Most states appoint their electors on a winner-take-all basis, based on the statewide popular vote on Election Day. Maine and Nebraska are the only two current exceptions. Maine and Nebraska distribute their electoral votes proportionally, with two at-large electors representing the statewide winning presidential and vice-presidential candidates and one elector each representing the winners from each of their Congressional districts.
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When an elector casts his vote for a candidate, that candidate receives his electoral vote. Please see the related question for more information.
A candidate receives electoral votes in any given state by being voted for by the voters
The electors meet in the state capital and vote. The secretary of state certifies their ballots and sends them to the president of the US senate.
By majority, if the candidate has most of Iowa's electoral votes lets say 21-20 then that candidate that had 21 got all the 41 electoral votes for that state.
The amount of electoral votes a candidate will get in Virginia is decided by a primary ballot. Virginia is not a caucus state.
It is impossible for candidates NOT to receive electoral votes. The president is solely elected upon electoral votes. At the current point in time a candidate MUST receive at least 270 electoral votes to win. If a candidate does not receive 270 votes, the U.S, House of Representatives elects the President from among the 3 candidates receiving the most electoral votes. 12th Amendment to the constitution
The candidate who wins the greatest number of popular votes in any state usually receives all of that state's electoral votes. To win the presidency, a candidate must pay special attention to those states with large populations. The larger the state's population, the more electoral votes it has.
How a state allocates its electoral votes is up to that state. Most states allocate all electoral votes to the candidate with more votes than any other candidate in that state; this is called a plurality. Note, however, that some states require the electors to cast their ballots in the Electoral College for the winner of the popular vote, but others have no such requirement.