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US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland

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US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by lovediehatelive(m): 10:10pm On Nov 04
When election is conducted, it's usually majority that wins, that is the candidate with the highest number of votes.

For instance, If 50 million people voted and a candidate gets 27 million votes while the other gets 23 million votes, it's safe to say the one with 27 million votes is the winner, but that's not the same in USA.

Yes, there's what's called the electoral college. It's just like assigning some numbers to each of the 50 states in America

The electoral college votes are 538 in total, and the winner needs just 270 to be declared winner.

Interestingly, some states, for instance, could have as high as 23, while others could have as low as 4.

Again, if, for example 50m votes are recorded and one candidate gets 30 million votes while the other gets 20 million votes, the one with 20 million votes could still be declared winner if the candidate wins in most of the states with higher electoral college votes.


Surprised?

It happened in 2016.
Hillary Clinton won by majority, but Donald Trump was declared winner because of higher electoral votes.


Why this happens mostly is if there's a slim margin in a state, for instance, if candidate ""A"" gets 3 million votes, while candidate ""B"" gets 2 million votes, and the electoral college votes for that particular state is just 4.


Now, if candidate ""B"" wins like 2 states with a tight margin of 1 million votes or so, and these two states have electoral college votes of 20 and 30 respectively, then candiate ""A"" wins 4 states with low electoral college votes each, you'll see that the 2 states won by candidate ""B"" gives a combined 50 electoral votes, while combining the 4 states won by candidate ""A"" gives less, just 16 electoral votes!


As you can see, in 2016, Hillary Clinton got the majority votes (65 million), while Donald Trump got 62 million votes. But Trump was declared winner because he had the highest electoral college votes, 304, compared to Clinton that got 227.

So it's not actually the total number of votes that matters, but the total number of states with the highest electoral votes!

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Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by panafrican(m): 12:00am On Nov 05
Because the founding fathers of the United states were afraid of Democracy. They believed it was mob rule.

38 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by lovediehatelive(m): 6:11am On Nov 05
panafrican:
Because the founding fathers of the United states were afraid of Democracy. They believed it was mob rule.

This stuff is somehow sha.


Sometimes it favours the democrats, sometimes it favours the republicans

18 Likes 1 Share

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Olichoke: 6:15am On Nov 05
It's a nice concept.
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Difrent: 7:54am On Nov 05
The black man is regarded as 3/4 of a human being in determining the number of electoral college votes a state gets

Such a bias system....

43 Likes 1 Share

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by lovediehatelive(m): 10:30am On Nov 05
Olichoke:
It's a nice concept.

It's a two edged sword, but I believe any candidate that wins the popular vote with over 5 million margin would definitely clinch the electoral votes

5 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by lovediehatelive(m): 10:31am On Nov 05
Difrent:
The black man is regarded as 3/4 of a human being in determining the number of electoral college votes a state gets

Such a bias system....


Why do you say so?
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Quelme: 10:35am On Nov 05
POTUS Trump!!!

19 Likes 1 Share

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by omoadeleye(m): 10:37am On Nov 05
Uhm

1 Like

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Berezuski: 10:37am On Nov 05
Indirectly; Kamala May Have The Highest Votes, But Trump May be Declared Winner
Save This Here
TRUMP All The Way!

30 Likes 2 Shares

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Kukutente23: 10:39am On Nov 05
Same with Nigeria's rule of 25% in 24 states

It's to ensure spread

6 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by techbro1: 10:39am On Nov 05
Make una comot mouth for wetin no concern una

14 Likes 1 Share

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by seanwilliam(m): 10:40am On Nov 05
Like for Donald Trump share for Amala Harris

45 Likes 19 Shares

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by bigdammyj: 10:40am On Nov 05
Noted.
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Okeke3595: 10:42am On Nov 05
Trump the winner

2 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Strictlygreen: 10:43am On Nov 05
Can anyone break this down further? Because I don't understand Shiite!

2 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Elzazzi: 10:44am On Nov 05
lipsrsealed

Who come be those wry dey for the electoral college ?

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Nwaikpe: 10:44am On Nov 05
Either ways, Christ Wins!!

cheesy cheesy cheesy

6 Likes 2 Shares

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by musicwriter(m): 10:45am On Nov 05
Yes, I just said so in the other thread. And that's the more reason Trump will win. If Trump could beat Hillary Clinton, he'll win Harris because nothing has changed.

US presidential election is not free and fair. You could get the highest vote but someone with a lower vote would be declared winner. That's bizarre

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Eriokanmi: 10:45am On Nov 05
Quelme:
POTUS Trump!!!
This isn't enough. Go to America and vote him to show your solidarity support. Otherwise, just siddon, dey observe tinz as e dey go grin. Only American voters will choose their leader today.

9 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by MondayOmoAdugbo(m): 10:46am On Nov 05
🤔👀🕜
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by anyitokunbo(m): 10:46am On Nov 05
In Nigeria if u like get all the whole votes
APC go still win

13 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by MondayOmoAdugbo(m): 10:47am On Nov 05
Nwaikpe:
Either ways, Christ Wins!!

cheesy cheesy cheesy

💯

2 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by MondayOmoAdugbo(m): 10:47am On Nov 05
Elzazzi:
lipsrsealed

Jesus loves you cheesy
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by DeepSight(m): 10:48am On Nov 05
Kukutente23:
Same with Nigeria's rule of 25% in 24 states

It's to ensure spread

It is not the same Kukutente. Nigeria's rule holds no possibility of having the candidate with less votes declared the winner. Neither does Nigeria's rule disenfranchise voters by giving all "electoral" votes in a state to the winner and allotting zero to the runner up.

I understand that in the matter of your Republican support you cannot be swayed by reason. But there must be a limit.

Just yesterday I made the case as follows:

------

I understand all the arguments made in favor of a "spread" but there is more than one way to skin a cat. There are several ways in which a spread can be ensured, without resorting to a system in which a person with less votes can be declared winner. That is an absurdity that must be avoided at all costs in a democracy otherwise it simply is not a democracy. For crying out loud, right here in Nigeria we dealt with the problem of ensuring a spread by saying that the winner must have a minimum of 25% in two-thirds of the states.

However you do it, you must not, and I repeat, must not, declare a person with less votes the winner of an election.

That turns the universe upside down.

A thing that is intrinsically wrong is the very principle of awarding all the electoral college votes in a state to the winner in the state (which is what happens in most states - save Maine & Nebraska). That is a horribly perverse principle which disenfranchises people. Just imagine, if you win a state by so much as one vote, you take all the electoral college votes for that state and the opponent gets zero.

That is worse than black magic, it is sheer voodoo and the most reprehensible form of juju.

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Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by dynicks(m): 10:48am On Nov 05
Omo ....Naija matters don make person just easily dey develop headaches while trying to understand certain things......So like this, e better make I just respect myself commot eye for this people their election biko.....

5 Likes

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Sonofgod1990: 10:48am On Nov 05
Make I try luck Carry 100k stake dis thing

Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by MondayOmoAdugbo(m): 10:49am On Nov 05
Okeke3595:
Trump the winner

Omor this 2odds enter eye 👀 walai 😂
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Elzazzi: 10:49am On Nov 05
panafrican:
Because the founding fathers of the United states were afraid of Democracy. They believed it was mob rule.


So who are those that votes in this electoral college ?
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by NaijaCover(m): 10:50am On Nov 05
Following
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by SAMBARRY: 10:50am On Nov 05
Make una no rig o
Re: US Election: Why A Candidate Could Have Highest Votes But Still Lose by Zooposki(f): 10:50am On Nov 05
We should do that in Nigeria where the region that produce most of the resources and is the most educated should be given a higher electoral vote. We cannot be allowing the illiterates to rule us because of sheer numbers. Men from the South are just too mumu. I can’t stand them.

12 Likes 1 Share

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