Final answer:
The major difference between the popular vote and the electoral college vote is how the votes are counted and how they determine the winner. The popular vote refers to the total number of votes cast by the American people, while the electoral college vote determines the outcome based on the allocation of electoral votes in each state.
Step-by-step explanation:
The major difference between the popular vote and the electoral college vote in a U.S. presidential election is how the votes are counted and how they determine the winner. The popular vote refers to the total number of votes cast by the American people, while the electoral college vote refers to the number of electoral votes each candidate receives based on the outcome of the popular vote in each state.
In the popular vote, the candidate who receives the majority of the votes nationwide is considered the winner. However, the winner of the popular vote does not necessarily win the presidency. Instead, the electoral college vote determines the outcome.
Each state is allocated a certain number of electors, and the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state typically receives all of that state's electoral votes. The candidate who receives a majority of the electoral votes (270 out of 538) becomes the President of the United States.
This system can result in a candidate winning the popular vote but losing the electoral college vote, as seen in the 2000 and 2016 elections. In these cases, the candidate who won more votes from the American people did not become president because they did not win enough electoral votes.