Donald Trump has officially won the election after securing the crucial swing states in the South and Midwest. He also won Pennsylvania, the true battleground of the campaign, as shown by the maps and charts on this page.
In the United States, the president is elected through the Electoral College system, which assigns a specific number of electoral votes to each state. There are 538 electors in total, and a candidate must secure at least 270 votes—a simple majority in the College—to win the presidency.
Each state is allocated a number of electoral votes proportional to its population, with most states adopting a "winner-takes-all" approach, awarding all electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state's majority.
Only Maine and Nebraska use a district-based system, assigning electoral votes by district and granting two additional votes to the statewide winner.
Because each state’s weight in the Electoral College depends on its population, more populous states like California, Texas, and Florida carry a significant number of votes. For example, California has 55 votes, Texas 38, and Florida 29—numbers that can substantially impact the final result.
However, many of these states tend to vote consistently for a specific party: California is a Democratic stronghold, while Texas is traditionally Republican.
As a result, candidates often focus on a few contested states, known as "swing states" or "battleground states" -- such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona -- where outcomes are less predictable, and partisan preferences are more balanced. These battleground states are critical in securing the 270 electoral votes needed.
The Electoral College system makes U.S. presidential elections unique compared to other democracies, where the candidate with the most votes nationwide wins. In the U.S., the winner is the candidate who reaches 270 electoral votes, regardless of the overall popular vote. In the 2000 and 2016 elections, for instance, a candidate won the presidency despite having fewer national votes due to how electoral votes were distributed across states.
In the 2024 U.S. election, voters are also casting ballots to renew parts of Congress, composed of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The House, with 435 seats, is fully renewed every two years, so all seats are contested in this election. House representatives serve two-year terms, and each state’s representation is proportional to its population, with more populous states electing more representatives. This election will determine the House’s control for the next two years, impacting the president’s ability to pursue their political agenda.
In the Senate, which has 100 seats (two per state), senators serve six-year terms, with about one-third of seats up for election in each cycle. In this 2024 election, 33 Senate seats are contested, some in highly competitive states where the outcome could shift the chamber's majority. The Senate’s composition is crucial, as it holds powers like confirming presidential appointments and voting on key legislation and international treaties.
The election of these two legislative bodies is therefore fundamental in shaping the political future of the United States. The party that gains control of one or both chambers will either support or obstruct the president's agenda, influencing the balance of power in Washington.
