If no candidate receives a majority of votes in a primary election, a runoff election may be held between the top two candidates with the highest number of votes. This is to ensure that the winning candidate ultimately has majority support. Runoff elections are common in many states and are typically held a few weeks after the initial primary election. The candidate who receives the most votes in the runoff election is declared the winner.
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Depending on the type of system, various outcomes occur.
Some systems have the person with the most votes win regardless if it is not over 50% of the vote.
Some systems go to a run-off election.
Other systems go to a different type of election or judges to determine the result.
Typically, in the United States, if no candidate receives a majority of votes in a primary election (or even a general election), there will be a runoff election between the top 2 vote-getters. Exactly how that is done will depend upon the rules of each particular state.
If no one gets a majority in the primaries and caucuses, the delegates at the nominating convention will elect their candidate.
If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Twelfth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides that the U.S. House of Representatives will select the president, with each of the fifty state delegations casting one vote, and the U.S. Senate will select the vice-president.
The House votes by state to decide the winnerUS Presidential ElectionIf no candidate receives a majority of the Electoral College votes in a US Presidential election, the states' delegations to the House of Representatives select the president. Each state's delegation receives one vote. The House must select from the top three Electoral College vote getters (i.e. the three candidates with the highest Electoral College vote totals), and the winner must receive the majority of votes.A minimum 2/3rds quorum is required (i.e. 2/3rds of all the states' delegations must be present), and the winner must get a simple majority of that quorum. Only state delegations can vote in such a tie-breaker (e.g. the District of Columbia's Electoral representatives are excluded, and D.C. does not get a vote). Voting rounds continue until there is a winner.Vice presidential electionIf no candidate for the Vice President receives a majority of the Electoral Vote, the Senate will then choose the winner. Each senator has a single vote, and they can chose from the top TWO Electoral College vote-getters. A simple majority (51 of 100) is required to win in the Senate. Only Senators may vote (e.g. the current Vice President does not get to break ties) in this special case. As with the House, voting rounds continue until there is a winner.
People vote for a presidential candidate during a presidential election, which happens every four years. Registered voters are allowed to vote in elections.
In certain nations and cities in the US and abroad run off elections are sometimes held. This often happens because according to the rules of any particular election, a candidate may have to win a certain percentage of the votes to win the election straight out. In such cases the normally top two vote getters are set up for a run off election to determine the final winner.
If the electoral vote splits 269-269, the House of Representatives would decide between the two candidates via a special procedure in which the each state gets one vote. They would keep voting until they do come out with a majority for one candidate.