If we assume that you get 100 % of the votes in some states and 0 % in the rest , then you would need these states 1 . California 2 . Texas 3 . Florida 4 . New York 5 . Illinois 6 . Pennsylvania 7 . Ohio 8 . Georgia 9 . North CarolinaSo the top 9 most populous states and not only the top 3 . I consider that much more than those three states . Compare that to the current system . You can win the election with only 51 % of the votes in these states 1 . California 2 . Texas 3 . Florida 4 . New York 5 . Illinois 6 . Pennsylvania 7 . Ohio 8 . Georgia 9 . North Carolina 10 . Michigan 11 . New JerseySo under the current system you only need 2 extra states , and then only 51 % instead of 100 % of the votes in each of these states . You can win with only 29 % of the total population .