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FACT BRIEF

Are midterm elections in Wisconsin decided by popular vote?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

Wisconsin's federal and state representatives are elected directly through popular vote. The winner is the candidate who receives the largest share — or plurality — of the popular vote in their electoral district, even if it's less than 50%, which can happen when three or more candidates are running for the same position.

In general elections, the president and the vice president are elected through the Electoral College process. Each state receives one electoral vote for each of its members in the House and Senate. Wisconsin has eight Congressional members, based on its population, and two senators, for a total of 10 electoral votes. It takes 270 electoral votes to become president.

Wisconsin — like all states except Maine and Nebraska — awards all of its electors to the presidential candidate who wins the state's popular vote. That's why a candidate can lose the national popular vote — but still win the presidency.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
USA.gov Presidential election process
Ballotpedia Electoral systems in Wisconsin
National Archives What is the Electoral College?
National Archives About the electors
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Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.