Does the electoral college guarantee majority rule?

The electoral college does not guarantee majority rule because it can result in a situation where a candidate wins the presidency without winning the popular vote nationwide. This has occurred in several instances throughout U.S. history, notably in the elections of 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016, where the candidate who received the majority of the electoral votes did not receive the majority of the popular votes.

The design of the electoral college means that each state has a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress, which can lead to a discrepancy between the popular vote and the electoral outcome. For example, a candidate may win by a narrow margin in several key states, accumulating enough electoral votes to win the presidency while receiving fewer total votes across the country than their opponent.

The other options do not fully capture this nuance; they either suggest an absolute guarantee of majority rule or imply that it holds true under specific conditions, neither of which align with how the electoral college functions in practice.