text: Prior to the 12th, whomever received the most electoral votes was president and whomever received the next largest number was vice-president. In 1796, the president and vice-president elect were from different parties, causing some difficulties in governing. In the election of 1800, the candidates for president and vice-president received the exact same number of votes and caused a run-off election in the House of Representatives. The 12th allowed candidates to run as a president and vice-president "team" specifying which office each candidate sought and was electable to.