Is it possible to have a tie in the election

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Purposes and Effects of the Electoral College. Presidential Election of Ended in a Tie. How many Electors does each State have? Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for ThoughtCo.

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We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Georgia Ga. A tie shall be decided by the chief election officer or clerk in the case of county elections by lot.

Iowa I. Kansas K. Louisiana L. A runoff election is held on the third Saturday after the date when the results of the tie are promulgated.

Maine Me. Maryland MD Constitution, Art. Massachusetts M. Laws ch. To break a tie vote, a runoff election will be held on the fourth Monday of the same November as the general election resulting in a tie. Michigan M. Minnesota Minn. Mississippi Miss. The winner of a tie vote is determined by lot. However, the loser of this tiebreaker can appeal to the legislature for final resolution. Missouri Mo, Rev. To break the tie, the governor orders a special election to be held between the tied candidates, and sets the date for the election.

Montana Mont. Nebraska Neb. A tie vote triggers a recount. If the race is still tied after the recount, races canvassed by the state board of canvassers, which includes legislative races, are determined by lot. Nevada N. New Hampshire N. New Jersey N. There is no specific statute governing the resolution of ties. Instead, in the event of a tie, either tied candidate may petition for a recount or contest the election results.

New Mexico N. Note: Beginning January 1, , an automatic recount happens when the margin of victory is 20 votes or 0. Since there are electoral votes, it is feasibly possible for the presidential electoral vote to end in a tie. An electoral tie has not happened since the adoption of the US Constitution in However, the 12th amendment to the US Constitution addresses what happens if there is a tie in electoral votes.

On the other hand, the Senate would decide on the new Vice President. Each Senator would get one vote, and the winner would be the one who received 51 votes. There have been suggested amendments to fix the Electoral College: The American public overwhelmingly favors direct election of the president.

Gallup surveys from the s found over half of those who knew what the electoral college was thought it should not be continued. Suggestions have included an amendment with three provisions: requiring every state to award electoral votes based on a popular vote in that state or the nation as a whole; replacing human electors with votes to be cast automatically according to the state's rules; and awarding the presidency to the national popular vote winner if no candidate wins an Electoral College majority.

Adoption of the National Popular Vote plan: Advocates of a national popular vote for president are focusing their reform efforts on a proposal that has been steadily advancing in state legislatures: the National Popular Vote plan for president.

The National Popular Vote plan is an interstate agreement that relies on states' constitutional powers to allocate electoral votes and to enter into binding interstate compacts. This plan guarantees election of the presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Participating states will award all their electoral votes as a block to the winner of the national popular vote once the law is passed in states holding a majority of the nation's electoral votes.

As of today, it has been enacted in states representing nearly half of the electoral votes necessary to trigger the agreement in Learn more about the electoral college:. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.