How is a state’s electoral votes decided?
Same as the number of Congress members each state has
A state’s electoral votes are determined by its representation in Congress, specifically, the number of members it has in the House of Representatives plus two (for its two Senators). This is based on the population of the state as determined by the United States Census, which is conducted every 10 years.
For example, California has 53 members in the House of Representatives and two Senators, giving it 55 electoral votes. Smaller states like Vermont have only one member in the House and two Senators, giving them three electoral votes.
On Election Day, voters in each state cast their ballots for the presidential candidate of their choice. The candidate who wins the popular vote in the state receives all of its electoral votes.
The candidate who wins a majority of the electoral votes, or at least 270 out of the 538 total, becomes the President of the United States. The process of electing the President through the Electoral College was established in the U.S. Constitution as a compromise between election by Congress and election by popular vote.
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