<P> A greater problem occurred in the election of 1800, in which the two participating parties each had a secondary candidate they intended to elect as vice president, but the more popular Democratic - Republican party failed to execute that plan with their electoral votes . Under the system in place at the time (Article II, Section 1, Clause 3), the electors could not differentiate between their two candidates, so the plan had been for one elector to vote for Thomas Jefferson but not for Aaron Burr, thus putting Burr in second place . This plan broke down for reasons that are disputed, and both candidates received the same number of votes . After 35 deadlocked ballots in the House of Representatives, Jefferson finally won on the 36th ballot and Burr became vice president . </P> <P> This tumultuous affair led to the adoption of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804, which directed the electors to use separate ballots to vote for the president and vice president . While this solved the problem at hand, it ultimately had the effect of lowering the prestige of the vice presidency, as the office was no longer for the leading challenger for the presidency . The separate ballots for president and vice president became something of a moot issue later in the 19th century when it became the norm for popular elections to determine a state's Electoral College delegation . Electors chosen this way are pledged to vote for a particular presidential and vice presidential candidate (offered by the same political party). So, while the Constitution says that the president and vice president are chosen separately, in practice they are chosen together . </P> <P> If no vice presidential candidate receives an Electoral College majority, then the Senate selects the vice president, in accordance with the United States Constitution . The Twelfth Amendment states that a "majority of the whole number" of Senators (currently 51 of 100) is necessary for election . Further, the language requiring an absolute majority of Senate votes precludes the sitting vice president from breaking any tie which might occur . The election of 1836 is the only election so far where the office of the vice president has been decided by the Senate . During the campaign, Martin Van Buren's running mate Richard Mentor Johnson was accused of having lived with a black woman . Virginia's 23 electors, who were pledged to Van Buren and Johnson, refused to vote for Johnson (but still voted for Van Buren). The election went to the Senate, where Johnson was elected 33 - 17 . </P> <P> The vice president's salary is $230,700 . The salary was set by the 1989 Government Salary Reform Act, which also provides an automatic cost of living adjustment for federal employees . The vice president does not automatically receive a pension based on that office, but instead receives the same pension as other members of Congress based on his position as President of the Senate . The vice president must serve a minimum of two years to qualify for a pension . </P>

Who does the vice president turn the official votes over to