Illinois Electoral College Guide
Illinois casts 19 electoral votes in presidential elections. Illinois's 19 EV are safely Democratic. Chicago's massive Democratic margins make the state non-competitive despite Republican downstate areas.
Role in the Electoral College
Illinois's 19 EV are safely Democratic. Chicago's massive Democratic margins make the state non-competitive despite Republican downstate areas.
Electoral Vote History
Last Republican presidential win was 1988. Obama carried by 25 points in 2008, beginning the state's lock status.
Electoral College Basics
The United States uses an Electoral College system to elect the president. Each state receives electoral votes equal to its total congressional representation: number of House seats + 2 (senators). Illinois has 17 House seats + 2 senators = 19 electoral votes.
A candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency. Illinois’s 19 electoral votes represent 3.5% of the total needed.
Most states use a winner-take-all system — the popular vote winner receives all electoral votes. The exception is Maine and Nebraska, which allocate electoral votes by congressional district. Illinois uses the winner-take-all system.