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Flathead County Casts Record Number of Votes

Montana also breaks record, was third state to exceed 2016 vote totals before Election Day

By Micah Drew
A voter fills out his ballot at the Flathead County Election Department on Nov. 3, 2020. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

Flathead County had already received and processed a record 56,914 ballots by mid-morning on Election Day, which far surpasses the previous record of 48,290 total votes cast in the county in the 2016 general election.

Montanans had already cast a record number of votes statewide in this year’s general election before Election Day. On Nov. 2, when the afternoon ballot count numbers were released by the Secretary of State’s office, Montana became the third state nationwide to exceed its 2016 vote total prior to Election Day, along with Texas and Hawaii. At least four other states have surpassed the mark since then, according to data provided by the U.S. Elections Project.

As of 4:25 p.m. today, at least 563,079 Montanans had already voted, most by mail.

In terms of turnout among registered voters, the latest update on Tuesday morning showed a total of 748,554 registered voters statewide for a statewide turnout rate of 75.2% so far. Montana’s highest voter turnout rate was 86.4% back in 1968, and has been at least 70% for every election since 1924, with the sole exception of 2000.