As most of you know, the electoral college doesn't officially vote for the United States' next president until December 19th.
Before I continue, please note I'm not advocating for the violent or otherwise criminal death of our president-elect. This is more of a fun
What If?
After a little research, I found that a presidential candidate once died before between the popular and electoral vote. Horace Greeley passed away in 1872 soon after the popular vote was cast. Although some electors chose to cast their vote for him anyways, these votes were determined to be invalid. From our national archives:
Quote:
What happens if a candidate dies or becomes incapacitated?
If a candidate dies or becomes incapacitated between the general election and the meeting of electors, under federal law, the electors pledged to the deceased candidate may vote for the candidate of their choice at the meeting of electors. Individual states may pass laws on the subject, but no federal law proscribes how electors must vote when a candidate dies or becomes incapacitated. In 1872, when Horace Greeley passed away between election day and the meeting of electors, the electors who were slated to vote for Greeley voted for various candidates, including Greeley. The votes cast for Greeley were not counted due to a House resolution passed regarding the matter. See the full Electoral College vote counts for President and Vice President in the 1872 election.
As to a candidate who dies or becomes incapacitated between the meeting of electors and the counting of electoral votes in Congress, the Constitution is silent on whether this candidate meets the definition of “President elect” or “Vice President elect.” If the candidate with a majority of the electoral votes is considered “President elect,” even before the counting of electoral votes in Congress, Section 3 of the 20th Amendment applies. Section 3 of the 20th Amendment states that the Vice President elect will become President if the President elect dies or becomes incapacitated.
If a winning Presidential candidate dies or becomes incapacitated between the counting of electoral votes in Congress and the inauguration, the Vice President elect will become President, according to Section 3 of the 20th Amendment.
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https://www.archives.gov/federal-reg...t.html#changes
Therefore, were Trump to die before December 19th, Hillary Clinton would LIKELY become the next president of the United States (although Republican electors could vote for Johnson, McMullin, etc). If he were to die between December 19th and January 20th, Mike Pence would become president.