What if in a Presidential election..........

[LINCOLN REPUBLICAN]

after recounts every state and DC comes in tied between the Republican and the Democrat?

Impossible I know, but if that were the case, what happens?

I'm assuming each state has a chief elections officer who votes only to break a tie.

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

after recounts every state and DC comes in tied between the Republican and the Democrat?

Impossible I know, but if that were the case, what happens?

I'm assuming each state has a chief elections officer who votes only to break a tie.

I doubt this and I doubt law is even providing such an option, knowing odds are indeed impossible. Yet, the question is interesting and I'd love to see some of our in-house law scholars to make an opinion.

[J. J.]

I'm assuming each state has a chief elections officer who votes only to break a tie.

PA does not.

[Mr. Morden]

Each state's electors would then be determined by a coin flip.  That would be an odd-looking electoral map.

[Vosem]

Three states have had recent tied elections: Massachusetts, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Massachusetts revotes; in New Mexico, the two candidates play a game of poker; in South Dakota, the first candidate who, blindfolded, picks a white marble from a bag full of black marbles wins.

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

I don't think it would be legal for a chief elections officer to cast a tie-breaking vote.

It would certainly violate "one man - one vote" principle, since said officer certainly already casted his vote as a citizen.

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Each state's electors would then be determined by a coin flip.  That would be an odd-looking electoral map.

William Jennings Bryan lives

Well, I just flipped a coin for each state and, by accident, the map looks pretty consistent.



R: 279
D: 259

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

I did the flip for all states again, and map looks much more bizzare this time.



WHAT THE...

It's again R: 279 and D: 259

THIS COIN IS CURSED!

[豚FLY]

I did the flip for all states again, and map looks much more bizzare this time.



WHAT THE...

It's again R: 279 and D: 259

THIS COIN IS CURSED!

I just got R 279/259 D as well. 0_o

[pillage the village, trash the scene]

Welcome back to the Decision 3099! (Russian rouble)
R - 277
D - 261

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Damn you, cursed Polish Zloty.

I'll use a Lithuanian Litas now.



D: 276
R: 262

[豚FLY]

Washington -- coin landed almost sideways, leaning on my data stick.
Technically it should count as D.
267 R, 259 D, 12 I/D

[LINCOLN REPUBLICAN]

I don't think it would be legal for a chief elections officer to cast a tie-breaking vote.

It would certainly violate "one man - one vote" principle, since said officer certainly already casted his vote as a citizen.

In my original post I have stated that the chief elections officer only votes in the event of a tie in order to cast the tie breaking vote.  So, in such case, they would not have previously voted.

[Formerly Californian Tony]

Using the excel RAND function I somehow managed to generate a strong dem win :



D : 304
R : 234

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

20 Lithuanian Cents went Democratic.



D: 332
R: 206

[Jbrase]

Tossed a quarter
282 R - 256 D

[I'm JewCon in name only.]

This thread inspires me to make a "flip a coin" thread in the what if section

[Senator Snowstalker]

My nickel's results:



R: 276
D: 262

[Thomas D]

1997 quarter



GOP-T-326
Dem-H-212

[Mr. Morden]

According to all of your coin flips, Georgia is a real GOP stronghold.  It first went for the Dems twice in a row, but after Kal's initial two elections on page 1, it's gone for the GOP nine times in a row.

[Formerly Californian Tony]

How do you guys have the patience to flip a coin 51 times ?

[PASOK Leader Hashemite]

1 peseta, Spain 1953. Franco's fat face doesn't seal the deal for the GOP

[LINCOLN REPUBLICAN]

Thank you all for your coin flipping, interesting, but does not answer the original question.

Anybody know?

[Joe Republic]

Federal law allows each state + DC to appoint their apportioned electors any way they choose, and this right extends to the settling of disputes in the popular vote.  The deadline for resolving these determinations, however, is six days prior to the meeting of the electors to cast their votes ("the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December").

Your assumption that there is a chief elections officer in each state who only votes in the case of a tie isn't accurate, and I don't know of any state that does so.  Some states might hold a quick revote (if they even have time to do so after the recount deliberations and inevitable lawsuits have concluded), while others will likely have coin flip-type solutions.  It all depends on state law.

Now, who wants to research 51 laws on how to break a tie in the statewide/districtwide popular vote? 

[Kuu ülevaade olulisematest]

Microsoft Excel