Election Night 2024
If you went by the national polls on the eve of this year’s presidential election between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, it looked as if both candidates were neck and neck going towards the proverbial finish line for the Presidency.
With the then so-called “swing states” of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada being too close to call for either candidate, it looked like the country might be heading toward a turbulent election which would be severely contested by its loser. Although this was not the case, and the country saw a clear and decisive winner in Donald Trump, there were still those people who questioned the value and soundness of the Electoral College.
What is the Electoral College?
Put simply, the Electoral College is the method by which the American people indirectly elect the President of the United States. Originally put in place by our Founding Fathers as a compromise between those who wanted a direct election of the President and those who wanted Congress to pick the President.
As voting members of the United States, we do not vote directly for the President in November but rather vote for individuals, known as “electors,” who will then vote directly for the President, in December. An important aspect of the Electoral College is that the political party which wins the popular vote within each state will determine which state electors cast their votes. In most states, apart from Maine and Nebraska, it is an all-or-nothing contest in which the political candidate who wins the popular vote in that state will then receive the entirety of the electoral votes for that particular state.
Is it Possible for a Candidate to Win the Electoral College but Lose the Popular Vote?
As the Electoral College is set up under the United States Constitution, yes, it is possible for more American to vote for the loser than the winner of the Electoral College.
In the Election of 2000, Vice President Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College and Presidency to George W. Bush when the overall election came down to a few hundred votes in Florida; and in 2016, Donald Trump claimed an electoral victory and the Presidency over candidate Hillary Clinton even though Clinton had received over two percent more of the overall popular vote than Trump had.
The Election of 2024
When all was said and done, the controversial, turbulent election that was forecast by some never materialized and all seven of the so-called “swing states” went to former President Donald Trump. When the dust settled and all the votes within the different states were tallied up, Trump won 312 electoral votes to Vice President Harris’ 226 electoral votes. Trump additionally commanded a larger percentage of the popular vote, 50 percent to Harris’ 48 percent.
As a country we may not see eye to eye when it comes to our candidates or the political parties they represent, but when all is said and done, we must agree that the Electoral College, as complicated as it may be, works. For on Election Night, the American people spoke by casting their ballots and there was a peaceful transfer of power between our two major political parties without a single bullet being shot. That speaks volumes!
