Commentary On Elections-Part Sixty-Eight (Session Five)

In the first phrase of the fourth paragraph, it reads as follows: "The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President;"

The drafters in the American Constitution realized that in Representative Democratic Mode, there would be definite occasions in which a majority of electors would not be able to elect the VPOTUS. That is why they devised the scheme in which U.S. Senate members cast ballots for this specific federal head executive. The Founding Fathers established this in case no candidate for this position achieved votes from a majority of electors.

Obviously with the direct democratic democratic mode's National Popular Vote, the foregoing is not applicable. Even with the Imperial Democratic Mode's Electoral College, which is the current system in effect, this is really not applicable. The Electoral College ensures that basically only two candidates could each vie for POTUS and VPOTUS respectively, ensuring two-party dictatorial rule.

The federal and state legislatures did not have the electoral college in mind as they ratified the 12th Amendment. They knew this measure (federal senate members' involvement) would only rarely be used if the electoral college scheme was implemented.

These legislators and the framers of the American Constitution would never have had written in the nation's charter a certain measure if it was only to be exercised in a rare momentary occasion. The drafters and ratifiers were fully aware that the need for the U.S. Senate to choose the VPOTUS would not be uncommon at all. That is why it was incorporated in the Constitution's 12th Amendment.

If the manner prescribed by this 12th Amendment in choosing the VPOTUS is followed, the need for the U.S. Senate members to possibly choose the VPOTUS is not uncommon at all. There will exist at least a significant minority of occasions in which these federal upper house members will have to choose the VPOTUS if the electors fail to do so.

This is due to the fact that there will one distinct elector representing each congressional district as well as two other electors representing each state. Each elector will choose one individual from either the field of Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidates who have each submitted their application with the Federal Election Commission. Since these candidates will not have the fanfare of present-day Presidential candidates due to the current system in place, no elector will refuse to vote for a candidate simply because that elector does not want to waste his/her vote.

With the Constitutional and Representative Democratic system in place, electors will be much more able to vote his/her conscience. This means the field of candidates expands and becomes more heterogeneous than what it is now and has been for many decades, if not since the end of the American Civil War and even prior. There would be much greater variety of candidates for VPOTUS who would receive consideration for that specific job.

Cliff Notes Version: The National Popular Vote and the Electoral College are neither allowed in the American Constitution nor is it consistent with the ideals of representative governance.

If the American Constitution is followed in which all electors cast his/her own ballot for the President, each elector can freely vote his/her own conscience and will have a much more expanded field of candidates to chose from.