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What happens if no presidential candidate receives 270 electoral votes?
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Electoral College
A certificate from Alabama showing the signatures of the state's electors in 2000. The nine electors voted for George W. Bush and his running mate Dick Cheney.
If no presidential candidate receives the required majority of at least 270 electoral votes, the election is decided by the House of Representatives through a process known as a contingent election.1
In this scenario, the House must choose the president from among the top three candidates who received the most electoral votes. Each state delegation in the House is granted one vote, and the candidate must secure a simple majority of these state votes to be elected president.1