US Election Results 2024: Trump or Harris may get fewer votes but still become President — 5 times THIS happened in past

The final voting for the US Elections is being held on Tuesday, November 5. The results in each US state will be announced once all the votes are polled and counted. This may take hours, days and even weeks in some states where the contest between the presidential candidates is too close.

So who will be the next US President? Will it be Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris? Whoever is declared a winner at the end of the counting of votes in all 50 states may not ultimately become the next US President.

But why is it so? This happens when a candidate wins the popular vote (votes cast on Election Day, November 5), but may not get the adequate electoral votes. A candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors — more than half of all electors — to win the presidential election -- which is possible even when losing the overall national vote.

Ultimately, the Electoral College decides who will be elected president and vice president of the US. When a person votes for a presidential candidate on Election Day (November 5 this year), he/she is actually voting for their candidate's preferred electors.

Unlike elections for other federal candidates and statewide offices, the US presidential contest is not solely based on the popular vote. Instead, it follows a system known as the Electoral College. Under this Electoral College system, the winning candidate in each state, as well as Washington, DC, receives that state's electoral votes, which are largely based on population.

A US state has the same number of electors as it does Members in its Congressional delegation: one for each Member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators.

5 times less popular candidates became President

It is possible to win the Electoral College but lose the popular vote. This happened in 2016, 2000, and three times in the 1800s.

1876: The popular vote was 4,300,000 for Democrat Samuel Tilden and 4,036,000 for Republican Rutherford B. Hayes. Tilden had won 184 electoral votes, exactly one vote shy of the majority needed at the time to win the presidency. Hayes only won 165, but 20 more electoral votes were still in dispute.

"Months of uncertainty followed. In January 1877, Congress established an Electoral Commission to decide the dispute. The commission, made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats, determined all the contests in favour of Hayes by eight to seven. The final electoral vote: 185 to 184," the US government website stated.

1888: Benjamin Harrison had received 100,000 fewer popular votes than Grover Cleveland, but carried the Electoral College 233 to 168. Although Harrison had made no political bargains, his supporters had given innumerable pledges on his behalf.

2000: George W. Bush received fewer popular votes than Albert Gore Jr, but clinched a majority of electoral votes. According to the White House, “Bush enjoyed a double-digit lead in the polls over his opponent Vice President Al Gore Jr. But the gap closed as the election approached and though Gore finally won the popular vote by 543,895 votes, victory or loss of the presidency hinged on Florida’s electoral votes. That struggle through recounts and lawsuits worked its way to the Supreme Court. In the end, Bush won the electoral count 271 to 266.”

2016: Donald J. Trump received fewer popular votes than Hillary Clinton, but received a majority of electoral votes. "While he lost the popular vote, Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the general election by winning a majority of Electoral College votes. His campaign slogan was “Make America Great Again," the White House said.