Electoral college
In the presidential election between the two nominees, each state is allocated a certain number of votes based on population. For example, California has 55 electoral votes while Vermont has three. Each state is winner-take-all (except Maine and Nebraska), so whichever candidate gets more individual votes gets all the electoral votes of the state. Therefore, it is possible to win the majority of individual votes and lose the race, and vice versa. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win.