Assuming no one wins 270 EV, does the Senate still pick the VP?

[WoodDraw]

It's all in the title. I thought that was true at some point but I may be imagining things? :hmmm:

[alnorth]

Regarding the Vice-President, its very simple and straightforward. The Senate meets to vote for a new Vice-President, one senator, one vote. If there's a tie, the former Vice-President (cheney) breaks the tie. So, no matter what we are guaranteed to have a Vice-President on the day the electoral votes are counted.

The House's selection of the president gets a lot more complicated. We are NOT guaranteed to have a new President if things go haywire. In fact if things got really nuts you could theoretically go without a president till March at the latest. (VP would serve as interim president)

Thats the simple answer. I can post my long, long, long FAQ about everything you ever wanted to know about the electoral college, including every weird unlikely theoretical possibility if you like.

[Lomax]

And so it's possible -- though very unlikely, obviously -- that we could end up with President Kerry and Vice President Cheney.

[alnorth]

For that matter, its possible to have Kerry and Bush both disqualified, with a President Cheney or Edwards taking office, though even less likely.