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electoral vote

American

[ih-lek-ter-uhl voht, ee-lek-tawr-uhl] / ɪˈlɛk tər əl ˈvoʊt, iˌlɛkˈtɔr əl /

noun

the vote cast in the Electoral College of the United States by the representatives of each state in a presidential election.

Etymology

Origin of electoral vote

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25

Compare meaning

How does electoral-vote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

popular vote vs. electoral vote

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

electoral vote

Obama ended up winning the popular vote by four points and swamped Romney in the electoral vote count 332 to 206.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2024

After a quorum was finally established, Congress counted and certified the electoral vote on April 6, 1789.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2024

CNN stated that participants "must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold" and receive at least 15% support in four separate recognised polls.

From BBC ● May 15, 2024

Under that, some of Nebraska’s electoral votes get awarded to the statewide vote winner, while an electoral vote apiece goes to the winner of each congressional district.

From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2024

The electoral vote split along sectional lines, Adams carrying New England and Jefferson the South.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023