Five presidents in US history have won the presidency without winning the popular vote, and the most recent to do so was Donald Trump in 2016. His opponent that year, Hillary Clinton, won more than 2.8 million votes over Trump nationwide, but she lost enough. key states to be defeated in the Electoral College, 306 to 232.
Trump lost the popular vote and the Electoral College to Joe Biden in 2020. (Once again the electoral vote 306 to 232but this time in favor of the Democrats.) Trump nominated the GOP again 2024 presidential electionin what is shaping up to be a tight race against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Since its founding, this nation has used the Electoral College to elect the president. Read on to learn more about how it works, its history and what role individual voters play in the outcome of presidential elections.
What is the Electoral College and how does it work?
School in the Electoral College is the process in America of electing the president and vice president indirectly through the state electorate. A candidate must secure 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 at stake, to win the White House.
Before the general election, states choose a slate of voters. After voters cast their ballots in November, the candidate who wins the popular vote determines which slate of voters – Republican, Democrat or third party – will cast electoral votes in the Electoral College for president.
In most states, it’s winner-take-all – whoever gets the most votes in that state wins all the electoral votes.
In Maine and Nebraska, the rules are slightly different. They have a system of proportional representation where the winner of each congressional district is awarded one electoral vote, and the winner of the state vote is given the remaining two electoral votes in each state. Some Republicans they hope to change the rules of Nebraska to the winner-take-all model, since one of the electoral votes often go to the Democrats, however the effort falls short.
Voters meet in their respective countries in mid-December to elect the president. The meeting takes place on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December, which falls on December 17 this year.
There is no provision of the Constitution or federal law that requires voters to vote for a pledged candidate, although they almost always do. “Unbelief electors” are rare, as electors are chosen by party.
How many voters are there in the Electoral College?
There are 538 total voters in all 50 states and Washington, DC
What determines the number of electoral votes a state receives?
Each state is allocated electors based on the size of its congressional delegation. Some of the states with the smallest population – Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming – have three electors each, because they have one representative in the House and two senators, while California, the largest, has 54 electoral votes. Washington, DC, was also allocated three electorates.
States can gain or lose voters due to population changes, and there have been some changes since the 2020 presidential election.
In redistricting after the 2020 Census, Texas gained two electoral votes and five states gained one, while seven states lost one electoral vote.
Who chooses the voters?
The electors are chosen before the general election by their respective political parties. Their only goal is to meet in their country after the November election and cast two votes – one for president and one for vice president.
Who voted?
Each party’s electorate may include state and local elected officials, party leaders, community activists and others affiliated with the party. They are usually chosen “in recognition of service and dedication to that political party,” the National Archives said.
There are no major qualifications, but members of Congress and certain other officials are prohibited from participating, along with anyone involved in insurrection or rebellion.
What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College?
In the rare event of a tie in the Electoral College – which in modern times means each candidate wins 269 electoral votes – the newly elected members of the DPR will decide the outcome of the presidential election, while the Senate will choose the vice president.
This type of contingent election will also be held if no candidate wins a majority. This can happen if a third party candidate wins some electoral votes or if there are some “incredulous voter” who broke their promise and chose a candidate other than the person who won the country’s popular vote.
If it enters the House, each state will get one vote, regardless of the size of its congressional delegation, and the 50 House delegates (the District of Columbia will not participate) will vote for one of the top three presidential candidates.
The vice president will be elected by a simple majority in the Senate, and all senators will have a vote. As a result, it may be the president and vice president of different parties.
Since the 12th Amendment was ratified in 1804, there have been two contingent elections.
In 1824, four presidential candidates split the vote, and no candidate won a majority of the election. John Quincy Adams won election to the House, even though Andrew Jackson had won a plurality of the popular and electoral votes.
And in 1837, Martin Van Buren won a majority of the electoral votes, but 23 electors of Virginia refused to support the vice presidential candidate, Richard Johnson, and became a no-confidence voter. That left Johnson with only one vote, leading to a contingent election in the Senate, which he won easily.
Why do we vote if the Electoral College chooses the president?
Five presidents in US history have lost the popular vote and still managed to win the election, leading some to wonder why the nation continues to maintain the Electoral College. The Electoral College is established in Article II of the Constitution and can be revoked by constitutional amendment. But this is a difficult path. An amendment would require a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of the states, or 38 of the current 50.
In a 2023 Pew Research poll, 65% of Americans said the president should be chosen through the general election, not the Electoral College. Hundreds of proposals have been introduced in Congress to change the process over the years. There is also a multi-state effort called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which already exists adopted by 17 states and Washington, D,C. The proposal would ensure that the winner of the popular vote gets all the electoral votes in the countries that signed the compact – but it would only come into force if enough countries agree.
So why keep the Electoral College if there is so much frustration from Americans? According to the National Archives, the Founding Fathers saw the Electoral College as a middle ground between giving decisions to Congress or voting directly by citizens. Supporters say it’s permanent less populated country from underrepresentation by discouraging candidates from disproportionately campaigning in more populated urban centers.
What is the history of the Electoral College?
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution in 1787. The term “Electoral College” does not appear in the nation’s historical documents, but the word “electors” does, the National Archives noted.
The ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804 changed some of the rules for the Electoral College. For example, it requires separate electoral votes for president and vice president. With the ratification of the 23rd Amendment in 1961, the District of Columbia received three electors.
