Pelosi Outlines Plot For The House To Decide The Presidential Election
In a letter to her Democratic caucus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is plotting an outcome in which the House of Representatives decides the 2020 Presidential race.
CBS News reported that Pelosi outlined a situation that hasn’t happened in a hundred years in which Joe Biden nor President Trump receive enough electoral votes to win a majority in the Electoral College. If that occurs, the new congress would decide who wins the presidency in January as required by the 12th Amendment.
“Instead of giving every member of Congress a vote, the 12th Amendment gives each state one vote, which is determined by a vote of the state’s delegation,” Pelosi, of California, said to her fellow House Democrats. “In other words, how many state delegations the Democrats win in this upcoming election could determine who our next president is.”
Democrats in the current Congress hold a very slim majority and Pennsylvania’s delegation is split down the middle, nine are Republicans and nine are Democrats.
In the November election, 26 House seats lean Republican, 20 lean Democrat, and four are a toss-up.
Pelosi urged Democrats that they must win their races to increase the number of delegations they control.
“Simply put, this strategy to protect our democracy and elect Joe Biden will take an all out effort and resources,” she said.
Presidential electors are scheduled to meet to cast their votes on December 14th. During a joint session on January 6th, the House and Senate are set to count the electoral votes and declare the election results.
The 20th Amendment demands the new Congress convene at noon on January 3rd.
Pelosi isn’t the only one raising the possibility the House could decide the election results. President Trump warned during a rally in Pennsylvania he doesn’t want the Supreme Court or the House to decide the election. Although, he feels the Republicans have the momentum to take the House.
“I think it’s 26 to 22 or something because it’s counted one vote per state, so we actually have an advantage,” he said. “Oh, they’re going to be thrilled to hear that.”