We no longer have an understanding of our electoral system and it has been like this since Dwight Eisenhower was in office. The 12th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution instructs us on how the vice-president is to have a separate election from the presidential election:
“The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; 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, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate.”
Instead, we now have both the office of president and the vice-president running on the same ticket as ‘running mates.’ This is further worsened by the very fact that the vice-presidential candidate’s selection isn’t through the electoral college, but rather by a political party, which are actually a private corporations.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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