Would repealing the Twelfth Amendment create a useful team of rivals, or make presidential government harder to operate? A friend’s suggestion leads me back to the election of 1800 and the problem the amendment was designed to address. This June 2024 discussion considers how separate choices for president and vice president changed the electoral process.
I explore the appeal of an executive branch containing different political perspectives, alongside the risks of division and contested elections. The House’s role in a contingent election adds another layer to the question of representation. The episode weighs cooperation, individual liberty, and institutional stability, asking what kind of leadership a more adversarial arrangement would demand. It is a reform discussion, not instructions for voting.
Read the essay and sources: https://joelkdouglas.com/2024/06/18/should-we-repeal-the-12th-amendment/
