But if there should
remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall choose
from them, by ballot, the Vice-President._
According to this clause, we note that the electors voted for two
persons without stating which was to be President and which
Vice-President. In the official count, the candidate receiving the
highest number of votes, provided it was a majority of the whole
number of the electoral votes, became President, and the one
receiving the next highest became Vice-President.
Election of 1796.--In the election of 1796, John Adams, who
received the highest number, seventy-one, out of one hundred and
thirty-two electoral votes, was elected President. Thomas
Jefferson, his opponent, became Vice-President, having received
sixty-eight votes, or the next highest number. Thus there were
elected a President of one party and a Vice-President of the
opposing party.
Election of 1800.--The election of 1800 also showed the plan
to be impracticable.
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