popular vote

[ pop-yuh-ler voht ]

noun

1. the vote for a U.S. presidential candidate made by the qualified voters, as opposed to that made by the Electoral College. Compare electoral vote.
2. the vote for a candidate, issue, etc., made by the qualified voters, as opposed to a vote made by elected representatives.

Word History and Origins

Origin of popular vote¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

Despite repeated claims from GOP corners that the United States gave Donald Trump a "mandate" on Election Day, the president-elect has still not secured a majority of the popular vote.

From Salon

Harris lost both the electoral college and popular vote outright, and that is unlikely to change as the vote tallies finalize.

From Salon

Trump's current lead in the popular vote count is smaller than the one Hillary Clinton put up on him in 2016.

From Salon

After claiming a mandate from his first-ever popular vote win — about half of Hillary Clinton’s margin in 2016, when she lost — President-elect Donald Trump immediately went out and demonstrated his hubris, the 78-year-old Republican selecting people to lead the country’s most important institutions based largely on their personal loyalty and on-air presence.

From Salon

“Winning the popular vote provides a mandate and a national public confidence to accomplish what he wants to do from the Oval Office,” longtime Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said a couple of days after the election.

From Slate