How the Electoral College Works
Presidents are not elected by national popular vote. They are elected by 538 electors, allocated to states by population, with 270 needed to win. This page shows you how that system works in practice: which states hold the most electoral votes, how winner-take-all rules shape campaign strategy, and how past elections were decided on the map below.
Unfamiliar terms? Every one of them is defined in plain language in our Civic Glossary. For the history behind the system, scroll The Long Ballot.
About this data.
Electoral College results for U.S. presidential elections, 1789–2024.
Years 1912–2024 use the modern two-party model. Years 1789–1908 use historical party names.
Select a year, click a state, or use the quick buttons below.
Democratic
Republican
Other
Split / historical
Selected state
State details
State results
Showing all available states for the selected election year.
| State | Electoral votes | Winner |
|---|
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Data note:
HowIVoted organizes Electoral College information from public records and civic data sources. This page is a civic-learning guide, not the official canvass record.
- National Archives: Electoral College Results
- Federal Election Commission: Election Results and Voting Information
- Office of the Clerk: Federal Election Statistics
- MIT Election Data and Science Lab: Data
Popular vote vs Electoral College
5 split elections
These elections produced different winners in the national popular vote and the Electoral College.
1824Electoral College winnerPopular vote winner
Won the presidency
John Quincy Adams
Won the popular vote
Andrew Jackson
Known election where the national popular-vote winner did not become president. Source: National Archives Electoral College results and the sources listed in Data & Methodology.
1876Electoral College winnerPopular vote winner
Won the presidency
Rutherford B. Hayes
Won the popular vote
Samuel J. Tilden
Known election where the national popular-vote winner did not become president. Source: National Archives Electoral College results and the sources listed in Data & Methodology.
1888Electoral College winnerPopular vote winner
Won the presidency
Benjamin Harrison
Won the popular vote
Grover Cleveland
Known election where the national popular-vote winner did not become president. Source: National Archives Electoral College results and the sources listed in Data & Methodology.
2000Electoral College winnerPopular vote winner
Won the presidency
George W. Bush
Won the popular vote
Al Gore
Known election where the national popular-vote winner did not become president. Source: National Archives Electoral College results and the sources listed in Data & Methodology.
2016Electoral College winnerPopular vote winner
Won the presidency
Donald Trump
Won the popular vote
Hillary Clinton
Known election where the national popular-vote winner did not become president. Source: National Archives Electoral College results and the sources listed in Data & Methodology.
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