![]() However, in 1961, a constitutional amendment was ratified, giving the District of Columbia three electoral votes, the number of votes it would receive if it was considered a state, beginning in the 1964 presidential election. The District of Columbia, where the federal government is based, is not considered a state, and has no voting representation in Congress. A state’s number of electors is determined by adding the number of US representatives plus two, the number of senators each state has. States with larger populations have a greater representation in the US House, therefore they also have a higher number of electors. There are 538 electors among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. ![]() The electors then meet as an Electoral College on a specified date by federal law – “the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December next following their appointment” (on December 14 this year) – to tally their votes for president and vice president. In Maine and Nebraska, their electors are allocated based on the winner of each congressional district and the overall winner of the state. ![]() In 48 states and the District of Columbia, whichever ticket wins the most votes receives all of that state’s electors. ![]() In practice, what this means is that voters in each US state are voting for a slate of “electors”, who, after the votes are counted and certified, are pledged to vote for a presidential and vice presidential candidate. The constitution says that the president and the vice president are elected as such: “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.” Unlike members of the US House and Senate, who are directly elected by voters, presidents, as spelled out in Article II of the US Constitution are not. When Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election despite losing the popular vote by almost three million votes, many around the world wondered: “How is that even possible?” ![]()
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