As voters head to the polls for the 2024 election, there is a possible but unlikely scenario that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump could end up tied in the Electoral College.

thanks to 23rd AmendmentThere are 538 votes in the Electoral College, which elects the District of Columbia. Because it is an even number, it is mathematically possible for the election to end in a 269-269 tie, one less than the 270 needed to win the presidency.

Possible does not mean likely. There has only been one Electoral College tie in history, and the last time a candidate failed to win the Electoral College outright was 200 years ago. But there are several potential scenarios that could result in Harris and Trump receiving 269 Electoral College votes.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happens in the event of a tie in the Electoral College.

What is the Electoral College and how is the number of votes determined?

The Electoral College is a process established in the Constitution to elect the president and vice president every four years; The Founding Fathers envisioned this as a compromise between direct election by popular vote and election of positions by Congress. At the same time Designed to benefit Southern statesExtra congressional representation was granted based on enslaved human populations.

There are a total of 538 electors divided among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The states receive two votes for each senator and one vote for each member of the House of Representatives. So Pennsylvania, with two senators and 17 representatives, has 19 votes.

Two states (Nebraska and Maine) divided their electoral votes by congressional districts.

To win the presidency, a candidate must receive “a majority of the entire number of appointed electors,” or 270 delegate votes, as required by the Constitution.

What are the scenarios in which Harris and Trump could tie?

Here are three scenarios in which the election could end in 269-269 Electoral College votes:

first scenario

Trump won the so-called “Blue Wall” states of Pennsylvania and Michigan. plus Georgia, but Harris kept Wisconsin and won Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina.

Second scenario

Trump won three of the “Blue Wall” states (Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin) and Nevada, while Harris took North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona.

Third scenario

Trump won Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina, but Harris held on to Wisconsin and won Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

Who becomes president in case of a tie in the Electoral College?

As stated in the 12th Amendment, if there is a tie in the Electoral College (or if a candidate does not receive a majority of votes, possibly due to third-party candidates), the presidential election will move to the House, where each candidate will take part. The state’s congressional delegation will receive one vote.

To secure the presidency, a candidate must receive 26 votes. In this scenario, the District of Columbia would not receive votes because it is not a state.

Republicans control 26 state delegations, while Democrats have a majority of 22 delegations. Two states have delegations made up of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats: Minnesota and North Carolina. If a state’s delegation is deadlocked, it can’t get any votes.

But it will be the new Congress elected on November 5 that will break the Electoral College tie. So if Democrats win seats in the 2024 elections, that could give Harris a very remote chance of winning the presidency.

The vice president will be decided by a simple majority vote in the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats. Therefore, in case of a tie in the Electoral College, it is possible to see a president and vice president from different parties.

Has there ever been equality in the Electoral College?

Just once. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr were tied in the Electoral College. The resolution went to the House of Representatives, which ultimately elected Jefferson president and Burr vice president.

In the 1824 presidential election, no candidate won a majority of the electoral votes. Andrew Jackson received the highest score with 99 points, but this left him 32 short of the number needed to win the presidency. John Quincy Adams received 84 electoral votes, 15 fewer than Jackson, but was elected by the House of Representatives and eventually elected president.