US Election: Here's how Trump vs Harris could end in a tie. What happens next?

The Vice President, a Democrat, and her Republican rival, an ex-President, remain locked in a neck-and-neck race to the White House.

While the race to the White House between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is unlikely to end in a tie, even as they remain locked in a neck-and-neck contest, such a scenario is statistically possible, and not unprecedented.

US Election Result 2024 Live: This combination of pictures shows US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (Left) in Philadelphia and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Michigan on November 5, 2024. (AFP)

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Under the US system, the national popular vote does not decide who becomes President. The winner is decided by a 538-member Electoral College; here each state gets as many ‘electors’ as their representation in the Congress.

A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to secure win.

If there's a 269-269 tie: According to the US Constitution, the Congress would play the deciding role. Specifically, the newly-elected House of Representatives would elect the President in January, while the Senate would designate the Vice President.

For this, states (with at least two representatives) would have to hold an internal vote to determine which candidate to support. As the US has 50 states, a competitor needs support of at least 26 states.

Also, the House would have to adopt specific rules to govern the process.

The precedent: In 1800, the Congress picked Thomas Jefferson over the incumbent John Adams, the third President in US history.

Possible scenarios for a tie: While there are several scenarios, one would be if Vice President Harris, a Democrat, takes Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. On the other hand, ex-President Trump, a Republican, would have to clinch Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and North Carolina, and left-leaning district in Nebraska.

Except Nebraska, rest are 'swing' states. These could be decisive in determining the winner.

(With AFP inputs)