September 14, 2020 By Andrea Widburg
Few Americans doubt that this year will result in a contested election. The Republicans are preparing to go to court, while the Democrats are threatening to take to the streets and bring in the military. Under either scenario, there’s the real possibility that the House of Representatives will ultimately decide who will be America’s next President. Moreover, what most people don’t realize is that their votes for the upcoming term of the House of Representatives will affect the vote’s outcome.
It’s relatively common knowledge that, if the Electoral College cannot return a majority vote for President, then the House of Representatives is the body charged with selecting which of the three top candidates will become President. When Americans think about this procedure, most probably assume that, because the Democrats hold the House, a House vote inevitably means a Biden victory.
That assumption is wrong.
The Twelfth Amendment, which defines the procedure for a House vote, makes explicit that this is not an ordinary vote, with each member of the House having a say. Instead, each state gets only one vote (emphasis mine):............. More
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