List of United States presidential elections by popular vote margin on:
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In a
Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
'. * Peters, Gerhard.
Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections
'.
- Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology {{Lists of US Presidents and Vice Presidents United States presidential elections statistics United States presidential elections by popular vote margin Lists relating to the United States presidency
In a United States presidential election
The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not dir ...
, the popular vote is the total number or the percentage
In mathematics, a percentage (from la, per centum, "by a hundred") is a number or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100. It is often denoted using the percent sign, "%", although the abbreviations "pct.", "pct" and sometimes "pc" are also use ...
of votes cast for a candidate
A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example:
* to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs.
* ...
by voters in the 50 states and Washington, D.C.; the candidate who gains the most votes nationwide is said to have won the popular vote. However, the popular vote is not used to determine who is elected as the nation's president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
or vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
. Thus it is possible for the winner of the popular vote to end up losing the election, an outcome that has occurred on five occasions, most recently in the 2016 election. This is because presidential elections are indirect election
An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office (direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the old ...
s; the votes cast on Election Day
Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...
are not cast directly for a candidate, but for members of the Electoral College. The Electoral College's electors then formally elect the president and vice president.
The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twelfth Amendment (Amendment XII) to the United States Constitution provides the procedure for electing the president and vice president. It replaced the procedure provided in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3, by which the Electoral Colleg ...
(1804) provides the procedure by which the president and vice president are elected; electors vote separately for each office. Previously, electors cast two votes for president, and the winner and runner up became president and vice-president respectively. The appointment of electors is a matter for each state's legislature to determine; in 1872 and in every presidential election since 1880
Events
January–March
* January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia.
* January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy.
* February †...
, all states have used a popular vote to do so.
The 1824 election was the first in which the popular vote was first fully recorded and reported. Since then, 19 presidential elections have occurred in which a candidate was elected or reelected without gaining a majority of the popular vote.McPherson, J. (2001). ''To the Best of My Ability: The American Presidents''. Dorling Kindersly Publishing.
List
The table below is a list of United States presidential elections by popular vote margin. It is sorted to display elections by their presidential term / year of election, name, margin bypercentage
In mathematics, a percentage (from la, per centum, "by a hundred") is a number or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100. It is often denoted using the percent sign, "%", although the abbreviations "pct.", "pct" and sometimes "pc" are also use ...
in popular vote, popular vote, margin in popular vote by number, and the runner up in the Electoral College.
Timeline
See also
* List of United States presidential elections by Electoral College margin *List of United States presidential elections in which the winner lost the popular vote
There have been five United States presidential elections in which the successful presidential candidate did not receive a plurality of the popular vote, including the 1824 election, which was the first U.S. presidential election where the pop ...
* List of United States presidential candidates by number of votes received
Following is a list of United States presidential candidates by number of votes received. Elections have tended to have more participation in each successive election, due to the increasing population of the United States, and, in some instances, e ...
* National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
References
* Leip, David.Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
'. * Peters, Gerhard.
Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections
'.
External links
- Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology {{Lists of US Presidents and Vice Presidents United States presidential elections statistics United States presidential elections by popular vote margin Lists relating to the United States presidency