Multimedia: Dallas county voter turnout breaks records

I produced this story in three formats: (1) standalone video, (2) broadcast news, (3) web story.

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Standalone Video

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Broadcast News Package

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Web Story

Dallas County Voter Turnout Breaks Records

By Jillian Taylor

December 14, 2020 - DALLAS

Donald Trump’s galvanizing nature led to the record-breaking voter turnout in Dallas County and nation-wide, said SMU political science professor Cal Jillson.

A month and a half after the election, the political climate has begun to calm down. All states have certified their election results, placing Joe Biden as the clear winner of the election. While Donald Trump continues to challenge the results of the election, he authorized the transition of power to the Biden administration on Nov. 23. The electoral college certified results today, Dec. 14 and Biden is expected to win with 306 electoral votes, compared with Trump’s 232 votes. These electoral college votes will most likely be approved by Congress on Jan. 6.

These results come in the face of the biggest voter turnout Dallas County has seen since the 1992 presidential election. Turnout went from 59% in 2016 to 66% in 2020. Texas as a whole saw 60.4% voter turnout, which is lower than the 66.7% nation-wide voter turnout.

This nationwide turnout is the highest in 100 years. Cal Jillson, a political science professor at SMU, said that this massive voter turnout is due to Donald Trump’s galvanizing personality.

“There’s a lot of energy and a lot of excitement around this election,” Jillson said. “People see the future of the country on the line.”

This was true for SMU alumni Madison Pruden, who was a first-time voter in the 2020 election. She showed up to early voting at 7:45 a.m. and the line was already wrapped around the building. Pruden said that despite the wait, voting was really important to her.

“It helped me feel that I had more ownership of my country,” Pruden said.

Some SMU faculty contributed to the high voter turnout by organizing multiple voter registration drives to make voting more attainable. Nate Faust and Staphany López-Coronado, who both work for the Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement at SMU, organized the voter registration drive.

Faust said they organized the event to help students who feel afraid of politics, confused about the process, or nervous about COVID-19 restrictions. Faust also said voting is a way for college students to use their voices to make an impact.

“When students come to college, it’s a really pivotal moment for them,” Faust said. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for them to really learn about what they care about.”

For more information about voter turnout in Dallas county, visit the Dallas County Elections website: dallascountyvotes.org.