Turnout in election was high, but not as high as in 2018

Washington Post map; if a state's count was less than 97%, expected vote totals were used.

Turnout in Tuesday's midterm elections was unusually high, but not as high it was in 2018, according to a a Washington Post analysis of preliminary Associated Press and U.S. Elections Project data. Turnout was estimated at 46.9 percent, 3 percentage points lower than in 2018, which set a record.

"Turnout was especially high for a midterm in several battleground states, where expectations of a close contest appeared to boost voter participation," the Post reports. "Voter turnout in Pennsylvania is on track to exceed 2018 by 4 percentage points. Nearly six in 10 eligible voters in Wisconsin and Michigan cast a ballot. . . . Votes are still being counted, and in some states, it may take weeks to know the exact number of Americans who voted."