South Carolina Electoral College Guide
South Carolina casts 9 electoral votes in presidential elections. South Carolina's 9 EV are reliably Republican. The state is not competitive at the presidential level.
Role in the Electoral College
South Carolina's 9 EV are reliably Republican. The state is not competitive at the presidential level.
Electoral Vote History
Last Democratic presidential win was Carter in 1976. Trump wins by 10-13 points.
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). South Carolina has 7 House seats + 2 senators = 9 electoral votes.
A candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency. South Carolina’s 9 electoral votes represent 1.7% 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. South Carolina uses the winner-take-all system.