Although this possibility is not very strong, it remains possible, which increases the tension of Americans who are anxiously awaiting the election results.
In the American system, it is not the national popular vote that determines who wins the office of president, but rather the 538-member “Electoral College,” where each state gets a number of “electors” equal to the number of its representatives in Congress.
All states except Nebraska and Maine award all their electors to the candidate who receives the highest percentage of votes in the state.
If not everyone can Harris Before Trump achieves the required majority of 270 voters, the US Constitution stipulates that Congress plays a decisive role in the decision.
Specifically, the new House of Representatives chooses the president in January, while the Senate chooses the vice president.
There are several scenarios that could lead to a tie in the electoral college with a score of 269-269.
An example would be that Harris wins Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, while the former Republican president takes Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and North Carolina, as well as one left-leaning district in Nebraska.
Emergency elections
A tie will force what is known as emergency elections in Congress, something that has never happened in modern American history.
It was the last time he forced a draw Congress For the choice of president in the election of 1800, in which Thomas Jefferson competed against then-President John Adams.
At that time, lawmakers in the deeply divided House of Representatives struggled to reach a consensus, until Jefferson was chosen after 36 rounds of voting, according to the CNBC website.
This great tension led to the adoption of the Twelfth Amendment to the American Constitution After four years, in order to clarify the procedures related to the elections.
In this year’s elections, if a vote is needed in the House of Representatives, it will take place on January 6, 2025.
How will the voting process take place?
In emergency elections, each state has one vote to choose president, regardless of population, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In other words, small Republican Wyoming, with a population of 500,000, would have the same influence as Democratic California, where 39 million people live.
Although the capital Washington It has three votes in the electoral college, but it will not get a vote in emergency elections, because it is not a state.
States with more than one representative will need to hold an internal vote to decide which candidate to support.
The candidate would need to win a majority of the 50 states, or 26 votes.
It will be necessary to adopt specific rules to regulate the process in the House of Representatives, which could lead to major disagreements and a long period of constitutional crisis.
