Thursday, November 03, 2016

We can no longer write off an electoral college tie

We can no longer write off an electoral college tie | The Liberty Conservative:
"It’s not likely.
We’ve been told our whole lives it’s not possible.
But here we are, a week from the general election, and we are the closest we have been in our lifetimes to a Twelfth Amendment crisis.
...Meanwhile, there’s a storm of unexpected proportions sweeping one of this country’s largest, best organized, and best funded religious minorities.
Independent candidate Evan McMullin is defying all expectations by blowing decades-old third parties out of the water in his sudden surge to the top of the polls in Utah.
...If Utah’s 6 electoral votes go to Evan McMullin, either by McMullin electors winning the popular vote outright, or Republican electors bolting the Party to vote for him, those 6 contribute to neither Trump nor Hillary.
Contrary to popular assumption, the spoiler effect does not apply at the Electoral College level, because, unlike the popular vote within a given state, the Electoral College requires a majority, not a plurality.
Therefore, if 6 votes go to McMullin in Utah, those votes will not count toward either major party nominee achieving the 270 vote majority.
...With those states, Clinton comes just two electoral votes short of winning, which tosses the election to the House of Representatives.
The question then becomes who will the Republican-led House of Representatives choose from among the top three candidates?
This question is further complicated by the Article II rule that the House of Representatives must vote “by state.”
A quick perusal of the 50 states shows a strong majority with Republican-majority delegations. 
At first glance this leans toward a Trump election.
But would Paul Ryan, longtime critic of Trump, enforce the once intimidating but lately faltering power of the Speakership to force Republican members to support the nominee?
Maybe.
But that’s a big maybe..."
Read on!

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