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Jan 5, 2021 · Can a president lose the popular vote but still win the election? Yes, and that is what happened in 2016: Although Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote by almost three million...
Sep 14, 2020 · WASHINGTON (AP) — WHY IS IT THAT ONE CANDIDATE CAN WIN THE POPULAR VOTE BUT ANOTHER WINS THE ELECTORAL VOTE AND THUS THE PRESIDENCY? That’s how the framers of the Constitution set it up. This unique system of electing presidents is a big reason why Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016. Four candidates in history have won the popular vote ...
Sep 8, 2020 · 24. Americans overwhelmingly embrace the principle that all votes should count equally. For a candidate to win the most votes but lose an election violates this principle. Yet in America’s last...
- John M. Carey
- What Is The Electoral College?
- Who Is in The Electoral College?
- How Does The Electoral College Process Work?
- Unusual Electoral College Scenarios
- How to Change The Electoral College
The Electoral College is not a physical place. It is a process which includes the: 1. Selection of electors 2. Meeting of electors who cast votes for the president and vice president 3. Counting of the electors’ votes by Congress In other U.S. elections, candidates are elected directly by popular vote. But the president and vice president are not e...
Each state gets as many electors as it has members of Congress (House and Senate). Including Washington, D.C.’s three electors, there are currently 538 electors in all. Find out how many electoral votes each state gets. Each state’s political parties choose their own slate of potential electors. Who is chosen to be an elector, how, and when varies ...
While the Constitution does not require electors to vote for the candidate chosen by their state's popular vote, some states do. The rare elector who votes for someone else may be fined, disqualified and replaced by a substitute elector, or potentially even prosecuted by their state. Learn more about how the Electoral College works.
Winning the popular vote but losing the election
It is possible to win the Electoral College but lose the popular vote. This happened in 2016, 2000, and three times in the 1800s.
What happens if no candidate wins the majority of electoral votes?
If no candidate receives the majority of electoral votes, the vote goes to the House of Representatives. This has happened twice. The first time was following the 1800 presidential election, when the House chose Thomas Jefferson. And following the 1824 presidential election, the House selected John Quincy Adams as president.
The Electoral College process is in the U.S. Constitution. It would take a constitutional amendment to change the process. For more information, contact your U.S. senator or your U.S. representative.
[1] What happens if no candidate gets 270 electoral votes? If no presidential candidate gets 270 electoral votes, the decision moves to the House of Representatives, which would hold what's called a contingent election in which each state gets a single vote.
Dec 8, 2020 · Because 48 states and Washington, D.C. award their votes on a winner-take-all basis,* it is technically possible for a candidate to win the presidency with around 23 percent of the national popular vote. While that’s unlikely to ever happen, the system can and does fail.
People also ask
What happens if you win the popular vote?
Can a candidate win the most votes but lose an election?
How many presidential candidates have won the popular vote?
Should all votes count equally?
