1. Presidential Selection: The Framers’ Plan
Chapter 13, Section 3

2. Constitutional Provisions (Selecting the President)
The framers did not believe that the people of the new nation would be able to adequately elect the President.
Presidential Electors
President and VP would be chosen by this body.
Each state chooses and they get as many electors as they have senators and representatives in Congress.
Electoral Votes
Electors place two votes for a different candidate.
Candidate with the most votes = President
Second most votes = Vice President
Known as the ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
“The most enlightened and respectable citizens” from each state.

3. Rise of Political Parties
Flaws in the system began to show:
John Adams (Federalist) won election by 3 votes over Thomas Jefferson (arch-rival and Democratic-Republican).
What’s the problem here?
Election of 1800  “REVOLUTION OF 1800”  Changed Electoral College System
Two Parties  Federalists (Adams and Alexander Hamilton), Democratic- Republicans (Jefferson and Aaron Burr)
Each party nominated Presidential and VP candidates AND presidential electors (if they won they would vote for their party)
73 Democratic-Republicans voted for Jefferson and Burr
Tie for President.
Jefferson was more popular but House still had to settle dispute.

4. Thomas Jefferson 73 Electoral Votes
Aaron Burr 73 Electoral Votes
John Adams 65 Electoral Votes
Charles Pinckney 64 Electoral Votes
John Jay 1 Electoral Vote

5. Change Election of 1800 marked the introduction of 3 new elements:
Party nominations for President and Vice President.
Nominations of candidates for presidential electors who pledged to vote for their party’s presidential ticket.
Automatic casting of the electoral votes in line with those pledges.
12th Amendment
Added in 1804 to make sure 1800 election wouldn’t happen again.
Separated the presidential and vice presidential elections.

6. How did the process of choosing a President change over time?
1787: The Framers of the Constitution resolve to select the President by a system of electors.
1800: Parties nominate candidates and pledge electors, resulting in a tie for President.
1804: The 12th Amendment requires electors to vote separately for President and Vice President.