The US electoral system uniquely allows for a candidate to win the presidency without securing the majority of popular votes, a phenomenon that has occurred five times in history, most recently in 2016. This occurs due to the Electoral College, which comprises 538 electors, with a minimum of 270 needed to win. The system favors less populous states, leading to unequal representation, as seen in the ‘winner takes all’ principle where majority votes in a state grant all electors to the winning candidate. Efforts to reform this system have faced challenges, despite over 700 proposals in Congress.