How electoral votes in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut impact the Electoral College and the 2024 election

There's a lot at stake in the Electoral College in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut for the 2024 election.

When Americans vote in the presidential election, they are, of course, casting their ballot for the candidate of their choice. Those votes, in turn, govern how electors in each state vote in the Electoral College.

To become president, a candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes in the country. There are 538 in total, so 270 is the magic number to be elected president.

How many electors does each state have?

The number of electors for each state is determined by the number of representatives in the U.S. House and Senate. 

Therefore, in New York, there are 28 electoral votes. There are 14 electoral votes in New Jersey and there are seven in Connecticut. 

Altogether, that's 49 out of 270 needed to get elected at stake in the Tri-State Area alone. 

In most states – New York, New Jersey and Connecticut included – all electoral votes are cast for the candidate that wins the state's popular vote. Just two states, Maine and Nebraska, allocate electors based on the popular vote within each Congressional district.

Does the winner of the popular vote become president?

Because our presidential elections are not won by popular vote alone, sometimes the person who gets the most votes does not actually win the race. 

For example, in 2000, George W. Bush became president despite getting fewer popular votes than Al Gore. In 2016, the same thing happened: Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but Donald Trump became president. There were three other similar situations, all during in the 1800s. 

While there have been many proposals to reform or eliminate the Electoral College altogether, none have succeeded, and doing so would require an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.