Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for February 17, 2025
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
February 17, 2025: Two hundred and twenty-four (224) years ago, on February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States. He was inaugurated a few weeks later on March 4. The presidential inauguration date was moved to January 20 by the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1933.
Jefferson’s election process was very unusual. In the election, Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, each received 73 electoral votes. Under the original Constitution, there was no separation of electoral votes between the President and Vice President. Whoever came in second became the Vice President.
In 1801, it took 36 ballots to eventually have the House of Representatives declare Thomas Jefferson the winner.
This led to the passage of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804, requiring separate electoral college votes for President and Vice President.[1]
Scott Rasmussen is the president of RMG Research, Inc.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
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- February 11, 2025-50% of voters say tariffs on China will be bad for the U.S. economy
- February 10, 2025-262 years ago, the Treaty of Paris was signed to end the French and Indian War
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