popular vote

American  

[pop-yuh-ler voht] / ˈpɒp yə lər ˈvoʊt /

noun

1. the vote for a U.S. presidential candidate made by the qualified voters, as opposed to that made by the Electoral College.

2. the vote for a candidate, issue, etc., made by the qualified voters, as opposed to a vote made by elected representatives.

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Etymology

Origin of popular vote

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Compare meaning

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

• electoral vs. popular vote
• popular vote vs. electoral vote

Example Sentences

But supporters of Poilievre credit him with delivering historic gains for the party, which received a record 41% of the popular vote last year.

From BBC

So he believes no decision on either the fate of Donetsk or the broader 20-point plan can be made without a popular vote and a 60-day ceasefire to prepare it: "A referendum is the way to accept it or not accept it."

From BBC

He reintroduced political parties and a free media, and was later endorsed by popular vote.

From BBC

For example, the “Popular vote margin of victory?” market saw almost $135 million in volume, making it Kalshi’s second-largest market by volume to date.

From MarketWatch

Rob Jetten, a 38-year-old centrist, will have the first shot at forming a government after his D66 political party roughly tripled its number of seats in the House of Representatives and won a bigger share of the popular vote than Geert Wilders’s far-right Freedom Party, which prevailed in 2023.

From The Wall Street Journal