, Mike Queen, a spokesperson for the re-elected Secretary of State Mac Warner, said any uncounted votes would not exceed that 1960 number.
During a call today, Mike Queen, a spokesperson for the re-elected Secretary of State Mac Warner, said any uncounted votes would not exceed that 1960 number.
Queen told me on Tuesday that the Secretary of State’s office was looking at the total number of votes and not voter percentage in determining "record-setting" turnout. (Warner said Tuesday that it was looking like there could be such a turnout.) https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2020/11/03/election-day-2020-live-updates-from-the-mountain-state-spotlight-staff/
Queen said then that the office was basing the projected record turnout on records the office had going back to 2008 and the memory of staffers who say it was the highest since 2000.
Based on what I’ve seen in the Blue Books and newspaper archives, it seems turnout – evaluating it by the Secretary of State’s definition – hasn’t been higher since the ‘60s, though there is some missing data.
During today's call, Queen told me he was sure that West Virginia’s 2020 general election turnout was second only to the 1960 turnout.
