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Electoral College vs. Popular Vote: What Decides Who is President

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With Election Day finally here, it's time to look at the rules of the Electoral College and how it decides who becomes the next president.

The Electoral College, first established by the Founding Fathers in 1787, was created as a compromise between electing a president by popular vote or by Congress. It is intended to prevent a state with a large population from having control over the entire election.

Tennessee has 11 Electoral College votes and has had that number since the 1984 election. Three and four are the most common Electoral College vote totals, with seven states having three and seven states having four.

What is the Electoral College?

The President of the United States is elected in the Electoral College. In the USA, 538 votes are to be awarded between all 50 states and the District of Columbia. To win the election, a candidate must receive 270 electoral votes, which is a majority of the college.

According to the National Archives, each presidential candidate selects a list of voters for each state before a general election. If the candidate is declared the winner in the state, his or her district of candidates can cast their vote in the Electoral College.

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How are electoral votes determined?

The votes are determined by the population. The census determines how many people there are in a state and determines how many members of Congress a state has – which is the same number of electoral votes a state receives.

A state with a larger population receives more votes than a state with a smaller population. This means that California has the most votes in the Electoral College with 54. Although Washington DC has no congressmen, it does have three electoral votes.

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How has Tennessee voted in the past?

In the last 100 years, Tennessee has voted blue 10 times and red 15 times. The last time Tennessee voted for a Democratic leader was in 1992 and 1996 for former President Bill Clinton.

What is the point of the referendum?

The popular vote can be used to determine how many votes each candidate receives. It's not about determining who the majority of the country wants, but about who every state wants as president.

After each state counts the popular vote and determines a winner, members of the Electoral College decide each state's vote for that candidate. The candidate who receives more than 270 electoral votes becomes the next president.

Most states have a winner-take-all policy, but in Nebraska and Maine, votes are awarded based on which candidate wins each state's congressional district. In 2020, Joe Biden received one of the five votes in Nebraska, while Trump received one of the four votes in Maine.

America decides: View Tennessee general election results

Can there be a tie in the Electoral College?

It is possible for two candidates to receive 269 votes each, but highly unlikely. When this happens, a complicated process follows.

First, the newly elected members of the House of Representatives would gather to vote for the new president. Here each state's delegation would receive one vote. For example, according to USA.gov, the 52 members of the California House of Representatives would have one vote, as would the single member from Wyoming.

Then the Senate would meet to vote for the new vice president, theoretically making a Harris-Vance or a Trump-Walz administration possible.

In the Senate, each senator would have his or her own vote, with a simple majority required to elect a winner.

2024 Electoral College map: How many votes does each state have?

When was the last time a state increased the number of Electoral College votes?

There have been no changes in the Electoral College since the 2012 election, in which 18 states gained or lost votes.

  • Arizona went from 10 votes in 2008 to 11 votes in 2012.
  • Florida went from 27 votes in 2008 to 29 votes in 2012.
  • Georgia went from 15 votes in 2008 to 16 votes in 2012.
  • Illinois went from 21 votes in 2008 to 20 votes in 2012.
  • Iowa went from 7 votes in 2008 to 6 votes in 2012.
  • Louisiana went from 9 votes in 2008 to 8 votes in 2012.
  • Massachusetts went from 12 votes in 2008 to 11 votes in 2012.
  • Michigan went from 17 votes in 2008 to 16 votes in 2012.
  • Missouri went from 11 votes in 2008 to 10 votes in 2012.
  • Nevada went from 5 votes in 2008 to 6 votes in 2012.
  • New Jersey went from 15 votes in 2008 to 14 votes in 2012.
  • New York went from 31 votes in 2008 to 29 votes in 2012.
  • Ohio went from 20 votes in 2008 to 18 votes in 2012.
  • Pennsylvania went from 21 votes in 2008 to 20 votes in 2012.
  • South Carolina went from 8 votes in 2008 to 9 votes in 2012.
  • Texas went from 34 votes in 2008 to 38 votes in 2012.
  • Utah went from 5 votes in 2008 to 6 votes in 2012.
  • Virginia went from 11 votes in 2008 to 12 votes in 2012.

Diana Leyva covers breaking news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana

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