The U. S. President is elected by the electoral college, not by the popular vote. So, a president can be elected when he/she has fewer votes than his/her opponent. Is this consistent with the notion of "government by the people"?

The electoral college was intended to be a balance between popular voting and representatives in Congress who already had legislative power.

Explanation:

The electoral college was a compromise on different systems for voting for the executive branch because they did not want just Congress to be the source of the votes because that could lead to corruption and Congress already had legislative power. There were others who did not want to let the people elect the president by a popular vote because this would leave many states with smaller populations underrepresented.  At the time it was thought that the common person in the 18th-century lacked the know-how to be fully informed about politics and what the candidates were each promoting, especially in rural areas. Second, the founding fathers feared that direct or popular voters would appeal just to daily needs and thus steer the country astray. There was also concern that a populist president with such a direct tie to the people would be dangerously powerful.