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What is the Electoral College? (2024)
The Electoral College is the process by which the states and the District of Columbia elect the president of the United States. Each state is represented by a number of electors equal to the size of its congressional delegation, and D.C. has three electors. There are 538 electors in total. To win the Electoral College, a candidate must receive a majority—at least 270—electoral votes.[1]
Thirteen states gained or lost electoral votes following the 2020 Census:[2]
- Texas gained two votes.
- Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon each gained one.
- California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia each lost one.
Although there is no constitutional provision or federal law requiring electors to vote in accordance with the election results in their state, electors typically vote for their state's popular vote winner. Some states have provisions permitting the disqualification and replacement of an elector whose vote deviates from the state's popular vote.[3]
The following map shows the number of electoral votes per state in the 2024 presidential election.
See also
- What are faithless electors in the Electoral College?
- What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College?
- Can members of Congress object to Electoral College results?
- What does the Electoral Count Reform Act mean for the 2024 presidential election?
- What is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact?
Footnotes
