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How does the Electoral College work in the U.S.?
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elections and voting
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  • Map of the United States showing states participating in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact as of May 2026, highlighted in dark blue. A bar chart above the map indicates that these states collectively hold 222 of the 270 electoral votes needed for the compact to take effect. State abbreviations and their electoral vote counts are labeled.
    National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

    …electoral votes to the national popular vote winner, regardless of how that candidate fares among its own voters. The interstate compact will thus prevent a candidate who has lost the national popular vote from becoming president of the United States. (That outcome that has occurred four times—most recently in 2016…

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    …electoral votes to the national popular vote winner, regardless of how that candidate fares among its own voters. The interstate compact will thus prevent a candidate who has lost the national popular vote from becoming president of the United States. (That outcome that has occurred four times—most recently in 2016…

    Read More