Richard Grayson Letter in The New York Times: Electoral College Tie

Today, Thursday, October 29, 2020, The New York Times published readers' letters to the editor predicting the results of the 2020 presidential election.

To the Editor:

Although Joe Biden will win the popular vote, the Electoral College will be a 269-269 tie, and the selection of the new president will be in the hands of Congress, as last happened in the 1824 election. The Constitution provides for the House to pick the president if there is no clear winner, with each state delegation getting one vote, and the Senate to pick the vice president, with each senator getting one vote. 

The House will have a majority of Republican state delegations and so will re-elect President Trump. The Senate, with a new Democratic majority of 51 or 52 seats, will elect one of its own, Kamala Harris, as vice president. The United States will have a president and vice president of two different parties for the first time since the mid-19th century. 

Richard Grayson 

Philipsburg, St. Maarten