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.

[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.

[Lincoln Republican]

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

Anybody know?

[Lincoln Republican]

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? 

Thank you.  This sheds some light on the subject.