Electoral Vote
A vote cast by an Electoral College elector toward electing the president; each state's electors equal its House seats plus two Senate seats.
An electoral vote is the formal vote cast by a member of the Electoral College when electors meet in their states in December following the presidential election. Each elector casts one vote for president and one for vice president.
The number of electoral votes a state holds equals the size of its congressional delegation - its House representatives plus its two senators. California, the most populous state, has the most electoral votes, while seven smaller states and Washington D.C. each have only three.
There are 538 total electoral votes. A candidate needs a majority - 270 - to win the presidency. The results are officially certified by Congress in early January.
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The system of 538 electors who formally elect the US president; a candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win.
The majority of 538 total electoral votes a presidential candidate must reach to be elected president.
An Electoral College elector who casts a vote for a different candidate than the one they were pledged to support.
The total number of individual votes cast by citizens across the country for each presidential candidate.