Here's How Many Electors There Are In Illinois

In just 11 days, the 2016 election will finally be upon us, with tens of millions of Americans headed to the polls to make their pick for the presidency. As it stands now, Hillary Clinton is the odds-on favorite, although her campaign is clearly terrified about her coalition getting complacent, while Donald Trump is trying to suppress her likely voter turnout. And remember: it's all a race to 270 electoral votes. So, if you hail from the Prairie State, you might be wondering: How many electors does Illinois have?

The great state of Illinois carries a trove of 20 electoral votes, the single biggest haul in all of the Midwest. Winning the state of Ohio, by comparison, awards a candidate 18 electors, but it nonetheless generates a lot more press coverage and attention from the candidates thanks to its status as a battleground state. Suffice to say, the outcome in Ohio tends to be uncertain, while Illinois is a longtime Democratic stronghold. According to the polls, Trump currently boasts a one-point lead in Ohio, while Clinton is leading in Illinois by a staggering 15 points.

In other words, you can pretty much take it to the bank: when the polls close in Illinois on the night of Tuesday, Nov. 8, the state will be called for Clinton almost immediately, and another 20 electoral votes will be tacked onto her total.

Overall, the electoral college map looks favorable to Clinton at the moment, as she only needs to pick off one big battleground state to put the race away pretty safely. Whether it's a win in Ohio, Florida, or Pennsylvania that does it, she has far, far more paths to that precious 270 electoral vote majority than Trump does. To the contrary, Trump basically has to run the table, winning all the traditionally Republican-leaning battleground states, as well as eking out a win in Utah, where independent conservative candidate Evan McMullin could pull off a historic upset victory.

But ultimately, it's impossible to know exactly how things will play out until the big night finally rolls around. As of this writing, according to the polling mavens over at FiveThirtyEight, Clinton has about an 82 percent chance of coming away the victor, as well as a 99 percent chance to win Illinois. In other words, you can go ahead and mark down those 20 electors for the Clinton camp right now.