Rhode Island Electoral College Guide
Rhode Island casts 4 electoral votes in presidential elections. Rhode Island's 4 EV are safely Democratic. Not competitive.
Role in the Electoral College
Rhode Island's 4 EV are safely Democratic. Not competitive.
Electoral Vote History
Last Republican presidential win was 1984 (Reagan). Safely D since 1988.
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). Rhode Island has 2 House seats + 2 senators = 4 electoral votes.
A candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency. Rhode Island’s 4 electoral votes represent 0.7% 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. Rhode Island uses the winner-take-all system.