House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democratic colleagues to prepare for a possibility that the House of Representatives will decide the election winner if there is an Electoral College tie, Politico reports.
"The Constitution says that a candidate must receive a majority of the state delegations to win," Pelosi wrote. "We must achieve that majority of delegations or keep the Republicans from doing so."
Pelosi called for Democrats to launch an "all out effort" to capture Republican-led House seats, Reuters reported, "because we cannot leave anything to chance."
How would it work?
If there is an Electoral College tie, the House of Representatives would have to decide the winner.
Each state delegation would receive one vote, meaning that Democrats would not have a majority despite holding 34 more seats in the House than Republicans.
Republicans currently control 26 state delegations while Democrats control 22.
The Pennsylvania delegation is split evenly. Democrats hold a 7-6 majority on the Michigan delegation while Independent Rep. Justin Amash holds the 14th seat.
Alaska, Montana could decide election:
Democrats would have to win House races in red states in order to take a lead or break even.
Pennsylvania is expected to go Democratic after a Republican gerrymander was struck down by the state’s Supreme Court but Republicans are expected to take over Amash’s seat when he retires at the end of the term.
Democrats hold a one- or two-seat advantage in seven states while Republicans hold a similar position in Florida.
The fight could come down to the at-large races in Montana and Alaska, which are currently held by Republicans.
