Candidates Can Run For Vice-President On Their Own- By Harsha Sankar
Dear Citizen, September 2020
Perhaps third parties should field a candidate or independents should run for Vice-President on their own.
According
to the US Constitution, which is hardly followed anymore, an eligible
American citizen can run for Vice-President Of The United States on their own
provided that VP candidate does not hail from the same state as a
Presidential candidate on the official ballot. The VP candidate does not
have to be affiliated with any Presidential candidate but he/she cannot
be listed on the VP ballot that electors cast votes on if a
ballot-listed Presidential candidate is from the same state.
Read this excerpt from the 12th Amendment of the US Constitution: "they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and all persons voted for as Vice-President and of the number of votes for each". When the US Constitution was written, it was meant for a runner-up of a Presidential election to serve as Vice-President. However, the 12th Amendment changed that. It basically stated that the Vice-President should be chosen separately from the list of Presidential candidates.
The current practice in which the VP candidate is attached to the same ticket of a POTUS candidate is not prohibited. However, "going stag" is not prohibited either. The duties of the Vice-President, according to the US Constitution, are really two-pronged. One is obviously to serve as an "insurance policy" in case the President is no longer able to serve. The second is to serve as President Of The US Senate. The Vice-President, while only being allowed to vote in tie-breakers, is there to enforce all the laws that govern all Senate proceedings.
Laws, not "rules", should govern all Senate proceedings and transactions. The existence of committees is blatantly unconstitutional and non-democratic because it is segregational in nature. All senators should be treated equally and should be allowed to participate in any bill-making process.
The US Constitution did not intend for lawmakers to "work" with other lawmakers to form a bill. Its intent was for each lawmaker to form and propose bills on their own so that that lawmaker could stay true to his or her constituents. Once a bill was proposed, all the senators would openly voice their concerns, objections, and recommendations before a vote is taken. The proponent of that bill would make modification if he or she deemed necessary. Then that bill would be subject to vote by all senators. Of course, if another senator wanted to propose a similar bill, that would be acceptable. However, the drafters of the US Constitution did not want lawmakers to work with each other to form bills or even pass laws. They were concerned that collusion would lead to conspiracy against the average voter and citizen. They wanted lawmakers to be separate and independent from one another. The Vice-President, in mandating the laws governing all US Senate proceedings and transactions, is constitutionally supposed to guarantee such independence and separation.
When the VP is not available to do it, then the President Pro Tempore must fill in to serve that role. Getting back to tangent, The VP has a specific Constitutional role and a candidate can run for that office on his or her own.
Read this excerpt from the 12th Amendment of the US Constitution: "they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and all persons voted for as Vice-President and of the number of votes for each". When the US Constitution was written, it was meant for a runner-up of a Presidential election to serve as Vice-President. However, the 12th Amendment changed that. It basically stated that the Vice-President should be chosen separately from the list of Presidential candidates.
The current practice in which the VP candidate is attached to the same ticket of a POTUS candidate is not prohibited. However, "going stag" is not prohibited either. The duties of the Vice-President, according to the US Constitution, are really two-pronged. One is obviously to serve as an "insurance policy" in case the President is no longer able to serve. The second is to serve as President Of The US Senate. The Vice-President, while only being allowed to vote in tie-breakers, is there to enforce all the laws that govern all Senate proceedings.
Laws, not "rules", should govern all Senate proceedings and transactions. The existence of committees is blatantly unconstitutional and non-democratic because it is segregational in nature. All senators should be treated equally and should be allowed to participate in any bill-making process.
The US Constitution did not intend for lawmakers to "work" with other lawmakers to form a bill. Its intent was for each lawmaker to form and propose bills on their own so that that lawmaker could stay true to his or her constituents. Once a bill was proposed, all the senators would openly voice their concerns, objections, and recommendations before a vote is taken. The proponent of that bill would make modification if he or she deemed necessary. Then that bill would be subject to vote by all senators. Of course, if another senator wanted to propose a similar bill, that would be acceptable. However, the drafters of the US Constitution did not want lawmakers to work with each other to form bills or even pass laws. They were concerned that collusion would lead to conspiracy against the average voter and citizen. They wanted lawmakers to be separate and independent from one another. The Vice-President, in mandating the laws governing all US Senate proceedings and transactions, is constitutionally supposed to guarantee such independence and separation.
When the VP is not available to do it, then the President Pro Tempore must fill in to serve that role. Getting back to tangent, The VP has a specific Constitutional role and a candidate can run for that office on his or her own.
In conclusion and on a side note, the
12th Amendment changed how the VP was selected. It basically stated
that the Vice-President should be chosen separately from the list of
Presidential candidates. In my view, that Amendment changed that so that
the President and Vice-President would not be too strong of
adversaries.The Burr–Hamilton duel fought between Vice President Aaron
Burr and Alexander Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury, may
have had provided motivation behind that amendment.
Back then, political opponents were often mortal enemies. At least if candidates ran in different races, the odds of high levels of hostility were less.
Back then, political opponents were often mortal enemies. At least if candidates ran in different races, the odds of high levels of hostility were less.
posted by Harsha Sankar at 3:38 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home