text: Indefensible Electoral College: Why even the best-laid defense of the system are wrong it states that "..according to a Gallup poll in 2000, taken shortly after Al Gore...won the popular vote but lost the presidency." How is that even possible? The reason Al Gore did not win presidency was he did not have the 270 electoral votes (thats how many you need to win presidency). Citzens were furious because they want Al Gore as president not Bush. None the less even if the government fixed the so called problems people would always find something they do not like about the electoral college.