US House to elect next president?

[Bradley in DC]

http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/04/20/general-election-polls-suggest-possibility-of-electoral-college-tie/

General Election Polls Suggest Possibility of Electoral College Tie
April 20th, 2008
The webpage www.electoral-vote.com tracks individual state polls for the general election for president. Professor Andrew Tanenbaum, who runs this site, suggests that if the major party nominees are Barack Obama and John McCain, a likely electoral vote result (based on polls released on April 19 and preceding days) is 269 electoral votes for each candidate.

The tie comes about if Obama carries California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin; and if McCain carries the other 29 states.

Defenders of the Electoral College never mention the disadvantage that the Electoral College can produce a tie. In case of a tie, the newly-elected House of Representatives would choose the president, with each state getting one vote. A state whose delegation is split evenly loses its vote.

[0zzy]

It's not a disadvantage. The Congress is a representative body of ourselves.

[Chester Copperpot]

all I can say is hope for MANY MANY Liberty candidates in da HOUSE!

[nate895]

The Constitution says the top three candidates would get to go to the House, but what if the person in third didn't get electoral votes, would that count?

[Bradley in DC]

all I can say is hope for MANY MANY Liberty candidates in da HOUSE!

+1!

[Bradley in DC]

The Constitution says the top three candidates would get to go to the House, but what if the person in third didn't get electoral votes, would that count?

Excellent question (I have no idea what the answer is)

[nate895]

Excellent question (I have no idea what the answer is)

We can expect a Supreme Court hearing on the matter should it come to that.

[Bradley in DC]

We can expect a Supreme Court hearing on the matter should it come to that.

There might already be a CRS report explaining it.

http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/36762.pdf

(first one I found)

[Bradley in DC]

Guessing here...

http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/amdt12_user.html


... if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote;


In context, it seems they would choose only from those winning electoral college votes.

[nate895]

Guessing here...

http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/amdt12_user.html


... if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote;


In context, it seems they would choose only from those winning electoral college votes.

I suppose Congress wouldn't technically be able to know who the other candidate was since the people were, in legal terms, voting for electors.

[Gadsden Flag]

I really doubt this would happen. People like to romanticize about stuff like this just because it's out of the ordinary.


But then again, this has been a crazy year in politics, hasn't it? Who am I to say it wouldn't happen?

[nate895]

I really doubt this would happen. People like to romanticize about stuff like this just because it's out of the ordinary.


But then again, this has been a crazy year in politics, hasn't it? Who am I to say it wouldn't happen?

If Bush had lost everything (but Alaska) after FNC called Ohio in 2004 (which was possible), that would have sent the election to the House.