Editing Ticket balance (section)

==History==
In the earliest days of American presidential elections, the [[President of the United States|president]] and [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]] were technically elected on the same [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]] ballot. The person receiving the most electoral votes becoming the president and the person with the second most votes becoming the vice president. When this system proved unwieldy, the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twelfth Amendment]] was passed in 1804 providing that the Electoral College use different ballots for president and vice president.

Most elections before the [[American Civil War]] featured a Northerner paired with a Southerner or vice versa. After the Civil War, geographical balance between North and South became less critical but would remain a factor well into the 20th century, especially in the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]]. In the 20th century, an increased interest in the Electoral College led many presidential candidates to choose vice presidential candidates from populous states with large numbers of electoral votes. It was hoped that voters in this state could be swayed by having a [[favorite son]] on the ticket.

Later in the 20th century, ideological balance became more prominent with a very liberal or conservative presidential candidate often paired with a more moderate vice presidential candidate or vice versa to bring more widespread appeal. Other factors came to prominence in the late 20th century such as gender, religion, age and other issues. The trend has continued in recent times, although it is less of a predictable science. In 1992, [[Bill Clinton]] of [[Arkansas]], seen as a more moderate Democrat, chose the more liberal [[Al Gore]] of neighboring [[Tennessee]] as his running mate. However, they were both [[Caucasian race|white]] [[Protestant]] southerners from the [[Baby boomers|baby boomer generation]], and most political analysts saw them as similar in political ideology. This brought little in the way of ticket balancing.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/10/us/1992-campaign-democrats-clinton-selects-senator-gore-tennessee-running-mate.html</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |last2= |last3= |date=1992-07-10 |title=Clinton Picks Gore as Running Mate in Break With Tradition : Democrats: Arkansas governor rejects geographical balance in choosing the Tennessee senator. Strategists believe his moderate positions can help unite divided party. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-07-10-mn-1845-story.html |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2000, Al Gore chose the centrist [[Joe Lieberman]], a [[Jewish]] Democrat from [[Connecticut]] who had been one of the first people to criticize President Clinton for his scandal with [[Monica Lewinsky]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/08/us/2000-campaign-vice-president-lieberman-will-run-with-gore-first-jew-major-us.html | title=The 2000 Campaign: The Vice President; Lieberman Will Run with Gore; First Jew on a Major U.S. Ticket | work=The New York Times | date=8 August 2000 | last1=Seelye | first1=Katharine Q. }}</ref> Four years later, [[John Kerry]] of [[Massachusetts]] chose [[John Edwards]] of [[North Carolina]], which was widely seen as an appeal to Southern voters who traditionally would not have supported a Northeasterner such as Kerry without the geographic balance that Edwards could bring. Also, Edwards, still serving his first term in the Senate, was regarded by many as an "outsider" with a youthful appeal; two characteristics that Kerry, a 60-year-old four-term senator, was unable to acquire.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-07-06 |title=Edwards gives ticket a Southern identity |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5086822 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/07/us/2004-election-overview-kerry-chooses-edwards-citing-former-rival-s-political.html | title=The 2004 Election: The Overview; Kerry Chooses Edwards, Citing Former Rival's Political Skill | work=The New York Times | date=7 July 2004 | last1=Halbfinger | first1=David M. }}</ref>