Electoral College Pluralities Do Not Work Like You Think

Here’s an interesting feature of third parties in American politics. If a third party actually wins some states, and that results in no candidate getting the 270 Electoral votes required to clinch the Presidency, guess what happens? The House of Representatives picks the winner, and they have no obligation to go with the candidate with the most votes or Electors. Splitting the votes 3 ways is literally voting for Paul Ryan to pick the next President.

Wanna build a viable third party? You need a strong presence in the House. That’s a lot of tough elections won before you even try to field a President.

EDIT: Last paragraph changed. The Constitution creates barriers, but nothing a lot of electoral victories can’t surmount.