LANSING, Mich. — The race for the White House isn't determined by who gets the most votes. Instead, a candidate must win Electoral College votes by earning the most votes in a state or the District of Columbia.
In order to win the race for President of the United States, a candidate must receive at least 270 of the 538 available Electoral College votes.
The presidential candidate who will earn Michigan's 15 electoral votes will be determined by who gets the most votes statewide.
Since 1992, Michigan has awarded its electoral votes to the Democratic candidate in every election but one—the exception being when Michigan awarded its electoral votes to former President Donald J. Trump in the 2016 election. Prior to that, Michigan awarded its electoral votes to Republican candidates since 1972.
Since 1976, Michigan has awarded its electoral votes to the winning candidate in nine of the 12 presidential elections.
The number of electoral votes a state receives is based on the total number of representatives and senators in the U.S. Congress. The number of representatives and senators is determined by the state's population according to each national census.
Only nine states have more electoral votes than Michigan.
In Michigan, all of the state's 15 electoral votes will go to the winning candidate in the state.
Some states, specifically Maine and Nebraska, can split their electoral votes for candidates. These two states allocate two electoral votes to the popular vote winner, and then one electoral vote to the popular vote winner in each of the state's congressional districts.
