In the United States, a candidate becomes president not by winning a majority of the national popular vote but through a system called the Electoral College, which allots electoral votes to the 50 states and the District of Columbia largely based on their population.

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota suggested at fund-raisers that he backed switching to a national popular vote. His spokesman clarified that this was not the position of Kamala Harris’s campaign.

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz recently suggested abolishing the Electoral College, echoing calls made by numerous former Democratic candidates over the years.