6
« on: September 14, 2016, 04:09:34 PM »
This is incredibly unlikely, but what the hell...
Phase 1:
On November 8, the states go in such a way as the EC vote is 269-269, and that vote holds through the December election and the January counting of the EC votes.
Phase 2:
After the counting of the EC votes in a Joint Session, the House and Senate retire to their respective chambers to select the President (House) and Vice President (Senate).
Here's where the magic happens. According to the 12th Amendment, the House votes by state, with each state receiving one vote. If a state delegation cannot decide by majority (say a state with 2 reps who are split), they cast no vote. The winning candidate must receive a majority of all states (26) to win.
Best case: Neither Clinton nor Trump can get 26 states here.
Now, the Senate votes normally, and let's say the Republicans maintain their majority there, so we end up with Mike Pense as the VP-elect. On January 20, there being no elected President-Elect, Pence is sworn in as VP and immediately thereafter as Acting-President. Assuming nothing major changes in the House, he would remain in that role for at least 2 years (until the 2018 House elections), and if the House still cannot get to 26 states, then all the way to 2020.