What are the electoral college and how does it work in Election 2024?

The Electoral College is the process the United States uses to formally choose its president. Voters cast ballots for a presidential candidate, but those votes determine which group of electors—people pledged to that candidate—will represent their state in the formal vote.

There are 538 electoral votes: 435 based on seats in the House of Representatives, 100 for the Senate, and three for Washington, D.C. A candidate needs at least 270 to win.

How state results translate into electoral votes

Most states award all their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state’s popular vote. This is the winner-take-all system. Maine and Nebraska are exceptions: they can award some electoral votes by congressional district, with additional votes going to the statewide winner.

That means a candidate can win the national popular vote but lose the Electoral College, or win the presidency without winning every state. The number of electoral votes at stake in a state depends largely on its representation in Congress.

What happened in 2024?

Donald Trump won the 2024 election with 312 electoral votes; Kamala Harris received 226. The winning electors met on December 17, 2024, to cast their official votes. Congress counted and certified those votes on January 6, 2025, and Trump was inaugurated on January 20.

If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Constitution provides a backup: the House of Representatives chooses the president, with each state delegation casting one vote. That has not been necessary in a modern presidential election.