U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has won the highest proportion of popular vote since Republican George H. W. Bush defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988, according to figures released Wednesday.

The 52 percent of the popular vote that Obama won -- 63.4 million ballots -- is the highest of any Democratic candidate since 1964.

Obama is the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976 to win more than 50 percent of the popular vote.

Bill Clinton was twice elected president without getting half of the popular vote.

Obama's opponent, Arizona Senator John McCain, got 56 million votes, or 46.3 percent of the total, according to the latest figures.

Experts expect that this presidential election's turnout rate will fall short of the record 67 percent turnout of eligible voters in 1960 and 64 percent in 1964.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2008)