The document discusses how the US President is elected through the Electoral College system. It provides background on how the system was established and amended over time, including the role of political parties and the 12th Amendment. The 12th Amendment required electors to vote separately for President and Vice President after an 1800 tie. The 23rd Amendment granted electoral votes to Washington D.C. A candidate needs 270 of the 538 total electoral votes to win the Presidency.
6. 12 th Amendment The Twelfth Amendment, proposed and ratified in 1804, is one of the most obscure parts of our Constitution. Because the original Constitution did not require electors to vote for president and vice-president separately, the electoral college in 1800 left Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr -- both members of the Democratic-Republican Party -- in a tie vote for first, even though it was clear to everyone that Jefferson was the party's candidate for president and Burr was to be his vice-president. Because the electors could reach no firm decision, the final decision was made by the House of Representatives. The Twelfth Amendment attempted to solve this problem by differentiating the candidates for the two offices and then calling on the electors to indicate their favorite for each. Thus, the party system was, in effect, constitutionally recognized by the Amendment, whereas the original scheme of 1787 had been predicated on the Framers' loathing of the very idea of party politics.
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