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Popular vote is the overall percentage of the population who voted for a presidential candidate.

Electoral vote is how many electors in the electoral college vote for the candidate. Each state is entitled to a number of electors, equal to its number of congressmen (Number of Reps. + 2). The candidate which gains the most votes in the state will gain the votes of the State's electors. The popular vote determines how the electors will vote.

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12y ago

In the U.S., the vote for the executive (President) depends not strictly on a popular (or majority) vote but on the electoral college. This college is composed by the number of senators and members of congress the state has, and each state nominates electors to place their vote in the college. In the past, electors were directly appointed by the assemblies of states and could vote as they wished for the candidate of their choice. In modern times, electors usually vote for the popular will of their constituents. Overall, dividing the country in to electoral districts, instead of having a direct, popular vote, changes the nature of winning in the election. For example, it is possible to have a strict majority of votes in the U.S. for President but not win the electoral college (and this happened in 2000 with Al Gore versus George W. Bush). Some feel that this outcome is less desirable or undemocratic and that it should be changed.

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Q: What is the popular vote and the electoral vote?
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Related questions

What is the difference between popular vote for a senator and electoral vote vote for president?

the popular vote is by everybody. the electoral vote is by electoral colleges, which not everyone is in


Was bush trying to win electoral or popular vote?

Electoral vote! Evidently the popular vote doesn't count since Gore won the popular vote.


How have the political parties changed the electoral college?

The electoral college now reflects each state's popular vote.


What year was the Electoral College defect of popular vote versus electoral vote illustrated?

2013


What month is the popular vote?

November (The electoral vote is in December.)


Electors are elected by popular vote but the president is elected by?

Electors are elected by popular vote but the president is elected by the electoral college. A president candidate can win the popular vote and still not win if he doesn't win the electoral college.


What does it mean when the Electoral College rubber stamps the popular vote?

It Means that the Electoral College approves the vote


Can you win all electoral votes if you have the popular vote?

Yes. You cannot win all electoral votes without having the popular vote.


In the Grant elections which vote got Grant in office the overall popular vote or the electoral college vote?

popular vote


What states assign electoral votes by county?

None, but Maine and Nebraska each bases two electoral votes on the popular vote of the state and each additional electoral vote on the popular vote of each congressional district.


Why vote when the electoral college deterimes the outcome?

The popular vote in each state selects the electors who will vote in the Electoral College. The electors are elected by popular vote in each state and each candidate for elector swears in advance whom he will vote for.


How many times has the winner of the electoral vote not won the popular vote?

This has happened three times. In 1876 Samuel Tilden won the popular vote, but Rutherford Hayes won the electoral majority by one vote. In 1888 Grover Cleveland lost in electoral vote to Benjamin Harrison even though he carred the popular vote. In 2000, Al Gore lost to George W. Bush but won the popular vote. ( In 1824, Andrew Jackson won both the popular vote and the electoral vote, but did not get the required majority of electoral vote and so in accordance with the law, the House of Representatives chose the president and they chose John Quincy Adams. )