How is vp elected

A controversial figure who openly acknowledged his slave mistress and their daughters, Johnson had served in Congress for 30 years and was a close friend of the outgoing president, Andrew Jackson. His many detractors alleged that he owed his vice-presidential nomination to his dubious claim that during the War of he killed the Indian chieftain Tecumseh. On February 8, , by a vote of 33 to 16, the Senate elected Johnson vice president.

During his four years in office, Johnson broke 14 tie votes. Joshua Holzer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. On Jan. Harris will also become the first vice president to have graduated from a historically black college or university. Each of these achievements is significant in its own right.

However, the vice presidency itself has traditionally been a relatively insignificant position, though the office has become more influential in recent years. The role of vice president is only mentioned in the U. Constitution a handful of times. The beginning of Article II, Section 1 explains how vice presidents are elected, which was later revised by the 12th Amendment.

So, other than staying out of trouble to avoid impeachment and waiting around for the president to need a replacement , vice presidents are really obligated only to occasionally cast a tie-breaking vote. In practice, however, most candidates have served in Congress, and some have been high ranking military officers or state Governors.

Vice presidential candidates run together with presidential candidates in an election on a "joint ticket" as a "running mate". This means that once the vice presidential candidate for each party has been confirmed, voters are then essentially selecting the President and Vice President as a single package. In theory, vice presidential candidates are selected at National Conventions by the party as a whole once the Presidential candidate has been announced.

In reality, however, standard practice has been that Presidential candidates effectively choose their own running mates. The current office holder is Mike Pence. Google Analytics tracking has been deactivated for this browser on this website.