The Twelfth Amendment

The Twelfth Amendment changed the system for electing a President and Vice President. In earlier elections, all the candidates ran for the office of President. The candidate getting the highest number of votes was elected President. The second-place candidate was elected Vice President. Problems arose with this system, and one election resulted in a tie.

This amendment states that separate candidates have to be chosen to run for each office. A candidate for President chooses a running mate for Vice President. If the candidate for President is elected, the running mate becomes Vice President. The House of Representatives chooses a winner if no candidate receives a majority of votes.