How many Electoral College votes are there?

To win the election, a candidate must secure 270 votes out of a total of 538

The US presidential election is not decided by which candidate wins the most votes nationally, but by who wins the most so-called Electoral College votes.
Winning a state means a candidate collects all that state’s Electoral College votes.
Each state has a number of electoral votes roughly reflecting the size of its population. California has the most with 54 votes, while some states have just three.
To win the election, a candidate must secure 270 Electoral College votes out of a total of 538.
Use our searchable tool to see how many votes each state receives.
The Electoral College refers to the group of people, known as electors, who are responsible for casting state votes.
Members of the Electoral College are chosen by the nominee for president.
In reality, they are chosen by the party campaign in co-operation with local activists.
To reduce the risk of electors going “rogue”, members of the College are reliable party members with a track record of falling into line.
They meet in state capitols on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December to cast their ballots.
The certified results are then sent to Washington where, on Jan 6, the votes are tallied in a joint session of Congress, presided over by the sitting vice-president.
In some states, electors are theoretically able to vote for whichever candidate they prefer.
However, most electors vote for the candidate that voters backed.
Electors that vote against their state’s pick are called “faithless”. “Faithless” electors can be prosecuted in some states.
There have been five times in US history when a president has won the election while losing the popular vote.
In 2016, Donald Trump received fewer votes nationally than Hillary Clinton but became president as a result of his winning a majority in the Electoral College.
George Bush won the presidency in 2000 despite losing the popular vote by more than half a million.
The previous three presidents to be elected without winning the national vote were all in the 19th century.