Popular votes can significantly impact electoral college decisions in countries like the United States by determining the allocation of electors pledged to candidates. Typically, the candidate winning a state’s majority vote is awarded all its electoral votes (except in Maine and Nebraska). This system means that even if a candidate loses the national popular vote, they can still win the presidency by securing a majority of electoral votes. Thus, popular votes shape campaign strategies and can lead to tensions between the democratic principle of majority rule and the mechanisms of the electoral process.