Final answer:
In a U.S. presidential election, a candidate needs to win at least 270 electoral votes to become the president, so they can fall short of this number even if they win more than half of the states.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the presidential election in the United States, a candidate needs to win a total of 270 electoral votes to become the president. This is because there are 538 electoral votes available and 270 is the majority.
Therefore, if a candidate wins less than 270 electoral votes, they would fall short of the necessary number of votes to win the presidency. For example, if a candidate wins 260 electoral votes, they would not become the president even though they won more than half of the states.
Learn more about U.S. Presidential Election