Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are fighting down to the last vote to gain the upper hand in tomorrow’s election. There’s a remote possibility that the US poll could end in a draw, however.

This concerns the machinery of the US Electoral College, the winner-takes-all system that determines which presidential candidate will win the White House.

The Electoral College comprises 538 votes, distributed in varying proportions among the fifty states plus the District of Columbia. A tie between two presidential candidates is therefore theoretically possible.

Harris and Trump could each receive 269 electoral votes, resulting in a complete draw scenario, with both candidates unable to achieve the majority of electoral votes required to become president.

Similar stalemates have occurred twice in US history, in 1800 and 1824.

What happened when there was a tie in the past?

In the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans defeated the incumbent Federalist President John Adams.

At that time, presidential candidates had a “running mate” from a different state, similar to today’s candidates for vice president. The electors had to cast two votes each: the candidate with the most votes would become president, while the candidate with the second-most votes would become vice president.

However, the Democratic-Republicans did not coordinate well, resulting in their candidate for president (Jefferson) receiving the same number of votes as their candidate for vice president (Aaron Burr).

The election was therefore decided by the House of Representatives using a one-state, one-vote rule after a long deadlock that nearly resulted in a military confrontation, as Sanford Levinson, a professor at the University of Texas Law School, has noted.

For this reason, the 12th Amendment was introduced, which still regulates the election of the US president. It clarifies that electors “shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice President,” to avoid any possible tie between candidates from the same party.

However, there remains the possibility that no candidate receives a majority of the total number of electors appointed—currently, that crucial threshold is 270.

This actually happened in 1824, when Andrew Jackson received 99 votes, John Quincy Adams 84, William Crawford 41, and Henry Clay 37. All of these candidates were from the same Democratic-Republican political party, which was split into regional factions.

The 12th Amendment states that in such cases, the House of Representatives shall immediately choose the president by ballot from the top three choices of the electors. Votes are taken by state, with each state having one vote and a simple majority required.

This means that Wyoming, the smallest state in the US with fewer than 600,000 people, would have the same say in choosing a new president as California, which has almost 40 million residents (even though Wyoming appoints only three electors and California 54).

Additionally, the choice of the new president would depend on the composition of the House of Representatives, which is set to be voted on in parallel with the presidential elections.

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How likely is a tie?

While a tie is unlikely, it is still a possibility to consider, with various scenarios outlined by the website 270toWin.

One scenario is that Trump wins Pennsylvania and Georgia, while Harris secures victories in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and one electoral vote in Nebraska, which alongside Maine is the only state that splits its allocation of electors.

Another scenario, even more unlikely, is that Harris wins all the states Biden won, plus North Carolina, which current polls indicate could go to Republicans. If Trump then reclaims Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and also wins Nevada for the first time, the outcome would be a 269-269 tie.

This would trigger a “contingent election,” with the House of Representatives tasked with deciding the US president for the first time in two centuries, requiring a simple majority of 26 states to elect the new commander-in-chief.

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With the country sharply divided, newly sworn-in US congress members would face immense pressure and, in some cases, might have to choose between backing their party candidate or the one who received the most popular votes in their own state (there is no requirement for state delegations to honour the winner of their state’s vote).

This situation would likely unfold on 6 January, right after Congress determines that no candidate has a majority, according to an analysis by the Congressional Research Service.

Even more surprisingly, the tie scenario could lead to cohabitation between a Republican president and a Democratic vice president or vice versa.

Indeed, according to the 12th Amendment, in the event of no majority, the US vice president is chosen by the Senate from the two candidates with the highest number of electoral votes, with each senator entitled to one vote (the US Senate has 100 members, with each state electing two).

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Finally, the Senate could select a vice president even if the House is deadlocked in the election of the president. So, if a president is not selected by Inauguration Day, 2o January, the newly chosen vice president would serve as acting president. This is a scenario that no one in the US can envision as of today.

Quincy Jones, who distinguished himself over the course of a 70-year career in music as an artist, bandleader, composer, arranger and producer, has died. He was 91.

Jones died Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, Calif., according to a statement shared with Variety by his rep Arnold Robinson. A cause of death was not disclosed. 

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing. And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him,” the Jones family said in the statement. “He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”

Jones’ eminence in the entertainment community was so great that he went by a one-letter handle: “Q.”

Bred in the world of jazz, Jones became one of pop music’s most formidable figures. He collected six of his 28 Grammy Awards for his 1990 album “Back on the Block” and was a three-time producer of the year honoree.

To many, he is probably best known for his production collaborations with Michael Jackson, which began in 1979 with the singer’s breakthrough solo album “Off the Wall,” which has sold an estimated 20 million copies internationally.

Its chart-topping sequel “Thriller” (1982) — for which Jones took album of the year honors, plus a record of the year trophy for the track “Billie Jean” — remains the bestselling album of all time, with worldwide sales estimated in excess of 110 million. Jones went on to work with Jackson on his No. 1 1987 release “Bad.”

In 1985, Jones made international headlines as the producer of USA for Africa’s “We Are the World,” the single devoted to African famine relief; Jackson co-authored the song with Lionel Richie and led its all-star cast of vocalists.

Jones was the first African American to pen the score for a major motion picture, 1964’s “The Pawnbroker,” and went on to receive seven Oscar nominations for best original score and song. In 1995, he received AMPAS’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, another first for a Black artist.

He made his mark on TV as executive producer of the ’90s NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which brought rapper Will “Fresh Prince” Smith to prominence as an actor. In addition to the 2022 reboot of “Bel-Air,” he later exec produced the comedy skeins “In the House” and “MadTV”; the 10-hour 1995 documentary “The History of Rock ‘N’ Roll”; the 2014 documentary “Keep on Keepin’ On”; and the 2023 adaptation of “The Color Purple” directed by Blitz Bazawule.

Jones received a Tony Award nomination in 2006 as producer of the musical adaptation of “The Color Purple.”

In the publishing world, he founded the respected hip-hop magazine Vibe, which spawned a TV spinoff in 1997.

In recognition of the vast array of causes to which he contributed, Jones was named Variety’s philanthropist of the year in 2014.

He was born Quincy Delight Jones Jr. in Chicago. He took up the trumpet, his principal instrument, as a boy. At the age of 10, his family moved to Seattle; there, as a novice musician of 14, he met 17-year-old Ray Charles.

By 18, after studying at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Jones was touring with Lionel Hampton’s big band in a trumpet section that included Art Farmer and Clifford Brown. In the early ’50s, he honed his arranging chops by writing charts for trumpeter Clark Terry (an important early mentor), Count Basie, Dinah Washington and many others. He made his debut as a leader in 1953 in an octet co-led by drummer Roy Haynes.

After serving as band director for Dizzy Gillespie’s State Dept.-sponsored big band and doing stints at ABC-Paramount and France’s Barclay Records, Jones assembled an in-house orchestra at Mercury Records. Though a subsequent touring group collapsed financially, the association led to an A&R position at Mercury; by 1964, Jones was a VP at the label, where he produced pop singer Leslie Gore’s major hits.

In 1959-60, he arranged a pair of Charles’ finest albums, “The Genius of Ray Charles” and “Genius + Soul Jazz.” He received his first Grammy in 1964 for his arrangement of “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” Charles’ hit version of Don Gibson’s country tune.

At the behest of Sidney Lumet, Jones wrote the score for the director’s 1964 drama “The Pawnbroker.” That assignment — the first for a Black musician — led to prestige composing jobs on such features as “In Cold Blood,” “In the Heat of the Night” (which featured a title song by Ray Charles), “The Italian Job,” “Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice” and “The Getaway.”

In the mid-’60s, Jones established a working relationship with Frank Sinatra. He arranged a pair of albums teaming the vocalist with Count Basie’s orchestra, “It Might as Well Be Swing” (1964) and the live “Sinatra at the Sands” (1966).

In 1969, Jones began a profitable association as an artist with A&M Records, for which he recorded nine studio albums. He reaped three Grammys for his jazz-pop work at the label; in 1974, the A&M album “Body Heat” became the highest-charting set of his career, peaking at No. 8. In 1977, he released an album of his soundtrack music for the top-rated ABC miniseries “Roots” on the label; it reached No. 21 on the pop album chart.

While Jones busied himself over the years as a producer for such artists as Aretha Franklin, the Brothers Johnson, George Benson and Chaka Khan, it was his work with Michael Jackson that thrust him into the most rarefied stratum of the music industry.

In 1978, Jones was working as music supervisor on director Lumet’s film adaptation of the Broadway hit “The Wiz,” featuring Jackson as the Scarecrow. While the picture was in production, Jackson — then newly signed as a solo artist to Epic Records — sought Jones’ advice about potential producers for his upcoming album. After supplying the singer with a list of prospects, Jones was enlisted by Jackson for the job.

The phenomenal decade-long Jones-Jackson partnership resulted in three multiplatinum albums (including the unprecedented and still unequalled worldwide smash “Thriller”), 18 top-10 pop hits (including 10 No. 1 singles) and four Grammy Awards for Jones.

At the apex of Jackson’s popularity in January 1985, Jones recorded “We Are the World” with a cast of soloists that also included Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross and Ray Charles. The benefit single sold an estimated 20 million copies worldwide and added an additional three Grammys, including one for record of the year, to Jones’ resume.

In 1980, Jones founded Qwest Records, a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records. The imprint released the Jones-penned soundtrack for Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple” and signed such artists as George Benson, Tevin Campbell, New Order and, briefly, Sinatra (whose 1984 album “L.A. Is My Lady” was arranged by Jones). But its chief executive became its most prominent act.

Jones’ 1989 Qwest album “Back on the Block” — an all-star affair pairing Jones with legends like Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Ray Charles and young bloods like Ice-T and Big Daddy Kane — captured a bounty of Grammys and peaked at No. 9 on the U.S. album chart.

In 1993, Warner Bros. released “Miles and Quincy Live at Montreux,” a 1991 live set by trumpeter Davis and Jones from the titular jazz festival in France on which Davis revisited compositions originally arranged in the ’50s by Gil Evans. It proved to be the jazz legend’s final recording and received a Grammy in 1994.

Jones’ latter-day solo releases were “Q’s Jook Joint” (1995) and “Q Soul Bossa Nostra” (2010). The former featured a host of seasoned R&B and jazz vets, young hip-hop stars and even a guest shot by Marlon Brando. The latter album, comprising new recordings of material associated with Jones, included appearances by such diverse artists as Jennifer Hudson, Amy Winehouse, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Wyclef Jean and Three 6 Mafia. In addition to appearing on The Weeknd’s 2022 album “Dawn FM” and in the music video for Travis Scott and Young Thug’s song “Out West,” Jones has only sporadically produced or performed as an artist. Upon the release of his self-titled 2018 documentary, Jones collaborated with producer Mark Ronson and vocalist Chaka Khan on the accompanying single “Keep Reachin’.” 

His Global Gumbo Orchestra made appearances at the Hollywood Bowl in 2011 and at that venue’s Playboy Jazz Festival in 2012. The group released “Tomorrow,” a charity single featuring stars of several Arab nations and co-produced by Jones and RedOne, in late 2011. After appearing at the Hollywood Bowl in 2017 to perform selections from his A&M years, Jones commemorated his 90th birthday in July 2023 with a two-night celebration at the venue featuring past and present artists he worked with, from singer Patti Austin to songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier.

Jones received the Recording Academy’s Legend Award in 1991 and Trustees Award in 1989. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001 and the National Medal of the Arts from President Obama in 2011. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 as the winner of the Ahmet Ertegun Award together with Lou Adler.

Jones released his autobiography “Q” in 2001; an audio version of the book received a Grammy as best spoken word album in 2002.

Married and divorced three times, he is survived by six daughters and a son.

Cease-fire talks continued last week as Israel, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar looked to find a solution to free the hostages and stop the war, yet life in the trenches goes on. Fox News Digital spoke with an IDF colonel based in the explosive Netzarim corridor in Gaza.

The Netzarim Corridor splits Gaza in half, and it’s here where IDF Col. Amir Ofri organizes his troops in a fight against terrorists. The atmosphere is tense, he says, and describes a recent incident where a Gazan woman stumbled toward his unit checkpoint, her movements erratic, suggesting disorientation. As she approached, he recalls her repeatedly glancing over her shoulder, seemingly reluctant to come closer. He says it was clear to him that she was under the influence of drugs.

“We try to assess whether she poses a threat or is armed,” Ofri tells Fox News Digital. But as the woman gets closer, it becomes obvious she is being directed by someone behind her. The decision is made to send her back, but as they do, his soldiers identify Hamas spotters in a nearby school in the refugee camp of Al-Bureij. As the soldiers move closer, terrorists fire at them from the windows, unleashing anti-tank missiles and explosives.

URBAN WARFARE EXPERT SAYS ISRAELI MILITARY TAKING UNPRECEDENTED STEPS TO PROTECT GAZA CIVILIANS

“Women and children, Hamas exploits the population in extreme and cruel ways,” he says during a Zoom interview. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

On the morning that Hamas attacked Israeli communities and settlements close to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Col. Ofri was with his family in the north to celebrate his 46th birthday. A seasoned officer, he immediately reported for duty to a base in the Negev Desert a little more than 30 kilometers from the border. By the next day, his reserve armored brigade was positioned at the Gaza fence, ready for whatever lay ahead. “We were the first to enter Gaza on Oct. 21,” he recalls.

The responsibility he bears weighs heavily on him. “It’s been over nine months since I’ve seen my wife and children for more than a fleeting moment,” he says. Before the war, he directed a company with factories in Israel, Spain and the U.S. “My partner in Oklahoma was one of the first to call me after Oct. 7. He said he hoped the U.S. would send everything it could to help us.”

IDF Col. Amir Ofri with troops by the Nitzarim Corridor that splits Gaza in half. (Photo: IDF Spokesman’s Unit.) (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)

His mission along the Netzarim Corridor, which serves both as a lifeline for humanitarian aid and a strategic position in the ongoing conflict, is critical. “Our job is to keep the route open for humanitarian convoys,” Ofri explains. “Every day presents unique challenges and risks.”

The Netzarim Corridor is pivotal in the Gaza Strip. With the onset of the ground campaign, IDF forces established a four-kilometer wide corridor to split Gaza in two, from its eastern border to the Mediterranean Sea. Key towns sit along the route – Jabalia and Zeitoun to the north, and Al-Bureij and Nuseirat to the south.

The other side, Hamas, doesn’t account for the population; they exploit them. The terrorists we eliminate often wear civilian clothes. Some are disguised as women.”

Fifteen years after Gaza was last under Israel’s military control, this strategic route is again being held by the IDF. The majority of Gaza’s population has been evacuated south, allowing the IDF to maintain nearly full control over significant parts of the Strip. However, it has also become one of the most dangerous areas in the conflict, with Israeli soldiers killed and injured since operations began.

WORLD, UN SIGNAL NO EXIT FOR CIVILIANS CAUGHT UP IN GAZA WAR: ‘POLITICALLY TOXIC’

An IDF tank rolls through the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza. (Photo: IDF Spokesman’s Unit.) (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)

“I don’t like this mission at all,” he admits. In the early stages of the war, “when the brigade was on the attack, we were more efficient and lethal. In the Netzarim Corridor, the challenges are constant,” he says.

Despite these difficulties, Ofri’s brigade has operated with minimal casualties. “Eight fighters from my brigade have fallen since the fighting began,” he says somberly. “But we haven’t lost any soldiers while securing the corridor, and that’s the result of learning from others’ experiences.”

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has dominated media coverage since the conflict escalated, leading to significant criticism of Israel from the U.N. and various countries, including the U.S. Many organizations have highlighted the deteriorating situation for civilians, emphasizing that while they face hardships, the military also has a responsibility to minimize harm.

A map showing the Netzarim and Philadelphi Corridors in Gaza. (Reuters)

“They’re living in tents under difficult conditions, but they lack neither food nor water,” he says. “Every day, we transfer about 30 trucks filled with food, water, tents and medicine. The other side, Hamas, doesn’t account for the population; they exploit them. The terrorists we eliminate often wear civilian clothes. Some are disguised as women.”

IDF soldiers fighting in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza. (Photo: IDF Spokesman’s Unit.) (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)

One evening as a convoy approached, an unplanned vehicle got into the line. “When we stopped the convoy, terrorists emerged from that vehicle – one dressed as a woman – and they opened fire. We eliminated two of them, while two others fled back to the vehicle,” Ofri says.

“All the convoys we needed to pass did pass, and then we saw Hamas setting up roadblocks, stopping and looting them,” he says, elaborating on the complicated dynamics on the ground. “Hamas targets specific trucks rather than looting indiscriminately. We observed them unloading supplies quickly, moving items into warehouses. We even saw armed Hamas vehicles leaving those locations, with guards at the entrances.”

DATA USED FOR GAZA FAMINE CLAIMS CHANGING AS EXPERT CAUTIONS ‘NO ONE SEEMS TO BE TRYING TO EXPLAIN WHY’

Displaced Palestinians flee Gaza City through an Israeli army corridor in Netzarim to Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When it comes to using civilians in the conflict, he disputes a recent reports claiming that the IDF uses Gazan civilians as human shields in operations against Hamas, at least when it comes to his brigade. “I’ve been in combat for a year; we don’t use civilians as human shields,” he says. “Hamas does. As someone who approves all operations for the brigade, I state clearly that no fire is intentionally directed at women or children. Not a single shell or airstrike is executed without assessing potential collateral damage.”

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry claims more than 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza. Israel says the number is lower, but will not publish its assessment. Hamas doesn’t differentiate between civilians and terrorists in its calculations.

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Gaza City walk along the Israeli army corridor in the Netzarim area in central Gaza, on July 10, 2024. (Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The problem lies in Hamas’s cynical use of the population,” Ofri says. He blames the terror organization for the loss of so many civilian lives. “We witnessed this during the recent Iranian attack. As soon as the Iranian assault began, on October 1, Hamas operatives attacked us. We were on the southern side of the corridor when they used short-range mortars to exploit the situation, pushing civilians toward our position. They forced people out of refugee camps, creating a dangerous environment as they told them to move closer to our forces,” he says.

IDF soldiers fighting in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)

In October, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader and the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attack, was killed by the IDF in Rafah, in southern Gaza. While many speculate that Sinwar’s death may lead to a turning point in the conflict, Ofri remains dubious. “In my view, he was just another terrorist who deserved to die. He’s just another obstacle in the effort to release hostages. I understand we won’t be able to free them through military means alone. However, I believe military pressure is the only strategy that has led to the first hostage deal.”

And it is because of the hostages that Israel must continue fighting, he says. “There are 101 hostages left, many of whom are relatives of our soldiers. Oct. 7 affected us all. I lost friends that day as well,” Ofri says. “That’s why we come together time and again, although it gets harder and harder. If you ask any soldier, they will tell you it’s about the hostages.”