Results & measures · Presidential elections
Popular vote
The nationwide vote total — which is not what decides the presidency.
The national popular vote is the simple sum of every vote cast for a candidate across the country. It is not how the United States elects presidents: the presidency is decided by the Electoral College, where each state's electors — not national vote totals — determine the winner.
The two can and do disagree. In 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote while George W. Bush won the presidency, and in 2016 Hillary Clinton won the popular vote while Donald Trump won the presidency. pumsdata reports popular-vote totals and identifies the popular-vote leader; it never labels that candidate the winner of the election itself.
Also known as: national popular vote, popular-vote winner.
See popular vote in the data
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Popular vote — FAQ
What is popular vote in election results data?+
The nationwide vote total — which is not what decides the presidency. The national popular vote is the simple sum of every vote cast for a candidate across the country. It is not how the United States elects presidents: the presidency is decided by the Electoral College, where each state's electors — not national vote totals — determine the winner.
Why does popular vote matter?+
The two can and do disagree. In 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote while George W. Bush won the presidency, and in 2016 Hillary Clinton won the popular vote while Donald Trump won the presidency. pumsdata reports popular-vote totals and identifies the popular-vote leader; it never labels that candidate the winner of the election itself.
Where does this election results data come from?+
County-level presidential returns come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with MEDSL or with any campaign, party or election authority.