Final answer:
The correct answer is presidential elections, as the Electoral College system employed in the US allows for a candidate to win fewer popular votes yet still secure the presidency by winning a majority of Electoral College votes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In which type of US election is it possible for the winning candidate to get fewer popular votes than the opposing candidate? The correct answer is presidential elections.
The United States employs a unique system for presidential elections known as the Electoral College. In this system, electors from each state cast votes based on the popular vote within that state. Due to the winner-take-all approach used in all but two states, it is mathematically possible for a candidate to win the popular vote yet lose in the Electoral College, as occurred in the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections. Therefore, the candidate with the fewer nationwide popular votes can still win the presidency if they secure a majority of Electoral College votes.
Most American elections are determined by the plurality rule, also known as first-past-the-post, but the presidential election is the distinct case where the winner-take-all Electoral College system can result in a candidate winning the presidency without having the majority of the popular vote.