(CBS DETROIT) — Presidential races are decided by the Electoral College. To be elected president, a candidate must receive at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes nationwide. Michigan is considered a crucial battleground state.
The Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers and incorporated into the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Only twice has Congress elected a president because it did not have enough electoral votes. The first was Thomas Jefferson in 1800, and the second was John Quincy Adams in 1824.
Michigan has 15 electoral votes. The fifteen electors reflect the number of senators and representatives the state has in the U.S. Congress. California has the most electoral votes of any state with 54. Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming have the fewest votes, with three votes each.
How many electoral college votes has Michigan had in the last election?
For the 2020 presidential election, Michigan had 16 electoral votes. Michigan lost a seat in the U.S. Congress and a vote in the Electoral College as a result of the 2020 census. It was the fifth consecutive census that Michigan lost a seat in Congress.
How does Michigan award its electoral college votes?
Like most states, Michigan distributes its votes in a “winner takes all” manner. All fifteen electoral votes in Michigan automatically go to the candidate who wins the popular vote. Maine and Nebraska are the only states that award electoral votes by congressional district. Both Maine and Nebraska split their votes in 2020.
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The 15 electors whose candidate wins the popular vote in Michigan will gather at the State Capitol in Lansing in December to officially cast their votes for president and vice president.
How are Michigan’s Electoral College members chosen after the election?
The Michigan Democratic Party and the Michigan Republican Party will each nominate 15 electors at their respective state conventions in August. Presidential candidates who appear on Michigan’s ballot submit the fifteen qualified electors to the Secretary of State’s office.
