In the 2024 presidential race, the Electoral College, not the popular vote, will determine the winner. With 538 total electoral votes, a candidate needs at least 270 to win the presidency. Below is an overview of how many electoral votes each state has for the 2024 election, based on the 2020 U.S. Census.
States with the Most Electoral Votes
- California: 54 electoral votes
- Texas: 40 electoral votes
- Florida: 30 electoral votes
- New York: 28 electoral votes
- Pennsylvania: 19 electoral votes
States with the Least Electoral Votes
- Six states have just 3 electoral votes: Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.
- Washington D.C. also gets 3 electoral votes.
States That Gained Electoral Votes
- Texas gained 2, bringing its total to 40.
- Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon each gained 1
Related Topic: 2024 us election results
States That Lost Electoral Votes
- California, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia lost 1 electoral vote each.
How the Electoral Votes Are Allocated
Each state’s number of electoral votes is based on its total representation in Congress: one for each senator (two per state) and one for each representative (varies by population). Even the District of Columbia gets three electoral votes.
Most states use a winner-take-all system, meaning the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state receives all of its electoral votes. The exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which allocate their votes based on the winner in each congressional district, with two additional votes going to the winner of the statewide popular vote.
To win the presidency, a candidate needs to secure at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes.
For more information on the specific electoral votes per state or how they have changed, refer to the detailed Electoral College map.