Learn French: Le peuple a voté contre la loi. - The people voted against the law.

Unlike the English word "people," which takes a plural verb, the French word le peuple is a singular noun. It refers to the citizens of a country as one unified body. Therefore, it must take the third-person singular verb a, not the plural ont.

Could I say Les gens ont voté contre la loi instead?

You could, but the meaning shifts slightly. Les gens refers to "people" in a general sense—just a group of individuals. Le peuple specifically refers to "the people" in a civic, political, or national sense (the electorate). In the context of voting on a law, le peuple is the most natural choice.

What if I wanted to talk about a specific group of people voting, like "the people in the room"?

In that case, you wouldn't use le peuple. You would use les personnes (e.g., les personnes dans la salle) or les gens. Le peuple is strictly reserved for large, cohesive groups like a nation's populace or the masses.