Why does the candidate with the most votes not always win in the United States?

The United States will hold one of the most anticipated presidential elections in the world on November 5. Although citizens will cast their votes, the actual process of electing the president is not as direct as in other countries.

In the United States, the Electoral College plays an important role in determining who will occupy the White House for the next four years.

This unique and complex system has been controversial on several occasions, especially in situations where the candidate who receives the fewest popular votes turns out to be the winner of the presidency.

 So how does the Electoral College actually work , and why doesn’t the person with the majority of the popular vote always win?

To understand the American electoral system, it is necessary to delve into its origins, how it works, and the implications it has for the country’s politics.

What is the Electoral College and how does it work?

The Electoral College is the body charged with electing the president and vice president of the United States .

 The goal was to prevent the most populous states from having a disproportionate influence on the presidential election.

This system assigns a set number of electors to each state, based on its representation in Congress .

In total, the Electoral College has 538 electors , and for a candidate to become president he or she must receive at least 270 electoral votes .

 Most states follow a system known as “winner-takes-all,” where the candidate who wins the majority of votes in a state gets all of that state’s electors.

 However, Maine and Nebraska are the exception, as they distribute their votes proportionally.

Why does the candidate with the most popular votes not always win?

One of the most controversial aspects of the Electoral College is that the candidate who receives the majority of votes nationwide does not always win the election. This is because what matters most is not the total number of votes cast, but how those votes are distributed across the states.

A candidate may win by small margins in key swing states, such as California or Texas , and lose by large margins in other, smaller states.

In the end, it is the electoral votes that count , not the popular votes. Recent examples of this phenomenon occurred in the 2000 and 2016 elections, when the candidates who received the most popular votes did not win the presidency due to the distribution of electoral votes.

What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College?

If no candidate receives the necessary 270 electoral votes , the electoral process passes to Congress. The House of Representatives is responsible for electing the president, while the Senate selects the vice president.

 In this scenario, each state casts only one vote in the House, meaning that small states have the same influence as large states, which could change the final result.

Swing states: determinants of electoral results

In every presidential election, the so-called swing states play a decisive role. These are states where there is no clear dominance of either of the two main parties and which tend to change preference between elections.

In 2024, states like Florida , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin and Arizona are in the spotlight, as their outcome could be decisive in electing the next president.

The controversy of fake voters

One of the recent controversies surrounding the Electoral College has been the attempt to appoint “spoof electors,” that is, people who were not selected based on their state’s results.

This practice has sparked debate and criticism about the legitimacy of the electoral system, especially after the 2020 elections, when there were multiple attempts to reverse the official results in some states.

Indirect elections: Why does the US use this system?

The American electoral system is indirect , meaning that citizens do not directly elect the president and vice president , but rather a group of electors who pledge to vote for the winning candidates in their state.

This modality was established as a way to protect the interests of smaller states, create a barrier against populism and ensure a more informed choice at a time when communication and access to information were limited.

Who are the electors of the Electoral College?

Electors are selected by political parties and are usually active members of the party or respected figures within the party.

Although they generally vote based on the result of the popular vote in their state, in some cases, they could cast a different vote, although this is restricted in most states.