House Joint Resolution Proposing a Constitutional Amendment to Elect the President by Lot
1/13/1846
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H.J. Res 8 proposed a constitutional amendment to replace the electoral college system with a lot system. As outlined in the joint resolution, each state would elect, by a simple majority, a presidential candidate among its citizens. Each state would then send a notification of the election results to Congress. A joint resolution is a formal opinion adopted by both houses of the legislative branch. A constitutional amendment must be passed as a joint resolution before it is sent to the states for ratification.
Choosing our President by picking a ball from a bowl was one of many ideas suggested in Congress for replacing the electoral college system devised by the Founders. Uniform balls would be inscribed with each state's name, and deposited. In front of a Joint Session of Congress, a ball would be selected. The state's candidate in which was drawn would become President. Another ball would be drawn immediately after, and that state's candidate would be Vice President. The randomness of this method may have been an attempt to sidestep growing sectional rivalries before the Civil War.
Choosing our President by picking a ball from a bowl was one of many ideas suggested in Congress for replacing the electoral college system devised by the Founders. Uniform balls would be inscribed with each state's name, and deposited. In front of a Joint Session of Congress, a ball would be selected. The state's candidate in which was drawn would become President. Another ball would be drawn immediately after, and that state's candidate would be Vice President. The randomness of this method may have been an attempt to sidestep growing sectional rivalries before the Civil War.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
National Archives Identifier: 24200386
Full Citation: House Joint Resolution (H.J. Res.) 8 Proposing a Constitutional Amendment to Elect the President by Lot; 1/13/1846; Bills and Resolutions Originating in the House of Representatives during the 29th Congress; Bills and Resolutions Originating in the House, 1789–1974; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/amendment-elect-by-lot, March 15, 2025]Activities that use this document
- Flaws of the Electoral College System
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