US is the mother of modern democracy but even their electoral system doesn’t subscribe to the tenets of democracy, "One man, one vote".
This is why Donald Trump could still be President even if Hillary Clinton wins popular vote
Americans go to the polls today with Hillary Clinton being the favorite candidate according to opinion polls. But even if she wins popular vote, Donald Trump could still be the next US President.
Americans could easily vote Hillary Clinton to be the next president but if the Electoral College says otherwise, she will never be president.
US election is to a larger extent determined by the Electoral College; a system developed by US founding fathers to ensure the entire nation had a more equal say in the choosing of a national president.
US is comprised of 50 states with different demographics, what Electoral College does is to offset the chance that a single populous state putting forth a "favorite son" candidate that would almost exclusively represent the contender's home state and disregard the needs of other parts of the country.[sic]
ADVERTISEMENT
Electoral College is basically a group of people appointed by each party; total number of electors is equal to the number of members in Congress; 538.
Each state gets electors based on its population; California is the most populous state in US and has the highest number of Electoral College, 55.
So what happens is that if say Clinton wins the most votes in California, she gets all the 55 electoral votes the state has.
For any candidate to be US president, he/she is require to garner a total of 270 electoral votes, which is just over half of the total 538.
Clinton currently leads in the Electoral College but she hasn’t reached the target, 270, required to be president.
ADVERTISEMENT
CNN poll shows Clinton would need to win just one of the swing states like Florida, which has 29 electoral votes, to be President. CNN analysis puts the Democrat candidate at 268 electoral votes while Trump is at 204.
CNN further states that for Trump to be commander in chief, he must win all of the states currently considered battlegrounds; Florida, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina and New Hampshire, which would put him at exactly 270.
Electoral College determined US president in 2000; George W. Bush was beaten by Democrat candidate Al Gore in popular vote but he had the most Electoral votes thus he was declared president.
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: news@pulselive.co.ke
Recommended articles
African countries with the highest divorce rate
10 African cities with the highest crime index at the start of 2024
Machoka at 70: Emotions run high during Citizen TV presenter's birthday [Video]
Diwali 2022: Is Monday a public holiday in Kenya?
Akothee finally reveals reasons for separating from Omosh 1 month after wedding
Man, once a ‘billionaire’, recounts how he lost wealth, now sells his book on streets [Video]
Details of Ngina Kenyatta's luxurious restaurant
Zero Chills! Jackie Matubia's advice for Milly Chebby amid the unfollow drama
