How does the number of electoral college votes a presidential candidate has compare to the number of popular votes a presidential candidate has? sometimes the electoral college votes do not reflect the popular vote. it's the number of electoral college votes that determines who is elected president. the electoral college votes are calculated using the popular vote. so the candidate who is elected president will have the most votes in both categories. the president is elected based on the popular vote, or number of people who voted. the electoral college votes only matter if there is a tie between candidates. the popular vote determines who will be president. the electoral college votes determine whether the democratic or republican party will have the most influence in government.