In the electoral college system, what happens if no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes?

In the electoral college system, if no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the decision indeed goes to Congress for a vote. This situation arises when there is a tie in the electoral votes or when no candidate reaches the required threshold of 270 electoral votes out of the 538 total available.

When Congress is called to vote, the House of Representatives selects the President from the top three candidates who received the most electoral votes. Each state delegation in the House gets one vote, and a candidate must receive a majority of the state delegation votes to win the presidency. Meanwhile, the Senate is responsible for electing the Vice President from the remaining candidates.

This process is outlined in the 12th Amendment to the United States Constitution, emphasizing the role of Congress in resolving electoral college deadlocks. The other options do not accurately reflect the constitutional process for handling a situation where no candidate secures a majority and thus are not applicable.