Which amendment addresses the election of the President and Vice President by the Electoral College with separate ballots?

Which amendment addresses the election of the President and Vice President by the Electoral College with separate ballots?

• A. The Eleventh Amendment
• B. The Twelfth Amendment
• C. The Thirteenth Amendment
• D. The Fifteenth Amendment

Answer: (B)

Separating ballots for the two offices was introduced to prevent a President and Vice President from being elected on the same ticket or from ending up in a conflicting arrangement, and to fix the problem of ties or mismatched outcomes in the Electoral College. The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, requires electors to cast distinct votes for President and for Vice President. If a candidate for President has a majority of electoral votes, they win; if no one does, the House picks the President from the top three candidates, with each state delegation one vote. For Vice President, if there’s no majority, the Senate selects from the top two candidates. This structure was born from the difficulties of the 1796 and especially the 1800 elections, where the original system led to complications. Other listed amendments address different issues and do not govern how the Electoral College operates: one deals with immunity of states from certain lawsuits, another abolishes slavery, and another prohibits voting discrimination based on race.

Separating ballots for the two offices was introduced to prevent a President and Vice President from being elected on the same ticket or from ending up in a conflicting arrangement, and to fix the problem of ties or mismatched outcomes in the Electoral College. The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, requires electors to cast distinct votes for President and for Vice President. If a candidate for President has a majority of electoral votes, they win; if no one does, the House picks the President from the top three candidates, with each state delegation one vote. For Vice President, if there’s no majority, the Senate selects from the top two candidates. This structure was born from the difficulties of the 1796 and especially the 1800 elections, where the original system led to complications.

Other listed amendments address different issues and do not govern how the Electoral College operates: one deals with immunity of states from certain lawsuits, another abolishes slavery, and another prohibits voting discrimination based on race.