In the U.S. presidential election system, instead of the nationwide popular vote determining the outcome of the election, the president of the United States is determined by votes cast by electors of the Electoral College. Alternatively, if no candidate receives an absolute majority of electoral votes, the election is determined by the House of Representatives. These procedures are governed by the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Here are the top 20 US presidents with the most electoral college votes.
Rank | Election | Winner | Electoral votes | Percentage |
1. | 1788-89 | George Washington | 69/69 | 100.00% |
2. | 1792 | George Washington | 132/132 | 100.00% |
3. | 1820 | James Monroe | 231/232 | 99.57% |
4. | 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 523/531 | 98.49% |
5. | 1984 | Ronald Reagan | 525/538 | 97.58% |
6. | 1972 | Richard Nixon | 520/538 | 96.65% |
7. | 1804 | Thomas Jefferson | 162/176 | 92.05% |
8. | 1864 | Abraham Lincoln | 212/233 | 90.99% |
9. | 1980 | Ronald Reagan | 489/538 | 90.89% |
10. | 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | 486/538 | 90.33% |
11. | 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 472/531 | 88.89% |
12. | 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 457/531 | 86.06% |
13. | 1852 | Franklin Pierce | 254/296 | 85.81% |
14. | 1940 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 449/531 | 84.56% |
15. | 1816 | James Monroe | 183/217 | 84.33% |
16. | 1928 | Herbert Hoover | 444/531 | 83.62% |
17. | 1952 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 442/531 | 83.24% |
18. | 1872 | Ulysses S. Grant | 286/352 | 81.95% |
19. | 1912 | Woodrow Wilson | 435/531 | 81.92% |
20. | 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 432/531 | 81.36% |