Nearly 140 million votes have been cast so far, the most ever in a US presidential election

• Almost 140 million votes have been cast in the 2020 election so far, according to results from Insider and Decision Desk HQ.
• That's the most ballots ever counted in a presidential election, exceeding 2016's record of 137.1 million.
• Votes are still being tallied across the nation as the US stays on track to shatter turnout records.

The US in 2020 recorded the most votes ever in a presidential election, according to results from Insider and Decision Desk HQ.

As of midday Wednesday, nearly 140 million ballots had been cast, exceeding 2016's record of 137.1 million.

The 2020 total is only expected to soar in the coming hours and days as votes continue to be counted across the country. On Wednesday, battleground states such as North Carolina and Pennsylvania remained undecided, and large states including California and Texas had not yet reported 100% of their results.

The country is on pace for record turnout, which measures the number of voters against the total eligible voting population, though that percentage won't be clear until the total number of votes is finalized.

The turnout so far can be largely owed to early voting this election cycle. About 100 million people voted ahead of Election Day, representing roughly 73.4% of the total votes cast nationwide in 2016, according to the US Elections Project.

The unprecedented number of early votes stemmed from heightened public-health concerns about in-person voting on Election Day because of the coronavirus pandemic. Several states took measures to expand early voting and access to mail-in ballots.

Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, had received the most votes in the race as of midday Wednesday, partly thanks to Democrats who voted by mail. He led President Donald Trump by almost 3 million votes.