Where does the electoral number 538 come from?

Answer 1

The number 538 in the context of the Electoral College comes from the total number of electors in the United States, which is equal to the sum of the 435 representatives in the House, 100 senators, and 3 electors from the District of Columbia. The number of representatives is fixed by law at 435, while the number of senators is fixed at 100 (2 per state). Adding the 3 electors from D.C. brings the total to 538.

Answer 2

Electoral votes are broken down by state. Each state gets one electoral vote for each member of it's Congressional delegation. For instance, Tennessee has 9 Congressmen and 2 Senators; therefore, Tennessee has 11 Electoral votes. South Dakota has 1 Congressman and two Senators; therefore, South Dakota has 3 electoral votes. Only U.S. States and the District of Columbia get electoral votes. Territories (like Puerto Rico) are not awarded electors, although they do participate in the primary process. The total number 538 comes from the fact that there are 435 Representatives for all the states and 100 Senators. The District of Columbia has no Representatives or Senators but it has been give 3 electoral votes anyway. That is why the number of electoral votes is 538, whereas the total number of Congressmembers is only 535.