The definition of popular vote is the vote for a U.S. presidential candidate made by the qualified voters. To be a qualified voter, you must be a United States citizen, at least 18 years of age or older before the date of the next election, a current resident, and not have any prior felony convictions and/or be on parole or in prison. To participate in the popular vote, you must go to the nearest facility that is offering voting (typically a library), pass through the security check and then fill out a ballot selecting the representative of your choice. The difference between a popular vote and an electoral vote is the popular vote is directly what the people want and the electoral vote is representatives of each state.