How many electoral votes does it take to win the presidency?
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.
With 538 total electoral votes in play, a candidate needs a majority - 270 or more - to win the presidency. This threshold is fixed by the total number of electoral votes: 435 for House seats, 100 for Senate seats, and 3 for the District of Columbia.
The 270 requirement has remained constant since the 23rd Amendment gave D.C. its electoral votes in 1961. Before that, the total was 535 and the threshold was 268. Changes in the total are possible if Congress passes new apportionment rules, but 538/270 is the number going into 2028.
After every decennial census, the 435 House seats are reapportioned among the states based on population changes. This means individual states can gain or lose electoral votes - and this reapportionment after the 2030 census could affect the 2032 election. For 2028, the electoral vote totals from the 2020 census-based apportionment are still in effect.
The 270 threshold makes it possible to win the presidency while losing the national popular vote, as long as the winning candidate assembles a coalition of states whose electoral votes sum to 270 or more.
Related questions
What happens if both candidates get exactly 269 electoral votes?
Does the vice president get elected separately?
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Related explainers
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.
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.
A swing state - also called a battleground state - is one where neither major party has a reliable lead, making it competitive and decisive in the Electoral College.
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