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Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the election in 2016 because of the way the U.S. electoral system is constructed. Here are three facts to understand...

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the election in 2016 because of the way the U.S. electoral system is constructed. Here are three facts to understand it better:

- On election day, Americans vote for electors – not for a candidate. Each state has a given number of electors based on the size of its population. For example, California has 55 e while Wyoming only has 3.

- Electors are elected as a group. For example, if a political party secures a majority of 51% in California, it will still win its 55 electors, and not just half of them. Each State votes for one party or the other.

- This means that, in total, more people can vote for one candidate without him or her being elected, if he or she fails to secure a majority by a small amount in certain states.

Hilary Clinton wasn't the first one to win the popular vote and lose the election: in 2000, Al Gore gained more votes compared to George W. Bush.

way/façon, manière - state/état - given/ici, certain - size/taille - to secure/ci, obtenir - to mean, meant, meant/signifier, vouloir dire - to fail to/ne pas parvenir à - amount/ici, degré, marge - to gain/obtenir