Therefore each state is guaranteed at least three votes in the Electoral College. The District of Columbia under the 23 rd Amendment of the Constitution is granted the same number of votes as the smallest state. The only way a state may gain or lose votes in the Electoral College is if that state shows a loss in the Census that is taken every ten years. One of the primary goals of the Census is the re-allocation of the 435 congressional seats, and hence the 435 votes allocated to the states for the Electoral College. Every state has different rules regarding how the electors vote.
Some states require by law that the electors vote for the person that wins the states popular vote.
Other states make the electors take a pledge that they will vote for the winner of the popular vote. Forty-eight states have winner take all rules, while Maine and Nebraska take a different approach. Both Nebraska and Maine allow for a representative reflection of the vote. After the national vote occurs on the first Tuesday of the month of November there is a month designated for counts, recounts, and contesting of the election. The Electors then vote for the President and Vice President on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December at their state capitols.