WASHINGTON: The winner of the US presidential election needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes, but Joe Biden and President Trump manage to get 269 and 269 votes, respectively, meaning a political crisis could erupt if no one gets the required 270 votes.
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In the US presidential election, the counting of votes is underway and the Democratic candidate Joe Biden still has a slight lead while the results of 5 states are yet to come. However, the question is whether either of the two candidates has a majority. If not, how will the election of the US President be carried out?
If both candidates fail to get the required majority of 270 electoral votes, there is a way in the US Constitution to elect a president, with 438 newly elected members of the House of Representatives having to elect a president before January 6.
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One vote for each state will be considered for the election of the President from the House of Representatives and the majority will get 26 votes. Similarly, the US Vice President will be elected by the senators and each senator will have one vote for which the required majority will be 51 votes.
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It should be noted that the last such political crisis in the history of the US presidential election occurred in the nineteenth century when neither of the two candidates failed to get the required electoral votes, after which the President was elected by the House of Representatives.