When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, state lawmakers, election administrators and others realized they had to move quickly. A presidential election was coming in just a few months, along with elections for every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, one-third of the U.S. Senate, and all sorts of state and local positions. Primary season was already underway. And nobody was sure how safe it would be to vote in person at polling places.
Ultimately, the collective efforts of these public servants delivered an election with a turnout rate higher than any in the past century. Almost 67% of eligible voters cast a ballot. This happened even as the pandemic swept the nation – and the globe.
