Why was Jefferson not named President after he won the popular vote in 1800?
The ‘most correct’ answer is A, which is correct about the main points — Jefferson & Burr received the same number of electoral votes, and the House of Representatives decided the matter. But the expression “Jefferson won the popular vote” does not really belong (so the question itself is poorly stated!) In fact, there WAS no NATIONAL “popular vote” that you could have counted up to say that! The truth is that the Presidential winner is the one with the most ELECTORAL votes, unless there is a tie, OR (now) if NO ONE has a majority. (In Jefferson’s time you need the MOST, now it has to be a MAJORITY. That was part of what changed after and because of the election of 1800.) But please note that the number of ELECTORAL votes a candidate receives is based on how each STATE decides to apportion its electoral votes, following a method set up by that state’s legislature. Nowadays MOST states give ALL their electoral votes to the person with the most votes in a popular vote (“winnner takes al
