On Tuesday, December 17th, Electoral College members across all 50 states cast their votes, with Congress scheduled to formally count these votes on January 6th.
Donald Trump has been officially declared the winner of the November presidential election by the Electoral College, securing a victory over Vice President Kamala Harris by a margin of 312 to 226 electoral votes. Trump also won the popular vote, garnering 77.2 million votes compared to Harris’s 75 million.
Unlike direct elections in many other democracies, the U.S. system uses the Electoral College. Citizens vote for electors who have been pre-selected by presidential candidates or their parties. In most states (48 states and the District of Columbia), electors are legally bound to cast their votes based on their state’s popular vote outcome, regardless of their personal affiliations.
Maine and Nebraska employ a slightly different process, primarily allocating electoral votes based on the results of the popular vote within each congressional district.
Most states have laws in place to invalidate the votes of electors who defy the popular vote results within their state.
The Electoral College met in every state on December 17th, the first Tuesday following the second Wednesday of December.
Following the signing and certification of the results, they will be transmitted to the incumbent Vice President, serving as President of the Senate, by December 25th, 2024.
Upon the convening of the new Congress, the Electoral College votes will be tallied on January 6th, with the Vice President formally announcing the winner.
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will be inaugurated on January 20th, 2025.
The Electoral College comprises 538 electors, a number unchanged since 1964. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Each state’s number of electors equals its number of House representatives plus two senators. These numbers are periodically adjusted based on population changes.