Key facts
538
Electors in the Electoral College
Art. II, § 1, cl. 2; Amdt. XXIII
270
Electoral votes needed to win when all 538 are appointed
Amdt. XII
One-fifth
Share of each chamber that must sign an objection to a state’s electoral votes
3 U.S.C. § 15(d)
Where the 538 electors come from
The Electoral CollegeThe process the Constitution uses to elect the president and vice president. It has 538 electors, and a candidate needs a majority of the electors appointed to win: 270 when all 538 are appointed.Read more in the glossary is a process, not a place. Each state gets 1 elector for each of its 2 senators and 1 for each of its House members. Washington, DC, gets 3 electors under the Twenty-third AmendmentA change to a constitution, law or bill. In a legislature, an amendment is also a proposed change that members vote on before passing a bill.Read more in the glossary. That makes 538 in all. Members of Congress and other federal officeholders cannot serve as electors.
How does the Electoral College elect the president
5 steps
Voters in each state and DC
On Election Day in November, a vote for a presidential ticket is a vote for its slate of electors. Electors are appointed under state laws made before Election Day.
3 U.S.C. § 1
PresidentEach state’s governor or other named executive
The executive issues a certificate of ascertainment naming the electors. It is due at least 6 days before the electors meet.
3 U.S.C. § 5
Electors in each state and DC
Electors meet on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December. They vote on separate ballots for president and vice president.
3 U.S.C. § 7; Amdt. XII
CongressThe House and Senate in joint session
Congress meets on January 6, with the vice president presiding in a ministerial role. An objection needs one-fifth of each chamber, and both chambers must vote to sustain it.
3 U.S.C. § 15
PresidentThe president-elect and vice president-elect
The president and vice president take office at noon on January 20.
Amdt. XX, § 1
How states award their electors
When you vote for president, you are choosing that ticket’s slate of electors. In 48 states, the ticket that wins the statewide vote gets all of that state’s electors. Maine and Nebraska divide theirs: 2 electors go to the statewide winner, and 1 goes to the winner of each congressional DistrictAn area set up for a purpose, such as the area whose voters elect one representative or the area a school district or other special district serves.Read more in the glossary. Both states use this method as of November 2026.
The count in Congress
Each state’s governor, or another official named in state law, certifies the state’s electors at least 6 days before they meet. On January 6, the House and Senate count the votes in a joint session. Under the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, the vice president’s role there is only ministerial. An objection to a state’s votes must be signed by at least one-fifth of each chamber, and it succeeds only if both chambers vote to sustain it.
If no one wins a majority
The Twelfth Amendment sets a backup plan. The House chooses the president from the top 3, with each state delegation casting 1 vote; 26 states are needed to win. The Senate chooses the vice president from the top 2, and a majority of all senators, 51, is needed. The House has decided 2 presidential elections: 1800, under the original rules, and 1824. The Senate has chosen a vice president once, in 1837.
Popular vote and electoral vote
Because electors are won state by state, the national popular vote does not decide the outcome. A candidate can win the most votes nationwide and still lose. The House History office lists 5 elections in which that happened: 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016.
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress
Questions people ask
How many electoral votes does it take to win?
Do electors have to vote for the candidate who won their state?
What happens if the vote is tied 269 to 269?
Does the national popular vote elect the president?
Sources
Checked November 4, 2026. Primary sources first, then official records, then nonpartisan research.
How these facts were checked: our promise. Every substantive fix is listed on the corrections page.
Keep going
Elections
When are US elections held?
The US House is elected every 2 years, the president every 4 and senators for 6-year terms. See how federal, state and local election dates fit together.
Elections
What are primaries and caucuses?
Primaries and caucuses narrow the field before the general election. Learn how open, closed and top-two primaries differ, and how party caucuses work.
Power
How do checks and balances work?
Congress, the president and the courts can each limit the others through vetoes, overrides, funding, Senate consent, impeachment and judicial review.