Will Donald Trump become US President again or can Vice President Kamala Harris script history to emerge as the first woman to lead America? That's the million dollar question as we head into one of the most closely-contested US presidential election in recent history. Opinion polls remain starkly divided between Trump and Harris and the margins are constantly shifting in either direction, making it hard to determine a clear winner.
The election is particularly interesting as Trump lost the presidential polls in 2020 to Joe Biden in a tight race that turned controversial towards the end since the Republican leader refused to concede defeat.
Live updates: US Presidential elections
What happened in 2020 elections
In the 2020 election, Biden won 51.3% of the popular vote while Trump secured 46.8%. In actual numbers, 81,283,501 (8.1 crore) Americans voted for Biden while 74,223,975 (7.4 crore) chose Trump.
The popular vote in US elections refers to the total number of votes cast by individual voters across the country. It is different from the Electoral College, which ultimately decides the presidency.
US follows the electoral college system to determine the winner of the presidential election. In this system, instead of a direct popular vote, voters in each state choose electors who represent their state in the Electoral College.
The number of electors per state is equal to its total representation in the Congress (Senators plus House members). A candidate must receive a majority of at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency. While most states use a winner-takes-all approach, Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral votes proportionally.
When it comes to electoral college votes, Biden won 306 votes in 2020 while Trump got 232.
Interestingly, the electoral collegge system can result in a president winning the election without securing the national popular vote. This is exactly what happened in 2016 when Trump won the presidential polls due to higher electoral votes but his rival Hillary Clinton had a higher share of direct popular votes.
In 2016, nearly 6.3 crore Americans voted for Trump but nearly 6.6 crore chose Clinton. Despite that, Trump secured 304 electoral college votes compared to Clinton's 227.
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