Vice President

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:  “… 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 numbers 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; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice….”  If no vice presidential candidate has a majority of elector votes, the Senate has the right and responsibility to choose the next Vice President of the United States.

                W. Cleon Skousen explained the numbers:  “Notice that two-thirds of the whole Senate must be in attendance, and a majority of these could make the selection.  This means that sixty-seven Senators could constitute a quorum and as few as thirty-four Senators could choose the Vice President.”  (See The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 716.)