It takes 270 electoral votes to win the 2024 presidential election. That number represents a majority of the 538 electors who make up the Electoral College, the system the US Constitution outlines for America indirectly electing its presidents.
Read: CNN’s inaugural Road to 270 shows Trump in a position to win the White House
Split votes
Both Maine and Nebraska allow electoral votes to be split. In Maine, two of four electoral votes go to the statewide winner and one electoral vote goes to the winner in each of the two congressional districts. In Nebraska, two of five electoral votes go to the winner of the statewide vote. One electoral vote goes to the winner in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts.
What is the Electoral College and why is 270 important?
There’s an elector for every member of the House of Representatives (435) and Senate (100), plus an additional three for people who live in the District of Columbia. That means each state gets at least 3 electors – although more populous states have many more. Most states give all their electoral votes to the person who wins the popular vote in that state, except for Maine and Nebraska, which split some of their electoral votes. Whoever wins enough states with enough electoral votes to cross the 270 threshold becomes the next president.
