As the most populous state in the US – with more than 39.5 million people according to the 2020 US Census – California has the most electoral votes from any state at the age of 54.
It represents a major prize for presidential candidates in their quest for 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 in the Electoral College.
For more than thirty years, California’s electoral votes have gone to the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. The last time the state awarded them to a Republican was in 1988 to George HW Bush instead of Democrat Michael Dukakis.
Here’s how the Electoral College will work for California in the 2024 presidential election.
How many electoral votes does California have?
Of the 538 electoral votes, California has 54. The formula that determines the number of Electoral College votes is the number of U.S. Senators – each state has two – along with the number of state members in the House of Representatives, which is in California is 52. .
After the 2020 census California lost a seat in Congress for the first time in its 170 years of statehooddue to slower migration to the country’s most populous state.
California’s allocation of 54 Electoral College votes is effective for the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Who will voters vote for?
California, like most other states, is a winner-take-all state, where all 54 electors will go to the winner of the statewide popular vote.
Who are the voters?
According to the California Secretary of State’s Office, each party’s candidate must submit a list of the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the 54 electors pledged to the candidate by October 1 of the election year. Each party has its own method of selecting voters.
Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution provides that “no Senator or Representative, or Person holding any Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed Elector.”
When will voters vote?
Electors from all fifty states meet in December to vote for the president.
