According to the constitution, what determines the exact number of electoral votes permitted to each state?

A state's electoral vote count is a direct reflection of its total representation in the U.S. Congress. The formula is simple: every state gets two electoral votes for its two senators, plus a number of votes equal to its delegation in the House of Representatives. This means a state's influence in the Electoral College is primarily tied to the size of its population, but with a built-in advantage for smaller states.

This unique system is a direct legacy of the "Great Compromise" of 1787. During the Constitutional Convention, delegates from large states wanted representation based on population, while small states demanded equal representation. The solution was a bicameral legislature: the Senate, with two members per state, and the House, with representation based on population. The Electoral College was designed to mirror this compromise, balancing the influence of both large and small states in electing the president.

Because a state's number of representatives is recalculated every ten years following the U.S. Census, its electoral vote count can also change over time. This is why states can gain or lose electoral votes after each census. Since every state is guaranteed two senators and at least one representative, the minimum number of electoral votes any state can have is three. The District of Columbia is also granted three electoral votes thanks to the 23rd Amendment, bringing the nationwide total to 538.