Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution altered Article II relating to presidential elections. Originally, the U.S. Electoral College would elect both the President and the Vice President in a single election; the person with a majority would become President and the runner-up would become Vice President. The election of 1800, however, demonstrated some problems with the system. The Twelfth Amendment, proposed by the U.S. Congress on December 9, 1803 and ratified by the requisite number of state legislatures on June 15, 1804, required electors to cast two distinct votes: one for President and another for Vice President.

Related Topics:
United States Constitution - Article II - Presidential elections - U.S. Electoral College - President - Vice President - Election of 1800 - U.S. Congress - December 9 - 1803 - State legislature - June 15 - 1804

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See Wikisource for the text of the Amendment.

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