If nobody gets 270 Votes

[dvduval]

A scenario...

1. The Republicans purposely push out Trump at the convention as he barely fails to get a majority
2. They put up their own more moderate candidate
3. Trump runs as an independent
4. With a 3+ person race for President, no candidate gets the needed 270 votes
At this point, as I understand it... the House of Representatives chooses the President and the Senate chooses the Vice President. If so, maybe the Republicans are actually planning this scenario!

Anything wrong about my understanding of the Constitution here? If not, isn't this a pretty plausible scenario?

[Cali_Democrat]

1. It isn't possible

A GOP "moderate" nominee would split the GOP vote in states with Trump and the Democratic nominee would take a plurality of those votes in red/swing states.

Remember, the electoral vote system is winner take all.

In other words, the Dem nominee would be looking at 400+ electoral votes.

[MANative]

3. That's how I hope it would turn out, but there's also the possibility of...

massive voter suppression and shenanigans pushing a handful of states to each R candidate. That worries me, but I do think that what you describe is the more likely outcome.

[madinmaryland]

16. I would say look at the voters tRump is courting. These people would not vote Democratic

in any election, if they even voted. He is working on securing the teabaggers who would never vote for a Democrat. He has alienated independents, minorities, women, LGBTQ, and I'm sure many others. But there are the 25 percent deadenders who will still support him. If he runs as a 3rd party candidate, that is the vote he will get. If he is pulling 15-20% in normally red leaning states, he may well push the election into a landslide for the Democratic Party Nominee.

Edited to add: I responded to the wrong post, but don't want to delete it.

[Chan790]

11. For the most part.

You are forgetting a few variables...there are states in the Democratic column where either Hillary or Bernie are not popular and Trump is...it's a very real possibility that he wins some states away from us by taking Democratic voters that would never vote Republican but will vote for him.

It's unlikely that it gets kicked to the House; I'm not ready to declare it impossible.

[MANative]

2. A couple of variables, as I understand it.

Each state delegation receives one vote in the House, so if the majority of reps in any given state belong to one party or another, that party controls the single vote. If the majority of states are controlled by one party, that party basically gets to select the candidate of their choice among, I believe, the top two vote-getters.

The one question I'm not clear on is whether it's the current Congress, or the one installed in January, 2017. If it's the new Congress, all the more reason to go all-out try to flip the House. GOTV, and then some!

[potone]

4. I'd like to hear an answer to your question, too.

Let's hope a lawyer will respond.

[csziggy]

5. If it comes to that Democrats should insist that the presidential selection wait

For new House members to be sworn in so that the "will of the people" can be correctly decided!

[tritsofme]

7. The new Congress will certify the presidential election.

The new Congress takes office a few weeks prior to the start of the new presidential term.

[MANative]

8. Yes, on January 3rd. So you're saying that the presidential election would not be certified until...

after that, and not during the lame duck session. That's what I thought, but I wasn't certain.

[tritsofme]

9. Yes, that is correct. Here is a timeline:

https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/key-dates.html

[MANative]

10. Perfect! Thanks!! Answers every question on which I wasn't entirely clear. n/t

[Stallion]

6. Each State is Winner Take All

Democrats would easily win in your scenario because they start at about 247 Electoral College votes in states that have voted Democrat in most of the last 6 elections

[SCantiGOP]

12. No, it doesn't matter who wins the state

If the electors don't give someone 270 votes then the US House members cast a vote for the state, not the electors.
Example: A state votes for Trump. No one gets 270 electoral votes. Their House delegation then votes for one of the top 3 vote getters. So, say Trump won Mississippi; either Trump or the GOP candidate would certainly get their electoral votes from their House delegation.
And yes, you could end up with a Pres and VP from different parties, as happened early in our history before the Constitution changed.

[1939]

13. You could still get a President and Vice-President from different parties

If no one get an electoral collage majority, the House selects the President (each state gets one vote) and the Senate selects the VP (each Senator gets one vote).

[Stallion]

14. It Will Be a Landslide

you corrected me on a point I never made. She will easily get to 270 in a 3 way race between Trump and and Republican-and so it will never get the House of Representatives

[SCantiGOP]

15. Meant to make a comment

Didn't mean it as a correction to you

[craigmatic]

17. All the repubs will do is split the red states. Dems will take all the blue ones plus some. To see

how this plays out look up the 1912 electoral map.