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Does the Electoral College system fail to ensure that the choice for president accurately reflects the will of the majority of voters?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Yes. If you consider the "majority of voters" to be a majority of voters nationwide without regard to the state they are from, then it is possible for a person to be elected president if he/she wins enough electoral even if nationwide the majority of voters chose the other candidate. This is because electoral votes are counted state by state not on a percentage basis of the national voters (except for Maine and Nebraska).
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
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How does popular vote relate to electoral votes?
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.
Will candidate with most popular votes win office of the president?
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.
Do you have to have a majority of votes to win a presidential election?
Electoral votes in the Electoral College determine the President of the United States. 270 electoral votes in the Electoral College are needed to win the U.S. presidency. The total number of electoral votes in the Electoral College is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538. 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.
Can someone win the general election but lose the electoral votes?
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.
Can someone win the general election but lose the electoral 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.
How can someone win by electoral votes and not by popularity 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.
Why why why why oh why did Trump win the 2016 Presidential Election instead of Clinton despite the fact that Clinton won the election?
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. The President of the United States is the president for the people of all 50 states, not just the President for California, New York and a few of the other large states.
How have the political parties changed the electoral college?
The electoral college now reflects each state's popular vote.
What if electoral votes were awarded on basis of popular vote?
If electoral votes were awarded on the basis of popular vote, it would mean that the presidential candidate who wins the most votes nationwide would become the president. This would make the electoral system more reflective of the majority will of the people, potentially increasing voter turnout and ensuring that every vote counts. However, it could also lead to a greater concentration of campaigning and political attention on densely populated areas, potentially neglecting the concerns and interests of less populous regions.
How can presidential candidates receive the largest number of popular votes but can lose the election?
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.
How do popular and electoral votes decide the presidency?
Electoral votes in the Electoral College determine the President of the United States. Every state and DC are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. The states choose as many electors as it has electoral votes and these electors elect the president. The electors are elected by popular vote in each state and each candidate for elector swears in advance whom he will vote for. 270 electoral votes in the Electoral College are needed to win the U.S. presidency. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes in the Electoral College is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538. 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.That enables the citizens of every state to have a say in the election of the president. If the president was selected by the national popular vote, the citizens in a few large states would select the president of the United States.
How can candidates receive more votes in the popular vote but lose the election?
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.
