EXPLAINER: 1876 election holds record for highest turnout

The voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election was massive by recent standards. But it didn't come close to surpassing the record set in 1876. That year, 81.8 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. The winner was Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, though he received fewer votes than his Democratic opponent, Samuel Tilden.  During the last two-thirds of the 19th century, voter turnout of more than 70 percent of those eligible was common — often reflecting sharp discord. The s