the vote for the US House of Representative (somewhat akin to the House of Commons) and Senate ( somewhat akin to the House of Lords) is a separate issue from the election of the President. At first the role of President went to the winner of the most votes & the Vice President went to the runner up... that got changed eventually.

You should note that the terms of office differ for each office... this was done to provide more stability and continuity from year to year.

Representative 2 years
Senate          6 years - staggered elections for 1/3 each election

President       4 years - and a maximum of 2 terms


the system was set up to have checks and balances to prevent any part of the government from going rogue ( though the Tea Party is doing their best to muck that up). the idea behind it all is that the founding fathers wanted a system of government that was responsive to its people. the Government is to be the servants of the country, not it masters. of course, politics is power and there is always elected officals who want the power and not the responsibilities that go with public office.

so the system was designed to prevent human nature from mucking up the country - at least give a good try.