popular vote
Noun
Meaning
popular vote (plural popular votes)
The total number of votes of a given electorate.
The president was elected even though he received only 40% of the popular vote.
Synonyms
Examples
According to the Federal Election Commission, in the 2016 election Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.09%, and while that may not seem like a lot, that 2.09% represents more than 2.8 million votes.
After winning the popular vote in Iowa and eking out a victory in New Hampshire, Sanders has seen a surge of support heading into the Nevada caucus, South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday.
Although the Populist ticket did not win the popular vote in any state, 27 electors for Bryan cast their vice-presidential vote for Watson instead of Sewall.
After 2000, and more so following the results of the 2016 elections, academics and journalists have been raising questions over the efficacy of the system that does not allow a candidate who has won the popular vote to become the president of America.
Anyone who values facts—and based on the results of the popular vote in this election, that is a slight majority of those who voted—is fracturing into a thousand frustrated shards.
A governor, elected by popular vote, runs each department.