Electoral Deadlock: What Happens if Trump and He Jinli Tie in the Electoral Vote – A Congressional Showdown Looms

(AFP, Washington, 4th) The US presidential election will begin voting tomorrow.

Although this situation is not likely to happen, the probability is not zero, which makes Americans who are already restless before the election even more worried.

● A tie situation is not impossible

Under the US electoral system, it is not the national popular vote that determines who can serve as the next president, but the 538-member “Electoral College” (Electoral College) The number of “electors” in each state is tied to the the number of representatives in Congress The number of people is the same.

Every state except Nebraska and Maine gives all of its electoral votes to the candidate leading the state’s popular vote.

If Harris and Trump fail to get the 270 electoral votes needed for a majority, Congress will play a decisive role in accordance with the US Constitution.

In particular, the newly elected federal representatives will elect the president in January next year, and the federal Senate will decide on the next vice president. Under many circumstances, there could be a tie where Harris and Trump each receive 269 electoral votes.

For example, if Harris wins Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and Trump wins Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and North Carolina, along with a left-leaning district in Nebraska, the above situation is possible.

● Let Congress resolve the situation

Such a tie would force Congress to hold a “contingency election,” something that has never happened in modern American history.

The last time Congress was forced to elect a president due to a tie was in the election of 1800, when Thomas Jefferson defeated then President John Adams.

The House of Representatives was extremely divided at the time, and it was difficult for the members of the House of Representatives to elect Jefferson on the 36th ballot.

This highly chaotic process led to the passage of the 12th Amendment to the Constitution four years later, which somewhat clarified the electoral process.

This general election, if it is truly necessary for the House of Representatives to hold such a vote, will be held on January 6, 2025.

● How does the voting process work?

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) said: “Each state, regardless of population, can cast one vote for president in a contingency election.”

In other words, Republican-leaning Wyoming, with a population of only 500,000, is as influential as Democratic-leaning California, with a population of 39 million.

Although Washington, the capital of the United States, has three electoral votes, it cannot vote in the reserve election because it is not a state.

According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, states with more than two representatives will have to vote internally to decide who to support.

Candidates must win a majority of the 50 states, or 26 votes. Perhaps this is more beneficial to the Republicans at the moment.

Specific rules governing this process would likely have to be passed by the House of Representatives, which could lead to sharp divisions and a long-term constitutional crisis.

It is not difficult to imagine that this process will add to the worries of American voters who are already anxious at the end of a difficult campaign, many of whom are convinced that the election was riddled with irregularities.