# What happens if Dick dies before election is over? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2000, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-dick-dies-before-election-is-over/42273 "2000-11-22T13:10:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8baadc/32.png) [@KV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KV)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-dick-dies-before-election-is-over/42273/1 "2000-11-22T13:10:27Z")
So Bush’s running mate isn’t exactly as healthy as an elephant, but what happens if he dies before the final votes are counted? Does W choose another V.P., or do we vote again, since they were running as a team? Are there people that would change their vote if W was running with someone else, say, Bob Saget? Wouldn’t they want to change their vote? ---
**Author:** ![melchizedek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@melchizedek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melchizedek)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-dick-dies-before-election-is-over/42273/2 "2000-11-22T13:19:16Z")
Wasn’t there a dead Senator elected too? (Dead Kennedy?) I hear his widow will take office. Perhaps this could be a government of ghosts! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-dick-dies-before-election-is-over/42273/3 "2000-11-22T13:23:42Z")
Constitutionally, nothing happens. The electors haven’t voted yet, so nothing has really changed. Remember that when you vote for President, you’re not actually voting for a Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidate. You’re voting for a ticket of _electors_ who will vote for the next President and Vice-President. If Cheney dies, then what will happen is that Bush will select a new running-mate, and the Republican electors will _likely_ vote for that new running mate. If, by bizzarre chance, Bush wins the Presidency but no one gets a majority of electoral votes for Vice Presidency (possible if some electors truly dislike Bush’s new choice for VP), then the Senate chooses amongst the top three vote-getters. Each state has a single vote, and the first VP candidate to get 26 votes is selected as the new Vice-President. Thus, you _could_ have the bizzarre situation of President Bush and Vice-President Lieberman. Of course, given the recent State Supreme Court ruling, that’s even assuming Bush wins the election… ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-dick-dies-before-election-is-over/42273/4 "2000-11-22T13:34:45Z")
The electors cast two votes, one for president and one for vice president. That they are a team doesn’t matter technically. If he died before the electoral votes are cast, I think the RNC would select a new VP candidate and basically “order” the Republican electors to follow the party and select him. If it’s after, I supposed Dubya would select a new VP the same way Nixon selected Ford in 1974. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-dick-dies-before-election-is-over/42273/5 "2000-11-22T14:55:21Z")
Actually, if the Senate selects the Vice-President under the terms of the Twelfth Amendment, then they do not vote as states, but individually. So 51 votes (out of 100) wins. ---
**Author:** ![Indiana\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/0ea827/32.png) [@Indiana\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indiana_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-dick-dies-before-election-is-over/42273/6 "2000-11-22T15:00:59Z")
And the Senate only selects from the top two vote getters, not the top three. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-dick-dies-before-election-is-over/42273/7 "2000-11-22T15:04:29Z")
If you have further questions, please feel free to re-open your query in [The thread for far-fetched election questions](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=46749). This thread is closed.