New York has 28 electoral votes in presidential elections, making it the fourth-largest state in the Electoral College behind California, Texas, and Florida. That figure comes from the standard constitutional formula: a state’s electoral vote total equals its U.S. House delegation plus its two U.S. senators. New York currently holds 26 House seats, so 26 plus 2 equals 28.1National Archives. Distribution of Electoral Votes
A presidential candidate needs 270 of the 538 electoral votes nationwide to win. New York’s 28 are a meaningful share of that total, but the number is lower than it used to be, and demographic trends suggest it will keep dropping.
Why the Number Is 28 and Not 29
New York lost one congressional seat after the 2020 Census, which dropped the state from 29 electoral votes to 28 starting with the 2024 election. That followed a loss of two seats after the 2010 Census. New York was one of seven states that lost a House seat in the 2020 reapportionment cycle.2U.S. Census Bureau. 2020 Census Apportionment Results3USAFacts. Reapportionment and Redistricting After the 2020 Census
Because the total number of House seats is fixed at 435, reapportionment is zero-sum. States gaining population pick up seats and electoral votes; states losing population give them up. New York has been on the losing side of that math for close to a century.4270toWin. How Are Electoral Votes Allocated
A Long Decline from 47 Electoral Votes
New York peaked at 47 electoral votes from 1932 through 1948, when it was by far the most elector-rich state in the country. Every Census cycle since has reduced that total as population growth shifted toward the Sun Belt and West.5270toWin. State Electoral Vote History
- 1932–1948: 47 electoral votes
- 1952–1960: 45
- 1964–1968: 43
- 1972–1980: 41
- 1984–1988: 36
- 1992–2000: 33
- 2004–2008: 31
- 2012–2020: 29
- 2024–present: 28
What the 2030 Census Could Do
Projections point to further losses. Between 2020 and 2024, New York’s population fell by roughly 238,000 residents, a 1.2% drop. Nearly 900,000 more people left the state than moved in during that period, with Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut as the top destinations.6Empire Center for Public Policy. New York’s Population Is Struggling to Recover
The Brennan Center for Justice has estimated that New York could drop from 26 to 24 House seats after the 2030 reapportionment if longer-term trends hold, which would cut the state to 26 electoral votes. The Brennan Center also notes that New York would have experienced net population loss between 2024 and 2025 if not for immigration.7Brennan Center for Justice. How States’ Seats in the U.S. House Could Change After the Next Census The American Redistricting Project and a Carnegie Mellon University analysis both estimate at least one seat loss for New York, with the Carnegie Mellon projection suggesting California, New York, and Illinois could collectively lose eight seats.8Politico. 2030 Electoral College Projections These projections carry significant uncertainty, particularly around future immigration levels and the accuracy of the 2030 count itself.9Brennan Center for Justice. Big Changes Ahead for Voting Maps After the Next Census
How New York Awards Its 28 Electoral Votes
New York uses a winner-take-all system. Whichever presidential ticket wins the statewide popular vote gets all 28 electoral votes. Under New York Election Law § 12-100, a vote cast for a party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates is treated as a vote for that party’s full slate of electors.10FindLaw. N.Y. Election Law § 12-100
Those electors are bound by state law. Under § 12-106, each elector must vote for the candidates nominated by the party that placed them on the slate. An elector who refuses or fails to do so is automatically deemed to have resigned, their vote is not recorded, and the remaining electors immediately fill the vacancy.11New York State Senate. N.Y. Election Law § 12-106 Governor Kathy Hochul signed that binding requirement into law in 2023 through Senate Bill S438; before then, New York had no formal penalty for faithless electors.12New York State Senate. Senate Bill S438 The approach tracks the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in Chiafalo v. Washington, which held that states may enforce elector pledges, including by removing and replacing faithless electors.13U.S. Supreme Court. Chiafalo v. Washington, 591 U.S. ___ (2020)
Who Usually Wins Them
New York has gone to the Democratic nominee in every presidential election since 1988, a streak of ten consecutive cycles. The last Republican to carry the state was Ronald Reagan in 1984.14270toWin. New York Presidential Election Voting History
In 2024, Kamala Harris carried New York with 56.4% of the vote to Donald Trump’s 43.6%, a margin of about 12.8 percentage points. All 28 electoral votes went to Harris.15Politico. 2024 Election Results: New York That was the narrowest margin for a Democratic presidential candidate in the state since 1988.14270toWin. New York Presidential Election Voting History
Could New York Award Its Votes Differently?
Possibly, but not yet. New York joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in 2014. Under the compact, participating states would award their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote instead of the state popular vote. The arrangement only takes effect once participating states collectively hold at least 270 electoral votes.16NCSL. National Popular Vote
As of early 2026, 18 states and the District of Columbia have enacted the compact, representing 222 electoral votes, 48 short of the trigger. The most recent state to join was Maine in 2024, and in February 2026 the Virginia legislature sent the compact bill to Governor Spanberger, which would add Virginia’s 13 electoral votes if signed.16NCSL. National Popular Vote17National Popular Vote. State Status Until the 270-vote threshold is reached, New York continues to award its 28 electoral votes to the winner of the statewide vote.