Winner Take All in a Presidency?

Question

What does the phrase “winner take all” mean in presidential elections? I'm so curious!

Answer 1

it mean that all of a states electoral votes go to the person who won the popular vote.

nebraska and maine are the only states that dont do this, the spilt up their votes depending on the votes.

Answer 2

It usually refers to the Electoral College system, in which the candidate who gets the most votes in any state wins ALL the electoral votes for that state - even if that candidate had only one more popular vote than the person who came in second (in that state).  Almost every state does it that way, although the Constitution doesn't require it.  I believe there are two states that apportion their electoral votes either by percentage of popular votes cast, or by congressional district.

Answer 3

The people above me answered correctly, but with the Nebraska and Maine, they each give 2 electoral votes to the winner of that state, and then each congressional district's winner gets an electoral vote.