The Twelfth Amendment

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1804, provided for the casting of separate Electoral College votes for president and vice president. Prior to this amendment, the person who received the most votes in the Electoral College became president and the runner-up became vice president. This caused problems when the president and vice president came from different parties or had conflicting ideas, as was the case with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The Twelfth Amendment sought to avoid such conflicts by requiring electors to cast separate votes for president and vice president.