California has the most electoral votes of any state — 54. Here's how the Golden State will affect the Electoral College in upcoming presidential election.

California is one of seven states that lost an electoral vote. The state previously had 55 in 2020. Other Democratic strongholds seeing decreases include Illinois and New York, each losing one electoral vote.

The Electoral College is how the president of the United States is elected. In the U.S., there are 538 votes up for grabs between all 50 states and the District of Columbia. To win the election, a candidate needs to secure 270 electoral votes which is the majority of the College.