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You see, there are also Electoral Votes involved in elections. Each state has a set amount of Electoral Votes; the amount depends on how many counties the state has.

When the popular vote is done, it is determined who got the most votes in each state. Once that is determined, ALL of the state's Electoral Votes go to that candidate. After a certain amount of Electoral Votes, a candidate an automatically win the election.

In case that was too confusing, here's an example. In the last election, more of Oregon's residents voted for Obama than for McCain. So, all their Electoral College votes (I believe they have 5) went to Obama.

There's more about Electoral Votes (they don't always go to the right candidate, for example), but that's the gist of it.

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12y ago
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6y ago

The candidate can lose the popular vote but still win the election because the Electoral College really elects the President. The popular vote is really only to elect the electors.

A candidate could win the popular vote by winning with huge margins in a few state and losing by narrow margins in eleven large states and end up with a losing electoral total.

This actually happened in 1876,1884 and 2000. In 1824, Andrew Jackson led in both popular vote and electoral vote but lost because he did not win a majority of the electoral vote.

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6y ago

Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election defeating Hillary Clinton. In the 2016 presidential election Donald Trump received 304 electoral votes and Hillary Clinton received 227 electoral votes. The popular vote totals were Clinton 65,794,399 and Trump 62,955,202.

George W. Bush won the 2000 presidential election defeating Albert Gore, Jr. In the 2000 presidential election George W. Bush received 271 electoral votes and Albert Gore, Jr. received 266 electoral votes. The popular vote totals were Gore 50,996,582 and Bush 50,456,062.

Benjamin Harrison won the 1888 presidential election defeating Grover Cleveland. In the 1888 presidential election Benjamin Harrison received 233 electoral votes and Grover Cleveland received 168 electoral votes. The popular vote totals were Cleveland 5,534,488 and Harrison 5,443,892.

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11y ago

That's because there is not a one to one correlation between the two. A candidate who get 50% of a state's popular votes, or even less as long as it's a simple majority, gets 100% of their electoral votes.

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6y ago

Winning a majority of the votes means winning more than 50% of the total votes cast. Winning a plurality of the votes means less than 50 percent but more than any other candidate.

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15y ago

He lost you ding-dong

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4y ago

ion know

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Q: What is it called when a candidate wins the popular vote but loses the electoral vote?
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Continue Learning about American Government

What is the speech called when a presidential candidate loses?

Losers usually make a concession speech, conceding defeat by the other candidate.


What are the three major weaknesses in the electoral college system?

The 3 major defects in the electoral College system are 1. the winner of the popular vote is not guarenteed the presidency 2. electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote 3. any election might have to be decided in the House of Reps.


A candidate for president can win a majority of the total popular vote but still lose the presidential election.?

Generally your little brother has to be the governor of the second largest state in the union. You use his political appointments to disenfranchise millions of voters, then allow the supreme court justices your father appointed to name you the president. Or, you could just win the electoral college.


If a State gains or loses a Congressional district it will also gain or lose an electoral vote?

yes, because each district has a congressman, and if you lose one you lose electoral votes, you gain one you get an electoral vote.


If no candidate has more the half of the votes from the Electoral College who chooses the President of the US?

If no candidate receives the necessary votes in the Electoral College, the election goes to the House of Representatives. In the House, each state gets one vote. So the representatives of the state gather and vote within their delegation and then vote as one on the House floor. The person who receives a majority (26) is elected President. There are some problems with voting in the House. The small states (population wise) have the same influence as the larger states. If a majority of representatives from a state cannot agree on a candidate, that state loses its vote. If some members of the House favor a strong third-party candidate, it could make it difficult for any candidate to get the needed 26 votes.NovaNet: The House of Representatives

Related questions

If a presidential candidate loses the electoral college election can he still win by receiving a majority of popular votes?

No.


What happens when a presidential candidate wins the election based on electoral vote but loses the popular vote?

based on what happened in the 2000 election, he (or she) becomes president.


A presidential candidate loses a popular election but wins a majority of votes in the electoral college does he become president?

False!!!!Per the US Constitution, the Electoral College actually is the body that elects the President. There have been some elections in the past where the popular vote was won by a candidate, but the Electoral College elected another candidate.


How does the President Win if he loses the Election?

It's happened several times that a candidate received less than 50% of the popular vote but won in the Electoral College.


If the president loses the electoral college can he still win from the majority vote?

If you mean the popular vote the answer of no.


What is the speech called when a presidential candidate loses?

Losers usually make a concession speech, conceding defeat by the other candidate.


How can a candidate win electoral votes with out the popular vote?

The popular vote and the electoral vote are two completely different things. The presidency is decided solely on who wins the electoral vote, and the popular vote is only good for giving us an idea of who is going to win the presidency. The larger the state the more votes they have in the electoral college, so if a president can win the majority of the large states electoral votes and a few smaller states they can gain the majority they need to win the presidency. In fact, if a president only needs to win the votes for the 11 largest states and they can win the presidency without a vote from the other 39 states.


Why might electing a president with a minority vote be more controversial under a popular vote system than under the Electoral college system?

In order to win in the electoral college, a majority is required. There is no such thing as a minority winner there. If no one gets a majority, the House of Representatives elects the President from the three top vote-getters. Every state gets one vote. If they choose a candidate with a minority of the votes, the result would probably be just as controversial as when a person with a plurality of popular votes loses in the electoral college.


What are the three major weaknesses in the electoral college system?

The 3 major defects in the electoral College system are 1. the winner of the popular vote is not guarenteed the presidency 2. electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote 3. any election might have to be decided in the House of Reps.


A candidate for president can win a majority of the total popular vote but still lose the presidential election.?

Generally your little brother has to be the governor of the second largest state in the union. You use his political appointments to disenfranchise millions of voters, then allow the supreme court justices your father appointed to name you the president. Or, you could just win the electoral college.


How does redistricting relate to electoral college?

The number of a state's electoral votes is the state's total number of U.S. Senators and Representatives, so every time a state gains or loses House seats, it gains or loses the same number of electoral votes.


Why would a person vote for a losing candidate?

No candidate loses until the ballots are counted. How can you be certain that a candidate is a "losing candidate" before the election is held?