What the Electoral College is, why we have it, and how it affects elections

Published November 5, 2024 12:54pm ET



The Electoral College has received a lot of attention of late, leading many to question why it exists — and what it would take to remove it.

In two of the six presidential elections conducted this century, the Republican candidate has triumphed over the Democrat despite losing the popular vote contest. In 2000, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore despite receiving about 500,000 fewer votes nationally. In 2016, Donald Trump took out Hillary Clinton while taking in almost 3 million fewer votes.

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