How the US Electoral College works

Many people wondered why Hillary Clinton, who won the popular votes over Donald Trump in 2016, was not elected president. So also in the year 2000, when Al Gore had more votes than George Bush but lost the presidency. The answer is the working of the US Electoral College.

This queer phenomenon also happened in 1824, when Andrew Jackson lost the presidency to John Quincy Adams, despite winning the popular votes. In 1876, Samuel Tilden had 50.9% of the total votes cast, compared to Rutherford Hayes who had only 47.9%, and yet, the latter had more electoral votes and was proclaimed winner. In 1888, Grover Cleveland lost the presidency to Benjamin Harrison, despite the fact that more US voters voted for him.

In that country, it is not the popular votes that count. It is the Electoral College that determines the winner. When American voters cast their votes on election day, they are really choosing electors, who would finally decide the fate of the candidates.

In 2000, Gore got no less than 50,999,897 votes or 48.38%, while George Bush got 50,456,002 votes or 47.87%. The final result hinged in the very close fight in Florida. Bush only won a plurality of 537 votes out of six million votes in that state. The camp of Gore petitioned for a recount because the state is worth 29 electoral votes. But the Supreme Court, in the landmark electoral case of Bush vs Gore, stopped the recount, which was earlier allowed by the lower court. That sealed the fate of Al Gore. He lost the presidency without knowing who really won in Florida, had the recount been allowed to proceed.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote with 65,853,514 over Donald Trump's 62,984,828 or a plurality of 2,868,686. But Clinton got only 227 votes compared to Trump's 304 Electoral College votes. Clinton won in California, Illinois and New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington with large margins and managed to edge out Trump in Virginia and Florida. But Trump won in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin by narrow margins, and won big in Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. The Electoral College appears to have more power than the people themselves, although this institution is composed of electors elected by the voters in each of the states.

As provided in Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the US Constitution, each state shall appoint electors selected in a manner that each state legislature determines, and it disqualifies any person holding a federal position. There are currently 538 electors and a majority is 270. If the votes are both 269, there will be a tie, and the Constitution has a way of deciding through the members of the US Congress.  The number of electors for every state varies because it depends on the number of congressional districts plus two Senate seats. Thus, California has the highest number of 55, for its 53 districts plus two Senate seats. Hawaii has only four because it has only two districts. Texas has 38. Florida and New York have 29 each.

Well, that is how the cookie crumbles. That is the will of the majority of the 538 members of the Electoral College. The millions and millions of voters should submit to the will of 270 electors or a little more. That is how the Americans define democracy, and we do not have any right to comment on it.