| It doesn’t seem like it should be possible, but four elections have been won by candidates who lost the popular vote and won the Electoral College. Various circumstances, from winning odd combinations of states to failing to achieve a majority vote have contributed to this. It's not supposed to happen at all though, it just seems really odd when someone wins despite lacking popular support. Another problem is that some states, known as swing states, are granted a disproportionate amount of power in choosing the president. So, their issues are given much more attention by candidates in an attempt to sway the vote. Rather than worrying about pleasing as much of the country as possible, presidential candidates here can campaign strategically, ignoring voices that don't matter to them. In an ideal world, all of our voices should carry some weight. These problems can be explored in more detail by clicking below. |