How does the Electoral College work?
Each state gets electoral votes equal to its congressional seats. A candidate needs 270 of 538 to win. Voters choose slates of electors who then cast the official votes in December.
The Electoral College is the system the U.S. Constitution established to elect the president and vice president. Each state receives a number of electoral votes equal to its total congressional representation - the number of House seats plus two senators. Washington D.C. gets 3 electoral votes under the 23rd Amendment. The total is 538 electoral votes.
When you vote for president, you are technically voting for a slate of electors pledged to your candidate. After each state certifies its results, the winning candidate's electors meet in their state capital in December to cast the official Electoral College votes.
In 48 states and D.C., the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state receives all of the state's electoral votes - the winner-take-all rule. Maine and Nebraska use a district-based system where some electoral votes can be split.
The electors' votes are sent to Congress, which counts them in a joint session in early January. A candidate who wins at least 270 electoral votes is declared the winner. If no candidate reaches 270, the election is decided by the House of Representatives, with each state delegation casting one vote.
Related questions
Why does the U.S. use the Electoral College instead of a national popular vote?
How many electors are there?
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Related explainers
270 out of 538. A candidate must win a majority of electoral votes - at least 270 - to be elected president. If no one reaches 270, the House of Representatives decides.
If no candidate reaches 270 electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the president, with each state delegation casting one vote. The Senate elects the vice president.
Yes. Because the president is elected by the Electoral College, not the national popular vote, a candidate can win more total votes nationwide and still lose the election.
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