Why are there 538 electors

Each state gets two right off the bat, one for each Senator. Where things get varied is with the allotment of one elector for each member in the House of Representatives, as well, and that's a number that's different for each state. The number of members in the House of Representatives is based on each represented state's population.

At the top end of the range, for example, there's California, which, as the most populous state, takes its two electors for each Senator, and then is awarded 53 more for its Congressmen and women, for a total of The criteria for selection varies by state. Voters cast their ballots. All but two states use a winner-take-all approach: The candidate that wins the most votes in that state gets all of its electoral votes. This means campaigns tend to focus on battleground states, rather than Democratic or Republican strongholds.

Maine and Nebraska use a more complex district-based allocation system that could result in their combined nine electoral votes being split. The electors meet in December to officially cast their votes. The candidate that wins electoral votes or more becomes president. Generally, the meeting of electors is a ceremonial event where they simply rubber-stamp votes for the candidate who won their respective states. Three of these seven electors voted for Colin Powell, a former U.

In most states, the nominees for the position of presidential elector are nominated by district and state conventions of each separate political party in the state. There are a variety of other methods used. For example, in Pennsylvania, the presidential candidate himself or herself directly nominates their presidential electors.

Members of the Electoral College are elected by each state and the District of Columbia on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in presidential election years.

In , Election Day is Tuesday November 3, This date is set by a federal law passed by Congress, and may only by changed by Congress. In Maine and Nebraska, one presidential elector is elected from each of the state's congressional districts, and two presidential electors are elected on the basis of the statewide vote. For example, in , Nebraska's electoral votes divided , with McCain receiving four and Obama receiving one as a result of his winning Nebraska's 2nd congressional district.

In , Maine's electoral votes divided , with Clinton receiving three and Trump receiving one as a result of his winning Maine's 2nd congressional district in the northern part of the state. This will in turn affect the Electoral College.

The reason the number of electors will increase from to rather than is because, under the 23rd Amendment, D. This has the convenient feature of placing an odd number of total electors in the Electoral College, which means that an Electoral College tie will be impossible in a two-candidate race. Voting Rights Act, you might have sometimes heard it said that the Congress was trading a presumably Democratic vote in D.