Americans beat one voter turnout record — here's how 2016 compares to past elections

(A woman kneels to take a "back break" while waiting in line at a weekend early voting polling place at the North Hollywood branch library in Los Angeles on Oct. 30, 2016.Associated Press/Reed Saxon)
Historic division brought out voters in droves this presidential election. More than 46 million people had already voted before Election Day, breaking early voting records and fueling Democrats' confidence in clinching the presidency.

But by the time most of the votes had been counted, it became clear that nearly every poll's expectation to crown Hillary Clinton as the 45th president was drastically wrong, and Republican Donald Trump would be heading to the White House. And that possible record-breaking turnout had a lot more asterisks attached to it.

Nearly 139 million Americans voted this year, according to the United States Elections Project. This sets a new overall record, surpassing the all-time high of 132 million Americans in the 2008 contest between Barack Obama and John McCain.

But that total suggests that only 60% of the country's 232 million eligible voters actually voted this year.

For some Americans, the two names at the top of the 2016 ticket were so unpalatable that they opted out of voting for president at all, instead focusing on down-ballot races.

In 14 states, more people voted for the senate races than voted for the presidency. The overall results show that nearly 2.4 million people nationwide cast ballots, but left the presidential line blank.

While the overall turnout in 2008 and 2016 sounds impressive, neither saw the highest percentage of voters that ever hit the polls.

That was in the race between Democrat Samuel J. Tilden and Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, when 83% eligible voters turned out. That election was similarly contentious to this year's, with Hayes squeaking out a victory of 185-184 electoral votes after a lengthy political and legal battle.

Of course, that was before women had the right to vote, and when minorities were routinely disenfranchised, so that high percentage mostly applies to white men.

In 2008, by contrast, only 62% of eligible voters turned out to vote — closer to 2016's level, but still low compared to other industrialized countries.

The reason why 2008 and 2016 appear to have record-breaking turnout is because the US population has increased, so there are more voters overall. But when you look at voter turnout as a percentage, it's actually decreased or stagnated in the last century.

Here's how voter turnout in US presidential elections compares over time: