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270 electoral votes in the Electoral College are needed to win the U.S. presidency. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538.

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6y ago

Electoral votes in the Electoral College determine the President of the United States. 270 electoral votes in the Electoral College are needed to win the U.S. presidency. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538.

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15y ago

270 (1 elector for every member of Congress (535) + 3 for Washington, DC (3) = 538 538/2

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12y ago

A candidate has to win 270 or more electoral votes.

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14y ago

Out of a total of 538 electoral votes, 270 (the majority) are needed to win.

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270 in the U. S.

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Q: How many electoral votes must a candidate for President get in order to win the election?
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Continue Learning about American Government

When would the House of Representatives choose a President from the top three votegetters in the Electoral College?

In the event that no candidate gets a majority of the electoral votes, the House elects a president from among the top three candidates in a election in which every state gets one vote. States with more than one representative to the House would have to caucus among themselves in order to decide how to cast their one vote. A majority of the states must agree in order to elect a candidate.


What has to occur before a presidential candidate from either of the two major parties can campaign in the national election?

In order to run for president in November, a candidate must first be nominated by his party.


What percentage of votes must a candidate have to win all the electoral votes of a state?

How a state allocates its electoral votes is up to that state. Most states allocate all electoral votes to the candidate with more votes than any other candidate in that state; this is called a plurality. Note, however, that some states require the electors to cast their ballots in the Electoral College for the winner of the popular vote, but others have no such requirement.


The 1824 presidential election was decided?

Four candidates ran for president in the election of 1824:Andrew Jackson,John Quincy Adams,Henry Clay,and William Crawford.In this election Jackson won the popular vote.The winner was decided by the House of Representatives.In order to win the election the candidates had to receive a majority of the votes.The House of Representatives chose Adams on the first ballot.John Quincy Adams chose Henry Clay as his secretary of state.Jackson thought that Adams had stolen the election with Henry Clay.Jackson this deal a corrupt bargain.On March 4,1825 John Quincy Adams became the 6th president of the United States.In 1828 John Quincy Adams ran for a second term but he lost the election to Andrew Jackson.Adams retired to his home in Massachusetts.


How does the electoral college function?

Electoral votes in the U.S. Electoral College determine the President and Vice President of the United States. Every state and the District of Columbia are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538. The electors in each state are elected in the presidential election and swear in advance to vote for the presidential candidate who wins the election in their state. Electors meet in their respective state capitals (electors for the District of Columbia meet within the District) on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, at which time they cast their electoral votes on separate ballots for president and vice-president. Each state then forwards the election results to the President of the U.S. Senate, the Archivist of the United States, the state's Secretary of State, and the chief judge of the United States district court where those electors met. A joint session of Congress takes place on January 6 in the calendar year immediately following the meetings of the presidential electors. The electoral votes are officially tabulated at the joint session of Congress and the winner of the election is officially declared.

Related questions

Maximum number of electoral votes a candidate can win without winning the election?

The candidate must get at least 270 electoral votes in order to win the presidency. In 2012, Barack Obama received 332 electoral votes.


How many electoral votes does the US have today in 2012?

There are 538 electoral votes. The presedential candidate needs to win 270 in order to be elected president.


When would the House of Representatives choose a President from the top three votegetters in the Electoral College?

In the event that no candidate gets a majority of the electoral votes, the House elects a president from among the top three candidates in a election in which every state gets one vote. States with more than one representative to the House would have to caucus among themselves in order to decide how to cast their one vote. A majority of the states must agree in order to elect a candidate.


How many votes from the house of representatives must a president receive in order to become president?

The candidate must receive 270 electoral votes to become president of the United States of America.


What do the numbers represent in the electoral college?

The numbers are the amount of votes a state has in the electoral college. A candidate must receive more than half of electoral votes in order to become president. In 2012, this means they must receive 270 electoral votes in order to become president.


What has to occur before a presidential candidate from either of the two major parties can campaign in the national election?

In order to run for president in November, a candidate must first be nominated by his party.


What represents one of Congress's electoral powers?

Congress has electoral powers only if no candidate receives a majority of the electoral vote. In that case, the House elects the president by a special vote in which each state gets one vote. States that can not agree on a candidate would have to pass their vote, but a majority of the states must concur in order to end the voting and elect a new president. The senate elects the vice-president and a majority is required to elect.


How many votes must a presidential candidate receive in order to win the election?

Electoral votes in the Electoral College determine the President of the United States. Every state and DC are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. The states choose as many electors as it has electoral votes and these electors elect the president. The electors are elected by popular vote in each state and each candidate for elector swears in advance whom he will vote for. 270 electoral votes in the Electoral College are needed to win the U.S. presidency. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes in the Electoral College is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538.


Who is elected president if no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes?

After each political party selects its candidate for president (usually in the summer preceding the presidential election), a general election is held on the first Tuesday of November every four years to select the President of the United States. The next presidential election will be November 4, 2008. In order to understand how a president is elected you need to know about the Electoral College. The electoral college is the group of electors from every state and the District of Columbia that convenes to actually select the president. Each state has as many electors as it does representatives in Congress, so there 100 Senators plus 435 Congressmen plus 3 from the District of Columbia. All totalling 538 electors. These electors meet in their respective state capitols in December to cast their ballots for president. In order for a candidate to be elected president, the candidate must get a majority of these electoral votes, or at least 270. (So actually a presidential candidate can actually win the majority of votes in the entire U.S. but not be elected president, such was the case in 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000) Each state & D.C. has a set of electors for each presidential candidate. The state will submit the electors for the candidate who receives the majority of votes in that state. The votes of the electors, certified by the states, are sent to Congress, where the president of the Senate opens the certificates and has them counted in the presence of both houses of Congress on January 6. The new president is inaugurated at noon on January 20. So as you can see, voters actually cast their votes for the presidential electors, not for the President directly. SOURCE: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0101087.htmlAnswer1) Candidate announces plan to run for office.2) Candidate campaigns to win delegate support.3) Caucuses and primary elections take place in the states.4) Nominee for president is announced at national party conventions.5) Citizens cast their votes.6) The electoral college casts its votes.7) The president is inaugurated.


Who gets to choose the president?

A candidate must go through a system of electors called the Electoral College in order to become President. He must win the majority vote. If no candidate wins the majority vote, the House of Representatives chooses from among the top three candidates.


In order to win a presidential election a candidate needs how many votes?

Electoral votes in the Electoral College determine the President of the United States. Every state and DC are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. The states choose as many electors as it has electoral votes and these electors elect the president. The electors are elected by popular vote in each state and each candidate for elector swears in advance whom he will vote for. 270 electoral votes in the Electoral College are needed to win the U.S. presidency. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes in the Electoral College is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538.


How many electoral votes does a presedential candidate have to receive in order to win?

270