Difference Between Electoral Vote and Popular Vote
Main difference
In US presidential elections, the president is elected by the composition of a particular proportion of electoral votes and popular votes. Popular votes are the votes cast by the voters of the general public to elect their country’s president, while electoral votes are a divided proportion of the jury votes in each state of America and are overseen by the Electoral College . A person who has more popular votes and less electoral votes cannot be elected president like Hilary Clinton in 2016, and in 2000, Al Gore had the same problem and lost the election. The president is selected by the proportion of both types of votes, but the person with the most electoral votes is more likely to win and be president of the United States of America.
Comparison chart
| electoral vote | popular vote | |
| Most influenced in the election of president | The Electoral Vote are the decisive votes since they have more influence in the election of a president. | Popular votes are not deciding votes and do not carry as much influence as electoral votes, but they do represent public choice and minority rights. |
| political structure | It shows the representative formation of the republic. | It directly represents democracy. |
| voting system | Citizen of America votes and elects the electors of each state, who then vote to elect the president. | The general public votes directly for candidates in presidential elections in all states of America. |
| Bureaucratic involvement | The bureaucracy participates in the conduct of general elections and in the formation of different committees and councils. | Uninvolved. The bureaucracy is not particularly required and does not participate as it does not need any advice or group formation. |
| Benefits for the Parties | It favors the parties that have the majority of voters. | It favors the general public than parties. |
What is the electoral vote?
The electoral vote refers to the vote of the elected electors of each state of America. The Electoral College is an organization that controls and supervises the entire scenario of the electoral vote. In United States presidential elections, the president is chosen by the electoral votes of each state. The Electoral College has divided a fixed proportion of electoral votes for each state in America according to its population and other balances. In the general election held on the first Tuesday in November after every four years, the general public votes for the party’s candidates vying for the constituency seat in each state. Each political party nominates its candidate for the general election. The general public votes and selects the electors of their respective states. Combining all the electors from all the states in America, there are a total of 538 electors in the Electoral College. The ratio of 538 is divided among all the States of America by their population and according to other parameters. Among these 538, 435 are representatives at large, 100 are senators, and the remaining three belong to the District of Columbia, which is an alliance state of the United States. These elected voters then cast a vote in their states on 3er Monday in December, which are the presidential elections. The majority of electoral votes elects the president. The candidate who gets the most electoral votes out of 538 becomes president of the United States of America, even if he has less popular votes. It is a representative republic system. It refers to the indirect democratic approach. Many people disagree with this concept since in many situations a person who wins more popular votes but less electoral votes loses the election, but that is how the US system works. The bureaucracy is involved in the grouping, the formation of committees and councils to carry out the general elections and the management of the Electoral College.
What is the popular vote?
Popular vote refers to the votes cast by the general public of the United States in its presidential elections. All citizens living in each and every state of America, including minorities, all of them have the right to vote and chose their preferred presidential candidate in the presidential election. This approach demonstrates the concept of direct democracy. People vote directly for their favorite presidential candidate. Popular votes represent the general view of the public and allow people, instead of depending on political party and affiliation, to participate directly in the selection of their own president of the country. This direct democratic approach is also seen in many other countries, but the United States has the oldest and most well-defined system and setup. But the candidate who is popular with the general public and gets the most popular votes is not always elected president of the state. The number of electoral votes in each state also counts. Electoral votes have more influence than popular votes. There are many real-life examples in elections, the candidates with the most electoral votes and the least popular become president of the US.
Electoral vote vs popular vote
- The popular vote is the general public vote cast directly by the public of each state for their favorite presidential candidate.
- The electoral vote is the vote cast by the elected representative of the political parties in each state of America.
- The popular vote represents public opinion in general and is a direct democratic phenomenon.
- The electoral vote represents indirect democracy and is a representative republic approach.
- The winner of the popular vote may lose due to fewer electoral votes.