The US Election Day is here, with millions of Americans casting their votes to decide who will take the helm of the White House.
The heated race between the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, and the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, is one of the most contested ones in the recent US history. With both candidates running neck and neck in the popular vote, there is a possibility, although remote, that the election ends in a tie.
Electoral College System
The US uses an Electoral College system, where each state has a number of votes based on the size of its population. The total number of Electoral College votes is 538, so a candidate needs to secure 270 to win.
The Electoral College votes are distributed among the fifty states of the US in addition to the District of Columbia. Therefore, a tie between both presidential candidates is possible in theory.
Tie Possibilities
If Trump and Harris received 269 electoral votes each, the election will end in a draw, as both candidates would fail to achieve the required majority of Electoral College votes to decide the outcome.
Although it is a remote possibility, there are several scenarios that explain how an Electoral College tie could happen, according to 270towin website.
Multiple Tie Scenarios
The first scenario involves Trump winning in Pennsylvania and Georgia, while Harris leads in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and gains one electoral vote in Nebraska, which is the only state, alongside Main, that can spilt its Electoral College votes.
Another scenario is that Harris wins the states Biden won in 2020, in addition to North Carolina, with Trump winning Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada. Then, the US election could end in a 269-269 tie.
Furthermore, a tie could happen if Harris wins the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and Trump wins the other four swing states plus Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, according to Forbes.
Nebraska grants three of its five Electoral College votes based on the results in each of its three congressional districts. The Second District, known as “blue dot,” is home to Omaha and typically votes Democratic, while the rest of the state is reliably red.
What will Happen?
If the election ends in a draw, or if a third-party candidate hinders both Trump and Harris from reaching the 270-vote threshold, this will trigger a “contingent election.”
In this case, the House of Representatives will vote to select the president for the first time in 200 years, on January 6, 2025. This requires a simple majority of 26 states, according to the 12th Amendment. Each state delegation will choose a single candidate between the three who received the most Electoral College votes.
Meanwhile, the Senate will vote to elect the vice president, who will require 51 votes to win. If the House fails to choose a president before Inauguration Day on January 20, and the Senate selects a vice president, that person will serve as acting president until the House vote is settled.
Previous Electoral College Ties
There were two Electoral College ties in the US history. The first tie happened in 1800, in the presidential race between former President Thomas Jefferson and then-incumbent President John Adams. Back then, the Congress elected Jefferson with 36 votes.
The second incidence happened in 1824, when multiple candidates won Electoral College votes. Although Andrew Jackson received the most, he did not secure majority. The House elected John Quincy Adams.
