Joshua Zeitz asks us to remember the Election of 1824:
In the case of a tie, which hasn’t happened in exactly 200 years, the House decides the election, per the 12th Amendment, with each state delegation allotted one vote. Republicans currently control 26 House delegations. Democrats control 22, and two others are tied.
We could be on the road to an unthinkable scenario: Democrats win the popular vote for the presidency and House, but Republicans return Donald Trump to the White House through the 12th Amendment mechanism.
If history is a guide, it would have profound implications for the future of American democracy. To understand why, we need to wind the clock back, to the hotly contested presidential election of 1824.
And this:
Now, Republicans, who could well lose the popular vote again, having won it only once in the past 32-plus years, may try to engineer a Trump win in the House.
In short, by playing the inside game, and using a vote in the House to decide the outcome, Republicans could perpetuate their power. A democratic system that is no longer responsive to the will of the majority could very well break. But it could also create unintended consequences.
As in 1824, if the election is thrown to the House, 2024 could be a watershed year for American democracy. Long-stalled political reforms — from introducing Supreme Court term-limits to abolishing the Electoral College — could finally sail through atop a wave of populist democratic outrage.
In 1824, Adams won the battle but lost the war. In 2024, Trump could find himself in a similar situation.
Read the entire piece here.