Thread by @YahooNewsAU

As Donald Trump and Joe Biden race to secure 270 electoral college votes, the possibility of a tie isn’t completely out of the question. So what happens if they do tie?

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How would a tie occur?

If Trump and Biden both secure 269 of 538 electoral votes, it would be a tie. Otherwise, if a third presidential candidate secured electoral votes that prevented either of the major candidates reaching the 270 vote target.

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Who breaks a tie in the presidential election?

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If neither of the candidates reach 270 votes, the election for President is decided in the House of Representatives.

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In the case of a tie, each state delegation in the House of Reps is given one vote to award their preferred President – and they would have to choose one of the three candidates who received the most electoral votes. A majority of states (26/50) is needed to win

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The Senate would then vote for the Vice President out of the top two candidates, with the candidate again requiring a majority vote (51 out of 100) to be elected.

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The US President has only ever been selected like this twice, once in 1800 when Thomas Jefferson defeated Aaron Burr and then in 1824 when Joe Quincy Adams defeated Andrew Jackson.

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For more information on an election tie breaker: yhoo.it/3698VYe

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Image: Getty Images