Current Electoral College votes per candidate (270 to win):
The winner of the election is determined through a system called the electoral college. Each of the 50 states, plus Washington DC, is given a number of electoral college votes, adding up to a total of 538 votes. More populous states get more electoral college votes than smaller ones.
A candidate needs to win 270 electoral college votes (50% plus one) to win the election. In every state except two – Maine and Nebraska, the candidate that gets the most votes wins all of the state’s electoral college votes. Due to these rules, a candidate can win the election without getting the most votes at the national level. This happened at the last election, in which Donald Trump won a majority of electoral college votes although more people voted for Hillary Clinton across the US.
Joe Biden: 290
Donald Trump: 214
Biden makes first address as President Elect: “I pledge to be a President who seeks not to divide, but to unify. Who doesn’t see Red and Blue states, but a United States.”
Congratulations pour in for Joe Biden, President-elect. Including cautious commendation from Barack Obama, who said “Enjoy this moment. Then stay engaged”. Trump’s fellow Republicans split between supporting his refusal to concede or congratulating Democrats’ win.