How many votes are needed to win the US election? Since the practice is listed in the U.S. Constitution, it would take a constitutional amendment to change the process, meaning it has to be approved by a two-thirds vote of both houses. If there is a tie, then the House decides the presidency, with each congressional delegation having one vote. ET ET First Published: Nov. 3, 2020 at 10:35 a.m. It was broadcast on cable by C-SPAN and on the Internet by Break-the-Matrix. All candidates who could theoretically win the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election were invited, and Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, and Chuck Baldwin agreed to attend. There are 538 possible electoral votes; 270 are required for a candidate to win the Electoral College vote.. Back in 2016, Donald Trump won with 304 electoral votes, despite the fact Hillary Clinton famously won the popular vote. For example, if a candidate wins 50.1% of the vote in Texas, they are awarded all of the state's 38 electoral votes. Through this research, students can develop an understanding how a vote can matter, as opposed to a decision made by the Electoral College. “Electoral College Information.” Electoral College Information | California Secretary of State. Hamilton considered how the "fears of tampering that could be introduced with direct voting" in an essay in Federalist Paper No. This election showed a defect in the original Article; two votes could be cast for candidates running on party tickets. Number of Electoral Votes Needed to Win There are 538 "electors" in the Electoral College. The 12th Amendment to the Constitution was quickly proposed and approved with speed to correct the flaw. 10.” Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy. A better way to understand the word college is by reviewing its etymology in this context as a gathering of like-minded: The selected representatives who are granted into the Electoral College number adds up to 538 total electors, all elected to cast votes on behalf of their respective states. Top News Videos for how many electoral votes to win. So. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. " In other words, not all men had the education or the temperament to vote. The Electoral College on Monday designated Joe Biden the winner of the Nov. 3 election, with California casting its 55 votes to put the former vice president over the 270 threshold. How many votes did Joe Biden win by in the US election? THE electoral college plays a huge part in choosing the next American president, so with the US election 2020 here, how many electoral college votes must a candidate win to become US President? “The Federalist Papers No. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. Read more about the allocation of electoral votes. how many electoral votes to win election: electoral votes by state: how many electoral votes to win white house: how many electoral votes total: Prev. In the US the President is elected by an electoral college and not the popular vote so the candidate that reaches 270 votes … Even same-party members have different views on abolishing the Electoral College. It had been consistently Democrat for many years prior to that. % estimated votes counted is based on an Associated Press projection of how many total votes will be cast. You can select a starting point from 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, or just skip right to a final map and allocate votes state-by-state. Which means the candidate who was the most popular in that state gets all the electoral votes for that state (with the exception of Maine and Nebraska). Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr ran together, but they tied in the popular vote. When you add all up the states and their electors, the total equals 538 electors in all—but how many of their votes do you need for the election? ", How to Teach Students About the Electoral College, How the US Electoral College System Works, What Happens If the Presidential Election Is a Tie, Presidents Elected Without Winning the Popular Vote, Learn How Many Total Electoral Votes There Are, Landslide Victory: Definition in Elections, Vice President of the United States: Duties and Details, How Presidents and Vice Presidents Are Elected, 12th Amendment: Fixing the Electoral College. The now-kinda-outdated-but-we're-in-too-deep voting practice selects the election winner not through the popular vote but by the electoral vote. Two framers of the Constitution, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, opposed the popular vote for president. Education level was the biggest f… (HuffPost’s election map relies on calls by The Associated Press, and that outlet has yet to declare a winner in Georgia). In order to win the election, a candidate will need to at least win the majority of electoral seats in the House of Representatives. No Republican senators signed on to a GOP-backed House objection of Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, defeating the effort to reject the state’s votes for President-elect Joe Biden. The Associated Press has put together this interactive map where you can plot out different paths to 270 electoral votes for Trump and Biden. Those opposed to the Electoral College argue that it gives less populated states an oversized influence in a presidential election. VERIFY: Yes, presidential candidates only need 270 electoral votes to win With key battleground states down to the wire for electoral college votes, many are wondering what happens if … What Happens if There Is a Tie in the Electoral College? The answer: It takes 270 or more electoral votes to win a presidential election. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the election… If there is a tie, then the House decides the presidency, with each congressional delegation having one vote. Coleman, J. Boxes containing state Electoral College votes are opened during a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress completed their count of electoral college votes early Thursday morning, affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Opponent: Michael R. Pence [R] Notes: For the first time since adopting their respective systems, both Maine and Nebraska split their electoral votes: Pennsylvania on Monday cast its 20 electoral votes for Democrat Joe Biden, the native son whose win in the state last month cemented ... All 538 electors have voted, formalizing Biden's 306-232 win . Students can research the two elections in their lifetimes that required the Electoral College: Bush v. Gore and Trump versus Clinton. by Selwyn Duke November 11, 2020. Election results are from the Associated Press (AP). Smaller states are guaranteed at least three electors, even though each elector represents a much smaller number of voters. How Trump Can Win WITHOUT 270 Electoral Votes. 4 567 8. * In most states, a candidate wins electoral votes by winning the most voters. 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