Question

How is the number of electors each state receives in the Electoral College decided

Answer 1

The number of electors each state receives in the Electoral College is equal to the number of the members of Congress the state is entitled to. The exception is Washington DC which gets the same number of electors as the least populous state.

Answer 2

Correct answer:  The number of electors each state gets equals the total number of members it has in Congress.

Explanation/detail:

Here's what the National Archives says concerning how Electoral College delegates are assigned: Electoral votes are allocated among the states based on the Census. Every state is allocated a number of votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation—two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its members in the U. S. House of Representatives.

So the number of electoral votes each state gets (of the 538 total electoral votes) is recalculated every ten years, based on the most recent US Census data.