NACo study says County vote key in 2000 election By Stephanie Osborn associate legislative director Counties hold the key to the election of the next president of the United States, according to statistics released Aug. 11 by NACo. An analysis of 1996 election statistics by NACo shows that 88 percent of the voter turnout came from the 257 most populous counties in the country. Voter turnout for 1996 was 96.5 million, and 84.7 million votes were cast in these counties, which account for 60 percent of the national population. There are 3,067 counties in the country. See the full story