Final answer:
Each U.S. state gets a certain number of electoral votes based on its number of Senators and Representatives. States typically use a winner-take-all approach to cast their electoral votes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The number of electoral votes each U.S. state gets is determined by the number of Senators (always two) plus the number of Representatives in the House of Representatives, which is based on population. The least-populated states have a minimum of three electors, while the most-populated state, California, has 55 electors.
States have different methods for deciding how to cast their electoral votes, but most states use a winner-take-all approach where the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state receives all of that state's electoral votes.