The 1796 election was the third, and it was contested: Adams v. Jefferson, and Adams won by 3 votes. This made Jefferson the VP even though he was not in the party of Adams.

By the 1800 election, Aaron Burr and Jefferson ran against Adams. Burr and Jefferson, two men in the same party, tied. Congress selected Jefferson as president.

The 12th Amendment made major changes, including separate votes for president and VP–addressing the problem from 1796. Read more>>>