Kentucky Electoral College Guide
Kentucky casts 8 electoral votes in presidential elections. Kentucky's 8 EV have been Republican since 2000. Formerly a border state competitive in presidential elections.
Role in the Electoral College
Kentucky's 8 EV have been Republican since 2000. Formerly a border state competitive in presidential elections.
Electoral Vote History
Clinton won KY in 1992 and 1996. Rapid rightward shift saw it move from competitive to R+30 in 20 years.
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). Kentucky has 6 House seats + 2 senators = 8 electoral votes.
A candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency. Kentucky’s 8 electoral votes represent 1.5% 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. Kentucky uses the winner-take-all system.