Good question. In November’s vote, Trump won the Electoral College, as well as the majority of states and counties. But Hillary Clinton won the majority of votes — by more than 2.8 million votes at last count. But even though the majority of Americans would prefer electing the president by popular vote, changing the system will be an uphill battle. Because the current setup is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, a constitutional amendment would be required, which means two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives would have to back it — along with 38 of the 50 states. And the current setup gives an advantage to less-populated states, one that they would be reluctant to give up.
“If we went by popular vote, no small state in America would ever see a presidential candidate,” said U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. “Our system is vital to making sure that all of America determines the next president, not just where the majority of the population is, which is both coasts.”
In other words: You’ll be explaining this weird system to your foreign friends for the rest of your lives.
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