The Electoral College Deadlock
No candidate reaches 270 electoral votes, and the House of Representatives is perfectly tied. The Vice President must break the tie in the Senate for the acting Presidency.
It is January 6th. No candidate reached 270 electoral votes. The House of Representatives voted by state delegation to elect the President but is perfectly tied 25-25. By law, the Vice President-elect must become acting President on Jan 20th—but the newly seated Senate is tied 50-50 on choosing the VP.
You are the Outgoing Vice President
The Situation Room
>The 12th Amendment provides the mechanism. You are the President of the Senate.
>The current President's term expires precisely at noon on January 20th. There is no legal extension.
>Protests in Washington D.C. have swelled to millions, and the National Guard is deployed around the Capitol.
Internal Briefing Notes
• Under the 12th Amendment, the House picks the President (1 vote per state delegation) and the Senate picks the Vice President.
• If the House is deadlocked, the Vice President-elect chosen by the Senate becomes Acting President on Inauguration Day.
• As outgoing VP, you cast the deciding tie-breaking vote in the 50-50 Senate on who that Vice President-elect will be.
Escalation Window
Reveal each phase to see how the situation deteriorates.
You hold the tie-breaking vote to determine who becomes the acting President of the United States. Who do you choose?
Choose your response. There are no good options.
You secure the acting presidency for your party, but half the country views the maneuver as a purely partisan coup.
You place country over party to avoid civil war, recognizing the opposing ticket won the national popular vote. Your career is over.
The line of succession defaults to the Speaker of the House as Acting President—a deeply polarizing figure who ignites immediate nationwide rioting.
Related Entities
Explore the institutions, countries, and actors involved in this scenario.
United States
Federal presidential republic and the world's largest economy, with power divided among the presidency, Congress, the states, and the federal courts. U.S. politics is highly polarized, two-party dominated, and globally consequential because decisions made in Washington shape finance, trade, security alliances, technology regulation, and military power far beyond U.S. borders.
President of the United States
Head of state and head of government of the United States. Elected to four-year terms via the Electoral College.
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