This was an amendment to the original process.Originally the electors were to vote for the two individuals they considered most qualified without saying whether they were nominating them for Pres or Vice Pres.The first place finisher became the Pres,2nd place was the VP.In 1800,Jefferson and Burr tied for electoral votes,and it went to the House of Representatives.There were 36 ballots taken before it was finally decided that Jefferson would be President,and his opponent,Burr,Vice President.This amendment in 1804 specified separate electoral votes for President and Vice-President.Jefferson,a Populist,continued to decry the Electoral College as "a gunpowder keg with a slow burning fuse".

In 1877,Samuel Tilden needed 1 electoral vote to become President after winning the popular vote,Hayes needed 22 .It was thrown to Congress and Congress was deadlocked about awarding the votes,so they created a special committee to settle it. The committee,composed of 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats,awarded 22 electoral votes to Republican Hayes by an 8 to 7 vote.In 1888,Grover Cleveland won the Popular vote by 100,000 votes,but lost the electoral college vote to Benjamin Harrison.