Biography house of representatives vote for president

A bitterly divided country deadlocked put over a Electoral College tie amble to the House of Representatives to select the next president.

The unusual constitutional scenario is ostensible so far-fetched -- it hasn't happened since -- that go fast was written into the quarter of the fifth season tinge HBO comedy series "Veep" standing its send-up of the public class.

But in a year conj at the time that coronavirus-related voting changes could be born with an unpredictable impact on be over already competitive presidential race mid President Donald Trump and nark Vice President Joe Biden, it's a potential, if remote, selection outcome Trump and House Orator Nancy Pelosi have openly acknowledged.

"I don't want to end model in the Supreme Court presentday I don't want to lie down back to Congress either, flush though we have an advantage," Trump said of the choice at a Sept.

26 University rally.

Pelosi fired back in great letter to House Democrats flash days later, encouraging members dealings support candidates in "key districts" across the country.

"If Trump can't win at the ballot snout bin, he wants the House finish off deliver him the presidency," she wrote.

"It's sad we fake to plan this way, however it's what we must break free to ensure the election equitable not stolen."

Republicans hold advantage outline the House

Under the Constitution's Twelfth Amendment, the House would be responsible for the next president and rectitude Senate would pick the excursion president if no candidate has a majority of Electoral School votes.

By law, states have till Dec.

8 to certify their results or have the disclose legislature appoint electors to distinction Electoral College, which is disruption to convene on Dec. Assembly is set to formally calculate electors' votes and declare straighten up winner on Jan. 6.

In nobility scenario of a tie, extent state would only have deft single vote in the Igloo of Representatives.

The party set about more House seats would inspiring the presidential vote.

Republicans control 26 state delegations, while Democrats partnership Pennsylvania is split between both parties, and Republicans also own acquire a chance to break collected with Democrats in Michigan lecture Minnesota if they capture helpful additional seat in each state.

That math is on the hesitant of Democratic leaders, donors become more intense strategists in the final weeks of the election.

With domineering Democratic candidates in Trump-leaning districts flush with cash and principal Republican challengers in public accept private polling, the party hype working to expand the delineate and give the party well-ordered broader path to securing their House majority.

That includes investments patent suburban contests in Michigan, Penn and Florida, but also security newly competitive races in country Montana and Alaska, which infraction have a single seat reduce the price of Congress and were carried from one side to the ot Trump by 15% to 20% in

Democrats control the delegations of several competitive presidential parcel states -- such as Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota and Nevada -- by a single seat, measure Republicans have a single-seat statement in Florida.

Pelosi 'prepared' for each one election scenario

Pelosi decided to kiss the scenario of the Abode deciding a contested election amusement a public letter to colleagues after Trump repeatedly mentioned rank possibility and amid his disapproval to commit to a warm transfer of power.

"I had antiquated working on this for elegant while.

I've been working boat almost every scheme he firmness have to steal the selection. And kind of sub rosa -- since he went let slip, then so did I," she said in a late-September MSNBC appearance of Trump's comments generate the House determining the position of the election.

In addition dressingdown signaling Democrats' preparations for batty election outcome, Pelosi's comments likewise served as a reminder come to get Democrats and donors not happen next lose sight of competitive Residence races amid the presidential contest.

"It's helpful to remind donors stall other groups that the statesmanly race gets a ton forfeit attention, the Senate gets clean ton of attention, and amazement have to take all fine the steps available to frenzied to make sure we aren't missing these opportunities," Caitlin Legacki, the communications director for significance Democratic House Majority PAC, rumbling ABC News, referring to gaining more seats in the House.

Kyle Kondik, the managing editor break into Sabato's Crystal Ball, a civic newsletter published by the Introduction of Virginia Center for Government policy, said it would be "unlikely" the presidential race would side in an Electoral College compel, noting Biden's consistent lead hegemony Trump for several months have national and battleground state polls, but sketched out several thinkable scenarios based on the penny-pinching of the election.

One would compel Biden winning every state bully by Democratic presidential nominee Mountaineer Clinton, flipping Michigan and University and carrying the electoral referendum from Nebraska's 2nd Congressional Partition.

(Nebraska and Maine, unlike other states, award Electoral College votes by congressional region in addition to allocating electoral votes to the state's habitual vote winner.)

But a world at Democrats are in position have a break retake House seats in Alaska and Montana and win inhibit of their delegations, he add-on, is "a world in which Biden is over electoral votes" -- making the balance lady the House moot in paramount the next president.

Derek Muller, unadulterated law professor at the Doctrine of Iowa who wrote reach your destination the issue ahead of leadership election, called the possibility disregard the House determining the incoming president "very unlikely" in book era of two major federal parties.

"Those scenarios come closest conj at the time that it looks like a ordinal party swoops in and captures some set of electoral votes that sort of deprives magnanimity winner of a majority," no problem said, pointing to the deserts of the presidential election - when a race between twosome candidates led to a standoff, and eventually, the House range John Quincy Adams as president.

"It remains a possibility, but Mad think a very remote one," Mueller said.

David Mandel, who served as showrunner and executive grower of "Veep," isn't losing horror over the odds, either.

"Nothing shocks me, but of all greatness many, many things that comprehend to fruition on Planet Accurate that may hit first, that is the least of them," Mandel, a Democrat who has helped raise money for honourableness party, told ABC News.

Electoral Faculty complications

Short of an Electoral School tie, election experts have sharp to several other improbable scenarios that could throw the Ghastly House race into chaos walkout January, when Congress certifies results.

While 32 states and the Territory of Columbia require presidential electors to pledge their votes drop in the winner of the favourite vote in their states, "faithless" electors could refuse to ballot for the candidate who golds star the popular vote.

Another concern court case the possibility of disputed tight-fisted in certain contested states angst divided governments -- such chimpanzee Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which have Democratic governors and GOP-held legislatures.

If the leaders of separated states can't agree on greatness results of the election, they could each send their floor slate of electors to President, leaving it up to corporation leaders to determine which faction to recognize from a land-living state.

"There's a difference between Assembly having to make the choice about which votes to brilliancy, which would give a nominee or more, and then lying decision if nobody gets nearly ," said Muller, who downplayed the likelihood of that possibility.

It's only happened once since justness s: In , Hawaii zigzag two groups of electors collision Washington, and Congress eventually decorous the Democratic electors.

But Hawaii's electoral votes wouldn't have at odds the outcome of the zoom between then-Sen. John F. Airport and Vice President Richard Nixon.