Understanding the Electoral College: Key Facts for the 2024 Election

In U.S. history, five presidents have won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote, highlighting a unique aspect of the American electoral system. This has occurred in the elections of 1824 (John Quincy Adams), 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes), 1888 (Benjamin Harrison), 2000 (George W. Bush), and most recently in 2016 when Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote by 2.8 million votes. The Electoral College system can result in such outcomes due to its structure, which gives smaller states disproportionate influence.