What happened to turnout?

[GoesTo11]

"It looks like 136.6 million Americans will have voted for president this election, based on 88 percent of the country's precincts tallied and projections for absentee ballots, said Michael McDonald of George Mason University. Using his methods, that would give 2008 a 64.1 percent turnout rate."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i34ao3tow5yhj2v7v24HM_wbT8JQD948LJRG0

but then I keep seeing that Obama got 62.5 million and McCain got 55.4 million with something like 99% of precincts counted, which adds up to only 116.9 million. Are there almost 20 million lost votes or 20 million ballots without a presidential selection? Or was turnout just hugely disappointing compared to the projections in the AP article and other projections I kept hearing?

Anyone know?

[DainBramaged]

1. Too-early-for-heavy-numbers

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. from what I've heard

turnout among republicans was very low, possibly, by percentage, the lowest ever.

[endarkenment]

3. Ours was up and theirs was down.

[Hamlette]

4. I'm thinking absentee ballots are not counted yet

but like you I've got the same question. 62 mill voted Bush in 2004 and 59 mill voted Kerry. at the current totals of 62 and 55 fewer voted this year than last.

But I also remember the great (helped me through a difficult time) headline from some British paper that said "how can 58 million ppl be so dumb" with a picture of Bush so at the time that paper went to press Bush only had 58 million so maybe an additional 5 mill or so will trickle in over the next day or so.