How Does the U.S. House of Representatives Decide?
One other important detail should be noted: the incoming House of Representatives selects the new president. In the new 107th Congress, the state delegations lean heavily to the Republican side: about 27 delegations are majority-Republican, while about 18 delegations are at least majority-Democratic. (Click here for the complete breakdown of state delegations in the 107th Congress.)
That means the Republicans control more than the 26 delegations required to install a president -- but there is no guarantee that the Republicans will stick together. What if some Republicans decide Al Gore, the probable winner of the popular vote, deserves to be president, lest the country go through a period of political turmoil?
To make matters more confusing, what if each state's delegation decides to side with the selection of their home state? In that case, Bush would win, since he won many more states than Gore. Some delegations to the House of Representatives might feel torn: should they vote with their party or with their state's population? For instance, New Mexico and Iowa, voted for Gore although their state delegations are Republican. In reverse, North Dakota and Michigan voted for Bush but have Democratic delegations.
And so the stage is set. On January 6, 2001, at precisely 1 p.m. Eastern Time, the House and Senate meet together to formally count the votes of the Electoral College. When it becomes clear that neither candidate has a majority of Electoral College votes, the Senate leaves the room and the members of the House of Representatives set about picking the president. While it is possible the various delegations have already reached decisions and agreements in advance, they may all vote along party lines.
Following a 176-year-old precedent, each state appoints a "Teller" to count the ballots cast by every Representative. Each Teller decides which candidate won his or her state, and those results are announced. If no candidate wins 26 states after the first ballot, a second ballot is taken, and then a third, and so on until a winner emerges.
| What does the House of Representatives do? |
(1) If you think the House quickly selects George W. Bush, click here.
(2) If you think the House quickly selects Al Gore, click here.
(3) If you think the House is deadlocked and takes several ballots to select the president, click here.