text: The Electoral College requires you win the largest part of the vote in differing geographies, to avoid a large majority in a tight geography from dominating.
  
  I don't agree with/like Trump but he won 39 states, and 85% of the counties of the USA.
  
  The Democrats pushed their vote % in places like Philadelphia...winning a seat with 90% of the vote, counts the same as 51%.
  
  Canada? You could win 175 seats (majority) crafted from the lowest population seats, and only get say 40% of the vote in each. Simple math says that you could fashion a "majority" government from something like 17% of the votes cast.
  
  (say the bottom 175 in pop have around 40% of the total pop, and you win each of those seats  with 40% of the votes cast - 40% being a typical win in a 3+ candidate riding. Voila - a 16 - 17% "majority". In fact, even today, take out the seats a government doesn't win, they are ruling with a small % of the votes cast - even far less than the sub - 40% majorities Canada typically gets. )