What happens if there is an Electoral College tie?

The Constitution and the 12th Amendment provide a contingency when no presidential candidate receives a majority of electoral votes. In that scenario, the election is thrown to the House of Representatives, which chooses the president from among the top three electoral-vote recipients.

The House vote is unusual: each state delegation casts a single vote, regardless of how large or small the state is. California's delegation and Wyoming's delegation each get one vote. A candidate must win a majority of state delegations - 26 or more - to be elected president.

Simultaneously, the Senate chooses the vice president from the top two electoral-vote recipients, with each senator casting an individual vote. This could theoretically result in a president from one party and a vice president from another.

This contingency has occurred twice in U.S. history: in 1800 (resolved by the House choosing Thomas Jefferson) and in 1824 (House chose John Quincy Adams despite Andrew Jackson winning more popular and electoral votes). A 2028 tied Electoral College is considered unlikely but not impossible, particularly in a competitive three-way race.