What happens if the US election ends in a draw?

President Pence? A Trump-Harris administration? Sean O’Grady takes a look at what happens next in the event of a tie

Mike Pence could find himself centre stage if a clear result isn’t returned (Getty)

There are probably as many ways the US presidential election can go wrong as there are attorneys in Donald Trump’s Rolodex.  

There will certainly be claims of electoral fraud, of foreign interference, and litigation at local and federal levels. If things in the electoral college get especially confused, state governors might intervene to nominate their own alternative delegates to the college. If the courts and college cannot select a new president based on the election by the constitutional deadline of 14 December, the line of succession will kick in and the country might wind up with president Nancy Pelosi or possibly president Mike Pompeo...