close
close

Electoral votes per state, the Electoral College explained

Electoral votes per state, the Electoral College explained

what is he doing let’s be president? To begin with, you must be at least 35 years old and a natural-born citizen. But after the campaign is over and the ballots are filled in, how does a candidate become president?

The the 2024 presidential election it’s here and Americans are voting Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. Now that we’ve gotten to Election dayhere’s everything you need to know about how Americans’ votes are counted.

Live updates on the 2024 election

2024 Florida General Election Results

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a presidential voting process established in the Constitution. The founding fathers created this system as a compromise between the popular vote, directly among citizens, and the Congressional vote.

How does the Electoral College work?

There are a total of 538 electoral votes awarded to each of the 50 states and Washington, DC based on how many members of Congress has in Washington. Candidates need 270 votes to win.

The popular vote refers to a statewide number, and electoral votes are a reallocation of that number. When you vote, your vote is counted with the rest of the state. In most states, the winner gets all the electoral votes.

The only exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which have electors based on both at the state level and Congressional district popular vote. These states may have a “split vote,” meaning they may allocate some votes to one candidate and some to the other. This happened in Nebraska in 2008, in Maine in 2016 and in both states in 2020.

States delegate electors, who represent their state, to vote for president and vice president. The Constitution and federal laws provide general requirements for the selection of voters. State laws follow these requirements, but they vary additional procedures. voters they cannot be members of CongressKEEP high-level federal positions or have engaged in an insurrection or rebellion against the USA

Voters commit to voting according to the popular vote at the state or district level. If they don’t, they are called a “faithless voter.” Some states have laws that ask their constituents to vote as promised.

After the electoral votes are counted, a projected winner is announced. If no candidate wins 270 votes, the House carry out a majority vote to elect the president. Here’s when that process will happen in the 2024 presidential race.

What determines a state’s electoral votes?

A state gets two votes per senator plus the number of congressional districts it has. These numbers are estimated based on census data. California, the most populous US state, has 54 votes, while Wyoming the least populatedhas 3. For example –

When the census shows the state’s population change, electoral votes and congressional seats are moved.

Current allocations are based on the 2020 Census, which will count for the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.

How many electoral votes does Florida have?

Here are the votes allocated to each state, including Washington, DC:

Breakdown of the Electoral College

Who certifies the vote of the Electoral College?

Congress counts and certifies the votes. They meet in a joint session of January 6 with the vice president presiding over the count and announcing the results.

Last year, Congress revised the Law on the Electoral Number in response to January 6 insurrection to clarify that a vice president does not have the power to overturn a presidential election.

Just curious for more? We’ve got you covered

USA TODAY explores the questions you and others ask every day. from — When did Biden take office? TO “What are the three branches of government?” TO “Which state has the highest minimum wage?” – we strive to find answers to the most frequent questions you ask every day. Come to us Just Curious Section to see what else we can answer.