Divergence between the popular vote and the electoral college
In America, winning the popular vote does not always lead to the White House
By THE DATA TEAM
HILLARY CLINTON’S solid lead in the polls has evaporated, with national-polling averages putting her just one or two percentage points ahead of Donald Trump. This has changed the tone in reporting from measuring up the White House curtains for Mrs Clinton to gloomily pondering the possibility of a Trump presidency, at least among Democrats and Never-Trump Republicans. But America’s presidential election is decided through the electoral college, where the winning candidate accumulates votes based on the states’ representation in Congress, not by the popular vote. On this measure Mrs Clinton’s lead has also narrowed, yet betting markets still anticipate her capturing a comfortable 320 of the 538 electoral-college votes.
More from Graphic detail
The Republicans who still haven’t endorsed Donald Trump
Notable holdouts show he hasn’t consolidated the party yet
Who is supplying Russia’s arms industry?
New research traces the origin of crucial imports
After Dobbs, Americans are turning to permanent contraception
More young women are tying their tubes