Not in the United States. The way the US is set up, the president is elected by electoral votes, not popular. In fact, President George W. Bush received a smaller portion of the popular vote instead of the electoral vote I believe.
A candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election if they receive more votes from the general public but fewer electoral votes from the Electoral College. The Electoral College system in the United States determines the winner of the presidential election based on the number of electoral votes each candidate receives, rather than the total number of popular votes nationwide.
The Electoral college system
All ten of Minnesota's electoral votes go to the Presidential candidate with the most popular votes in the state and his running mate.
Electoral votes are calculated based on the number of senators and representatives each state has. Each state has a total number of electoral votes equal to the sum of its senators and representatives in the U.S. Congress. The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state typically receives all of that state's electoral votes. The candidate who reaches at least 270 out of 538 total electoral votes wins the presidential election.
In U.S. Presidential elections, D.C. and every state except Nebraska and Maine gives 100% of their electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most popular votes within their state. In Nebraska and Maine, two electoral votes go to the candidate who gets the most popular votes within each state, and one electoral vote goes to the candidate who gets the most popular votes in each of the states' congressional districts.
Candidates need a majority of electoral votes to be elected. Because most states* award all of their electoral votes to the top candidate in that state, candidates do not need to win the national popular vote to win a majority of electoral votes. The result is that winning a few large population states (called swing states), even by a tiny margin, can guarantee election to the presidency. In 1876, 1888, and 2000, the winning candidate did not get the most popular votes nationwide.
Most states always give 100% of their electoral votes to the candidate with a simple majority of popular votes. Therefore, with three candidates, it is theoretically possible to be elected unanimously with only 34% of the popular votes.
The candidate who receives the most electoral votes wins the presidency. It is possible to lose the popular vote but win the electoral vote to be elected president.
When states with a combined total of at least 270 electoral votes enact the bill, the candidate with the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC would get the needed majority of 270+ electoral votes from the enacting states. The bill would thus guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes and the majority of Electoral College votes.
Yes. You cannot win all electoral votes without having the popular vote.
It is possible that a candidate could win the "national" popular vote total but lose the electoral vote total. However, the electoral vote of every state accurately reflects the popular vote within that state. A candidate could win the electoral votes in a large state such as California winning the state by a huge margin. However, the opposing candidate could win the electoral votes in other states because a majority of the voters in those states vote for the opposing candidate.
It is possible that a candidate could win the "national" popular vote total but lose the electoral vote total. However, the electoral vote of every state accurately reflects the popular vote within that state. A candidate could win the electoral votes in a large state such as California winning the state by a huge margin. However, the opposing candidate could win the electoral votes in other states because a majority of the voters in those states vote for the opposing candidate.