Why don t all states have the same amount of electoral votes?

Electoral votes are allocated among the States based on the Census. Every State is allocated a number of votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation—two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its Congressional districts.

Are electoral votes directly proportional to population?

There are a total of 538 electoral votes, and the number of votes each state receives is proportional to its size — the bigger the state’s population the more “votes” it gets.

What happens if no one gets a majority of the electoral votes?

If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the President from the three candidates who received the most electoral votes. The Senate elects the Vice President from the two vice presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. Each senator casts one vote.

How does the electoral system work?

The number of electors each state gets is equal to its total number of Senators and Representatives in Congress. A total of 538 electors form the Electoral College. Each elector casts one vote following the general election. The candidate who gets 270 votes or more wins.

Should the Electoral College be more proportional?

But, since the Electoral College requires an absolute majority winner, it stands to reason that a more proportional allocation of votes, in the context of no one with 50\%+1 of support, would result in no one with an EV majority (i.e., 270 or more).

What is the Electoral College and how are electors allocated?

Electors are allocated via the “unit rule” (save in Maine and Nebraska) which means that the list of electors which receives the plurality (i.e., a simple majority) of the vote wins and all the electors on that list cast votes in the December elections for president in the various state capitals.

How many electoral votes does each state have?

Instead, there is the Electoral College, comprising of 538 total electoral votes divided among the 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Each state is allotted a certain number of electoral votes. For each state, the candidate who receives the most votes, is then awarded that state’s electoral votes.

What is the problem with the Electoral College?

One thing that continues to be a problem with this system: as long as electoral votes are allocated in a way to enhance the representation of small population states, there is no way to guarantee that the president is actually chosen by the plurality, let alone majority, preference of the citizenry.