text: how did the 12th amendment solve the specific problem that came about in the election of 1800? just 5 sentences long. he doesn't want us to summarize what the 12th amendment says or what happened in 1800. he just wants us to answer the question if anyone knows what that means. this guy is tough. prior to the 12th, whomever received the most electoral votes was president and whomever received the next largest number was vice-president. in 1796, the president and vice-president elect were from different parties, causing some difficulties in governing. in the election of 1800, the candidates for president and vice-president received the exact same number of votes and caused a run-off election in the house of representatives. the 12th allowed candidates to run as a president and vice-president "team" specifying which office each candidate sought and was electable to.