[kevkrom]

If the House decides, are they limited to one of the candidates on the national ballot?

The House is required to choose from any of the top 5 vote getters, in this case, "vote" means Electoral College vote. Anyone who secured at least 1 EV would probably be eligible, as it's unlikely that there would be 6 or more people earning at least 1 EV.

[Stosh]

Thanks - very interesting.

So, in principle, a couple of rogue members of the Electoral College could cast votes for someone not even on the national ballot, generate a tie in the Electoral College, and set up that individual for election by the tie-breaking procedure in the House (all while ticking off most of the country, I guess).

I’m not figuring on that happening, mind you, but it might make for an entertaining political novel, especially among those who enjoy a good conspiracy theory.

[dvwjr]

Sorry, the 12th Amendment modified the Constitution to have the House of Representatives choose from the top THREE electoral vote recipients, not the original FIVE, if there is not a candidate with a majority electoral vote. The Senate would choose from the top TWO electoral vote recipients at that time.

dvwjr