In Brief

– The US is faced with one of the most consequential electoral competitions in history.

– Former Vice President Joe Biden has taken an early lead against President Donald Trump.

The United States presidential race has attracted global attention due to the arguably high stakes involved. It has been described by experts as one of the most complex electoral competitions in American history.

Constitutionally, he who carries the trophy home must achieve at least 270 electoral votes in the poll college. But what if, in the unlikely but conceivable event, each of the two lead candidates bags 269 of the college votes? That’s a tie, right?

If the contest gets to that point, legality dictates that the House of Representatives will take a vote to elect the president, with each state having an entitlement to one vote. The Senate will then choose the vice president in a similar fashion.

“If neither candidate gets a majority of the 538 electoral votes, the election for President is decided in the House of Representatives, with each state delegation having one vote. A majority of states (26) is needed to win. Senators would elect the Vice-President, with each Senator having a vote. A majority of Senators (51) is needed to win,” states the US supreme law.

However, although the House of Representatives is largely dominated by the Democrats, this formula would not necessarily translate into an automatic victory for Biden.