Ashley R. answered • 11/08/20
ELA Specialist
The popular vote is a simple count of all votes in the country. So, if 48% of voters voted for Candidate A, then Candidate A got 48% of the popular vote. Thus, whoever gets the most votes wins the popular vote. For the electoral vote (from the electoral college), citizen votes go to particular representatives (or delegates) who then meet together and vote for the president. So states use the popular vote to select electors/delegates. These delegates are appointed by state political parties, and they are pledged to support that party's candidate, although they don't always do so.
One reason for having an electoral college for the U.S. presidential elections is to protect interests of smaller (less populated) states. If we used the popular vote, higher-populated states (e.g. CA, NY) would hold significant sway in who wins national presidential elections. With the current system, presidents can win the popular vote and lose the electoral vote (and therefore, the election).
However, the popular vote is used in the U.S. for electing other government officials, including members of Congress, mayors, governors, state legislators, and more local officials.
