WASHINGTON — When it comes to who wins the White House, the Electoral College will ultimately decide the winner once all the votes around the country are counted.
There have been five times in American history, and twice in the last 20 years, that the U.S. presidential election was not won by the person with the most overall votes.
In the presidential election, each state gets a certain number of electoral votes based on its number of senators and representatives. Because each state has two senators, the key factor is each state's number of representatives - which is based on population. This is one reason why the Census, taken every 10 years, is vital -- it helps determine how many seats in the House each state gets.
Which states have the most electoral votes?
California, the most populous state, has 53 representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives. So, combine that with the state's two senators, and it has 55 electoral votes.
Texas has the second-most with 38 electoral votes. After that, New York and Florida are tied with 29 votes each. Then, it goes to Illinois and Pennsylvania with 20 each.
A simple majority of electoral votes are needed to win: 270. Ultimately, what happens with the popular vote doesn't matter in deciding who becomes President of the United States.
Number of electoral votes for each state
Alabama - 9 electoral votes
Alaska - 3 electoral votes
Arizona - 11 electoral votes
Arkansas - 6 electoral votes
California - 55 electoral votes
Colorado - 9 electoral votes
Connecticut - 7 electoral votes
Delaware - 3 electoral votes
District of Columbia - 3 electoral votes
Florida - 29 electoral votes
Georgia - 16 electoral votes
Hawaii - 4 electoral votes
Idaho - 4 electoral votes
Illinois - 20 electoral votes
Indiana - 11 electoral votes
Iowa - 6 electoral votes
Kansas - 6 electoral votes
Kentucky - 8 electoral votes
Louisiana - 8 electoral votes
Maine - 4 electoral votes
Maryland - 10 electoral votes
Massachusetts - 11 electoral votes
Michigan - 16 electoral votes
Minnesota - 10 electoral votes
Mississippi - 6 electoral votes
Missouri - 10 electoral votes
Montana - 3 electoral votes
Nebraska - 5 electoral votes
Nevada - 6 electoral votes
New Hampshire - 4 electoral votes
New Jersey - 14 electoral votes
New Mexico - 5 electoral votes
New York - 29 electoral votes
North Carolina - 15 electoral votes
North Dakota - 3 electoral votes
Ohio - 18 electoral votes
Oklahoma - 7 electoral votes
Oregon - 7 electoral votes
Pennsylvania - 20 electoral votes
Rhode Island - 4 electoral votes
South Carolina - 9 electoral votes
South Dakota - 3 electoral votes
Tennessee - 11 electoral votes
Texas - 38 electoral votes
Utah - 6 electoral votes
Vermont - 3 electoral votes
Virginia - 13 electoral votes
Washington - 12 electoral votes
West Virginia - 5 electoral votes
Wisconsin - 10 electoral votes
Wyoming - 3 electoral votes
