It has never happened before and there is only a slim chance it will happen this time – although the Secret Service might have to drag Trump out of the White Office since he doesn’t want to leave.
But it’s an interesting thing to think about what would be Trump’s reaction if the election gets tied and he loses after that. So let’s look into things that might happen if the election gets tied.
Trump has sued and asked for a recount
Even though Joe Biden currently leads Donald Trump by 264-214, and he’s also leading in 4 states – Trump has sued 3 states and demanded a recount in many others.
And as the Republicans will like to believe it, the race is still pretty tight.
So if the score gets tied at 269-269 – here is what is going to happen.
What happens when it gets tied?
For those of you who are still unclear on how the American electoral process works, you need to know that the voters do not directly elect their President. Individual votes by people are reflected in the votes by electors in the Electoral College, and electors are the ones who vote for the President.
And whoever gets the vote of 270 electors, wins the Presidential election.
If the result is a draw, then the newly elected House of Representatives would vote for the president, and each state delegation would get one vote. And when at least 26 out of 50 votes go to one candidate, they will be declared the winner.
But Joe Biden has broken the records of Obama
But interestingly, Joe Biden is quite ahead in the race. He also made the record of getting the highest number of votes received in US Presidential history. With 72 million votes, he broke Barack Obama’s record of 69 million votes that was set in 2008.
Biden is already on the verge of winning Nevada, and that means he’ll bag the election once the results from Nevada kick in.
The only way that Trump can still win is if he wins Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia. That would place him at 274 votes, placing him much behind his the results of 2016 when he had gotten 306 votes.
..and the twist, that means Donald Trump can still snatch a victory
But here comes the twist, even if Joe Biden gets more than 270 votes, there is still a chance that he might lose the election.
According to BBC: While many states have laws requiring electors in the Electoral College to vote in the way that corresponds with the popular vote of the state, others can vote contrary to the public’s decision.
These voters, known as faithless electors, could tip the balance if the winner has a tight margin when they vote on 14 December.
Faithless electors have been seen in some elections, including in 2016 when the results at a state level were 304 to 227 in favour of Mr Trump, despite the results being 306-232 at state level.
So what’s really going to happen?
Will Trump be forcibly removed from office as the security drags him out? Will suing the states help and the recounting will help Trump win? Or will the electors renegade on Biden and sway towards Trump? We’ll just wait and see.
Featured Image Courtesy: UNI