What happens if Trump and Harris are tied in the Electoral College?

The race for the White House between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris was close leading up to Election Day.

As the Tennessean previously reported, national polls leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5 showed Harris with only a slight advantage over Trump. However, the final results of the race will not be announced until a few days after Election Day.

It's still everyone's race.

Established in 1787, the Electoral College is the system that determines how the President of the United States is elected. To secure the presidency, a candidate needs 270 electoral votes.

Is a tie possible in the Electoral College? Here's what you should know.

What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College?

It is possible for two candidates to receive 269 votes each, but highly unlikely. When this happens, a complicated process follows.

First, the newly elected members of the House of Representatives would gather to vote for the new president. Here each state's delegation would receive one vote. For example, according to USA.gov, the 52 members of the California House of Representatives would have one vote, as would the single member from Wyoming.

Then the Senate would meet to vote for the new vice president, theoretically making a Harris-Vance or a Trump-Walz administration possible.

In the Senate, each senator would have his or her own vote, with a simple majority required to elect a winner. According to 270towin.com, victory would require a majority of senators (51).

Does a tie in the Electoral College mean a tie in the presidency?

Not quite.

Voters will meet on December 17 to cast their votes. Only about half of states have laws requiring their voters to vote for the winner of the popular vote. Therefore, it is possible that a voter will vote for a different candidate, 270towin reported.

It is likely that the tie will remain undecided after voters vote.

On January 6th, the newly formed Congress will meet to count the electoral votes. If no candidate reaches 270 electoral votes, the House of Representatives and Senate take over the election of the president and vice president, respectively.

Diana Leyva covers breaking news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana

What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College?

Does a tie in the Electoral College mean a tie in the presidency?

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