John Brown, Bush was "elected" with half a million votes less than Gore.
This kind of thing happens because of the antique, anti-democratic provisions of a hard-to-change Constitution. The Electoral College actually elects the President, not the popular vote.
Just one vote in a state - whether that vote is fraudulent or not – can give the entire state to the candidate with that vote.
Florida's vote was riddled with fraud, a common event in national elections in the U.S. Kennedy was elected through fraud in Illinois and Texas. Johnson started his career in Congress with vote fraud in Texas (see Caro's authoritative biography). There are dozens of techniques used to promote fraud.
The fraud so common in American national elections happens for several reasons. One is the fact that state officials run the rules and create and count the ballots in each state. The other is the tremendous incentive given local officials by the reality of the Electoral College.
A third is a rather cavalier, historical attitude towards elections. Even the great Lincoln was dishonest and maligned his Democratic opponent in 1864. Washington bought the electors wine and liquor for their votes (at that time the popular vote was a formality - the select politicos appointed to the Electoral College were the only ones who mattered.
The fraud only comes to matter when the two sides are fairly close. Overwhelming victories tend to nullify its effects on both sides.
The Supreme Court decision that put Bush in office went against a proper recount in Florida, thus effectively court-appointing the president.
John Quincy Adams, involved in an early American election scandal.
