The resident population is all who live in the state at the time of the Census count, including both citizen and noncitizen residents, and both adults and children. These examples demonstrate electoral representation based on each state’s share of the national population, and that’s because states receive representation in both the House of Representatives and the Electoral College according to the total resident population, not just according to how many voters live in the state. Total population helps determine how electoral votes are allocated, but eligible voters determine how the votes are cast. It’s also the same as the combined vote shares of Iowa and Maine, or of all three states of Montana, Delaware, and Idaho. For context, 10 votes is equivalent to the entire electoral share assigned to states like Maryland, Minnesota, and Missouri. This means California controls roughly 10 fewer votes in the Electoral College than it would if votes were allocated based on population alone (because 12.1% of the total 538 votes is about 65 electoral votes, but California currently controls 55). On the other end of the spectrum, California represents 12.1% of the US population and has 10.2% of all electoral votes. If Wyoming’s electoral share aligned with its share of the US population, it would have 0.18% of all 538 votes, which is about one electoral vote - but because votes are allocated based on seats in Congress, the state has the minimum of three votes in the Electoral College. This difference may seem minuscule, but it translates to approximately two additional electoral votes for Wyoming, relative to its population share. For example, Wyoming makes up about 0.18% of the US population but controls 0.56% of all electoral votes. ![]() ![]() For context, if all 538 electoral votes were distributed evenly among the US population, each vote would represent about 607,000 people.Īnother way of thinking about electoral representation is to consider the difference between a state’s share of the nation’s total population and its share of all electoral votes. According to 2018 population estimates, one electoral vote in Wyoming accounts for around 193,000 people, while a vote in Texas or California accounts for over 700,000. One way to think about electoral representation is to consider how many people each electoral vote represents, based on a state’s population. But because electoral votes are allocated according to seats in Congress, where each state holds two Senate seats regardless of population size, electoral representation varies quite a bit across states. California - the largest state by population - has 55 electoral votes, while Wyoming - the smallest - has the minimum allocation of three. Generally, states that are home to more people control more electoral votes. ![]() Electoral votes and population: Why one electoral vote accounts for 193,000 people in Wyoming and over 700,000 people in Texas or California. Most states (with the exceptions of Maine and Nebraska) use a “winner-take-all” system of choosing electors, meaning that - assuming electors vote according to their pledges - all of the state’s electoral votes are cast for the candidate that wins the majority of the state’s popular vote. So, when voters cast ballots for president and vice president on Election Day, they’re actually voting for a slate of electors who have pledged to vote for their favored candidates. It also means that there is always a total of 538 electors, or equivalently, 538 electoral votes - that’s the sum of 435 voting members of the House, 100 senators, and three electors assigned to Washington, DC. This means that each state is guaranteed a minimum of three electors, regardless of population size. In this system, known as the Electoral College, each state gets the same number of electors as it has members of Congress - one for each member in the House of Representatives and one for each of the state’s two senators. A candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes to win each race. Every four years, 538 electors hailing from all 50 states plus Washington, DC cast their votes for president and vice president of the United States.
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