what happens if the electoral college ties
Some critics of the federal government's acknowledgment accept aloft apropos that advice to the island is backward because it is a US area and not a state. (Residents on the island are US citizens.)
["950.6"]Puerto Ricans voted for statehood in a low-turnout, nonbinding acclamation in June, but the island has afresh voted with alloyed after-effects on statehood in the past. Congress ultimately has the final say on whether Puerto Rico becomes a state.
But how could Puerto Rico bedrock the civic political date if it's accustomed full-fledged cachet as the 51st accompaniment in the union? Here's a attending at how it would affect Congress and, perhaps, the White House.
The US Senate in the antithesis
The Constitution provides that anniversary accompaniment gets two seats in the US Senate behindhand of population, which agency Puerto Rico would booty the 101st and 102nd seats in the chamber.
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An Electoral College tie, explained - National Constitution Center | what happens if the electoral college tiesIt's likely, admitting not certain, that the Democratic Party would be advantaged to win those seats. Puerto Ricans who alive in Florida are a able Democratic group, and added than alert as abounding Puerto Ricans voted in the Democratic presidential caucuses in 2016 as the Republican presidential primary. Still, the Puerto Rican citizen commissioner, the territory's non-voting affiliate of the House, caucuses with Republicans.
Two Democratic seats from Puerto Rico would (slightly) tip the antithesis of the Senate. Republicans currently authority 52 seats; two added Democratic seats would aftereffect in a 52-50 balance, acceptance the GOP alone one vote to spare, accepting to await on a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence, instead of their accepted two-vote margin, aback Democrats abide affiliated adjoin their aldermanic priorities.
Fork in the alley for the US House
The action starts by automatically giving anniversary accompaniment one seat.
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What If the Electoral College is Tied? - YouTube | what happens if the electoral college tiesThen the adjustment gives anniversary abeyant bench for anniversary accompaniment a different "priority value" based on a blueprint and the state's population. The accompaniment with the accomplished antecedence amount (California) gets the 51st seat. Again the abutting accomplished actual (Texas) gets the 52nd. The abutting accomplished (California again) gets the 53rd. New York gets the 54th. Florida gets the 55th. And so on all the way to the 435th seat.
The basal band is this: With 3.4 actor bodies currently active in Puerto Rico, the island would be advantaged to bristles seats in the US House, according to this formula. (They'd get the 128th, 209th, 294th and 378th seats, in accession to their automated seat, in case you were wondering.) The bristles afflicted states that would lose one bench each? Minnesota, California, Texas, Washington and Florida.
The admeasurement of the US House of Assembly has been capped at 435 voting associates by law for over a century. So Congress could add seats to the House for Puerto Rico. (When Alaska and Hawaii became states, the cardinal of voting assembly was briefly added to 437 afore abiding aback to 435 with the abutting census.) And again (maybe) abate the cardinal with the abutting census.
Puerto Rico currently has one, non-voting citizen commissioner.
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The U.S. Election Explained | what happens if the electoral college tiesBalloter College watch
Say goodbye to 270. The cardinal of anniversary state's balloter votes is according to their cardinal of senators additional their cardinal of representatives.
With addition two seats in the US Senate for Puerto Rico, the absolute cardinal of balloter votes in the Balloter College would ascend to 540, bumping the abracadabra cardinal for achievement in the Balloter College up to 271. (That cardinal could change if Congress would add added seats to the House.)
Puerto Rico would acceptable wind up with seven balloter votes. Minnesota, California, Texas, Washington and Florida -- three of which voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 -- would anniversary lose one, giving Democrats a net accretion of four Balloter College votes based on 2016 acclamation results, if Democrats in actuality won Puerto Rico.
["950.6"]A ample 71% of non-Cuban Latino voters in Florida voted for Hillary Clinton, according to avenue acclamation from the 2016 presidential election.
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Electoral College Ties | what happens if the electoral college ties["1067"]
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Electoral College Tie: Here's What Happens | what happens if the electoral college ties["1862.4"]
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