When people ask how many votes did biden get 2020, they usually aren’t just looking for a dry number. They're looking for the story of a massive shift in American participation. Honestly, the final tally is a bit of a staggering thing to look at, especially considering how much the world changed between the start of that year and the Tuesday in November when everyone actually went to the polls.
The Final Count: Breaking Down the 81 Million
So, let's get right into it. Joe Biden received 81,283,501 votes. That’s the official number verified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). For those keeping score at home, it represents about 51.3% of the total popular vote. It also set a record for the most votes ever cast for a presidential candidate in U.S. history. Seriously, nobody had ever crossed the 80 million mark before. For context, Barack Obama’s 2008 win—which felt like a massive landslide at the time—brought in 69.4 million.
Donald Trump didn't exactly have a small showing, either. He brought in 74,223,975 votes, which was also a record-breaker for a sitting president. Basically, everyone showed up. We saw a turnout of about 66.6% of the voting-eligible population. That's the highest participation rate the U.S. has seen since 1900. It turns out that when you combine a global pandemic, massive mail-in voting expansions, and a deeply polarized political climate, people find a way to make their voices heard.
Why the Popular Vote Only Tells Half the Story
You probably know this already, but in the U.S., you don't win by just having the biggest pile of votes. You win with the Electoral College.
Biden ended up with 306 electoral votes, while Trump finished with 232. If those numbers sound familiar, it’s because they are the exact same totals from 2016, just flipped. Biden managed to flip several key states that had gone for Trump four years prior, specifically the "Blue Wall" states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
He also pulled off narrow wins in Arizona and Georgia. These weren't exactly blowouts. In fact, in those three "tipping point" states—Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin—the margin was less than 45,000 votes combined. Think about that. Out of 158 million votes cast nationwide, the entire election effectively hinged on a group of people that could barely fill a mid-sized football stadium.
The Mail-In Revolution
One of the reasons the count took so long (and why everyone was glued to their TV for days) was the shift in how people voted. Because of COVID-19, states moved fast to expand mail-in and early voting.
By the time Election Day actually arrived, nearly 70% of voters had already cast their ballots using "nontraditional" methods.
- Mail-in ballots: About 43% of the total.
- Early in-person: Around 26%.
- Election Day in-person: Only about 30%.
This created what experts like to call the "Blue Shift." Since Democratic voters were statistically more likely to use mail-in ballots, and many states (like Pennsylvania) weren't allowed to start counting those until the polls closed, Trump initially looked like he was winning big on Tuesday night. It wasn't until the following days, as those millions of mail-in ballots were processed, that Biden’s numbers surged.
Examining the Demographic Shifts
When you look at where those 81 million votes came from, some interesting patterns emerge. Biden didn't just win because of cities; he won because he ate into some of Trump's margins in the suburbs.
According to Pew Research and exit polls, Biden won 59% of voters in urban areas, which is pretty standard for a Democrat. But he also captured about 50% of the suburban vote. In 2016, Hillary Clinton had struggled there. That small shift in places like the outskirts of Atlanta or the suburbs of Philadelphia basically decided the whole thing.
He also maintained a strong lead with Black voters (winning about 87%) and saw significant support from younger voters. Interestingly, the 18-29 age group saw the biggest jump in turnout of any demographic, rising by about 10 percentage points compared to 2016.
A Note on the "Swing" States
The "how" of the 81 million is really found in the margins of the swing states.
In Pennsylvania, Biden won by roughly 80,000 votes.
In Michigan, the gap was wider—about 154,000.
In Georgia? Just 11,779 votes.
These tiny margins in specific places are what transformed a huge popular vote lead into a clear Electoral College victory. It’s also why there was so much post-election litigation. Every single one of those states conducted audits or recounts, and every single one confirmed the original numbers. The FEC's official 2020 report remains the definitive source for these figures, standing as a record of a historically high-stakes moment in American democracy.
Practical Insights for Future Elections
Understanding these numbers isn't just about history; it's about seeing how the "rules of the game" have changed.
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If you're looking to understand future elections, keep an eye on voter registration trends in suburban counties. That’s where the 2020 election was won and lost. Also, pay attention to state-level laws regarding when mail-in ballots can be processed. If a state doesn't start until Election Day, expect the "Red Mirage" and "Blue Shift" to happen all over again.
To get a deeper look at your own local results, you can visit the FEC's official website or your specific Secretary of State’s election portal. They provide precinct-by-precinct breakdowns that show exactly how your neighbors voted.
Moving forward, the best way to stay informed is to track turnout rates rather than just polling. As 2020 proved, it doesn’t matter what people tell a pollster; it only matters who actually returns the ballot. You can find updated turnout data through the U.S. Census Bureau or the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara. These resources offer a non-partisan, data-driven look at the mechanics of our elections.