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No American presidential election in modern times has ended in a draw, but with projections of a close contest and possibly days of vote recount to come, fears have been raised of a possible deadlock between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
While the names of Trump and Biden may be on the ballots that millions of Americans completed in recent weeks, voters in the United States do not directly elect their president.
Instead, individual votes in a state are typically reflected in votes cast by voters in the Electoral College, with an absolute majority of 270 votes required to win the White House seat.
In the event of a tie, the newly elected House of Representatives would elect the president, and each state delegation would have one vote. It would take a simple majority of states, equal to 26 votes or more, to win.
By Thursday, Biden’s lead had stretched to 264-214.
The remaining Electoral College votes leave several routes for either candidate to win the election, but is there still a chance of a 269-269 tie?
If Biden wins Nevada, which was won by then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, then, along with his winnings in Michigan and Wisconsin, he would end up with 270 votes.
Biden would also win if he won in any of the other states that are still up for grabs.
Trump could secure four more years in the Oval Office by winning Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.
These votes combined, along with Alaska, would put the current president at 274 votes following his victories in the populous states of Florida and Texas, although it would be a much narrower victory than his 306 votes in 2016.
Biden’s victory in Nebraska’s Second Congressional District, which has only one vote in the Electoral College, means that the possibility of a 269-269 split is now mathematically impossible.
But that doesn’t mean that a simple victory for either candidate is assured on Wednesday.
The 2020 elections are being held in significantly different circumstances than four years ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with millions of people voting early or by mail.
It is feared that some states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, will not report full results for several days.
The situation is further complicated because even if a candidate wins 270 votes, his path to the White House could still face problems.
While many states have laws that require voters in the Electoral College to vote in a manner that corresponds to the popular vote of the state, others may vote against the public’s decision.
These voters, known as cheat voters, could tip the balance if the winner has a narrow margin when they vote on December 14.
Infidel voters have been seen in some elections, including in 2016, when the results at the state level were 304-227 in favor of Trump, despite the results being 306-232 at the state level.
However, these votes are rare, as voters are often loyal members of their respective parties and a measure that alters the result is highly likely to be challenged.
The only certainty for now is that a tie for the presidency of the United States can be definitively ruled out.
Additional reports from agencies.
