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What is the Electoral College? How does it work? Here’s what you need to know

Pabio November 5, 2024

After months of campaigning, a candidate swap and much more news, Election Day is fast approaching.

vice-president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are competing to see who will control the White House for the next four years.

One of the most essential, if not the most vital, elements of election night is a famous number: 270. These are the Electoral College votes a candidate needs to win the presidency. The system has been around since our first election, when George Washington won all 69 electoral votes.

Five presidents in history have lost the popular vote but still became president by winning the electoral college. The last one to do so was a familiar face, former President Donald Trump in 2016.

But what is the Electoral College? Why 270 votes? As the elections approach, here’s what you need to know.

What is the Electoral College and how does it work?

The college is the means by which American voters indirectly choose the next president and vice president through the electors of each state. There are 538 votes up for grabs between the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Archives.

To win, a candidate must obtain 270 electoral votes, which constitutes a majority of the electoral college.

According to the National ArchivesBefore the general election, each presidential candidate chooses a slate of electors for each state. If the candidate is declared the winner in the state, his list can then vote in the electoral college.

Most states win, but in Nebraska and Maine, votes are awarded based on which candidate wins each of the state’s congressional districts. In 2020, Joe Biden won one in five votes in Nebraska while Trump won one in four votes in Maine.

How many electoral college votes does each state have?

Each state receives votes in the Electoral College based on the number of members of Congress it has, which is determined by the census. Small states like Vermont and Wyoming get three votes because they have only one member of the House of Representatives and two senators.

The largest state, California, gets 54 electoral college votes. Although Washington DC has no members of Congress, it still receives three votes in the Electoral College.

What happens if there is a tie in the electoral college?

In the unlikely event that there is a 269-269 tie in the Electoral College, a complicated process would begin to unfold.

First, newly elected members of the House of Representatives would come together to vote for the new president. Here, each state’s delegation would get one vote. For example, the 52 members of the California House of Representatives would have one vote equivalent to that of the single member from Wyoming, according to USA.gov.

Then the Senate would meet to vote for the new vice president, so theoretically a Harris-Vance or Trump-Walz administration could be possible.

In the Senate, each senator would have their own vote, with a simple majority needed to choose a winner.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.