# Dick Cheney's Bogus Journey
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheneys-bogus-journey/41291
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 15, 2000, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheneys-bogus-journey/41291 "2000-11-15T10:39:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2000, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheneys-bogus-journey/41291/1 "2000-11-15T10:39:07Z")
Let’s start with the background information. Back during the summer, George W. Bush his friend and man running his VP search, Richard Cheney, as his running mate. Dick immediately went to Wyoming (changed his non-voting registration) and declared his home there as place of residence. (He has a home in Texas, and in McLean, VA in an area off of Dolley Madison Blvd. called Madison of McLean). Monday, a lawsuit was filed in court saying Cheney still lives in Texas.
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> Suit challenges Cheney’s status
> Issue about electoral voting prompts residence question
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> 11/14/2000
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> Associated Press
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> WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A federal lawsuit filed Monday says George W. Bush and Dick Cheney can’t legally claim Texas’ 32 electoral votes because both are inhabitants of the state – a violation of the Constitution’s 12th Amendment.
The twelveth amendment of the constitution says:
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> The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, **one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves;** they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;–The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;–the person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.[sup]\*[/sup] The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.
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> [sub]\* This date has been moved back by the twentith amendment[/sub]
Is Dick Cheney’s [non-]voter registration in Wyoming enough to declare him to be a non resident of Texas? If not, than who will Texan electors choose? Gore-Lieberman? Bush-Lieberman? Bush-Gore? What would be the ramifications of that? Also, what is this clause supposed to prevent? Why is it in there?
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2000, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheneys-bogus-journey/41291/2 "2000-11-15T15:52:01Z")
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> \*Originally posted by SterlingNorth \*
> \*\*Is Dick Cheney’s [non-]voter registration in Wyoming enough to declare him to be a non resident of Texas? If not, than who will Texan electors choose? Gore-Lieberman? Bush-Lieberman? Bush-Gore? What would be the ramifications of that? Also, what is this clause supposed to prevent? Why is it in there? \*\*
Bush could win the Presidency, but Cheney could be declared ineligible to be VP, making the office vacant and triggering the 25th Amendment. Perhaps the Senate could settle it, perhaps the Supreme Court would have to. Just one more thing we don’t want to get into.
The rule was put in to keep the fledgling nation together - the smaller states feared Virginia would end up running everything, and the rule forced some geographic balance. In fact, to help keep New England from breaking away, George Washington of Virginia picked John Adams of Massachusetts as his VP (but kept the office from having any real power, since Washington mistrusted Adams). I agree that the rule is anachronistic now that national unity is no longer a question.
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2000, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dick-cheneys-bogus-journey/41291/3 "2000-11-15T17:21:46Z")
At worst, Cheney might be ineligible to have his votes for VP counted from Texas. However, that would create a situation where there would be no majority. Then the Senate would choose. Presumably, the Senate would then opt to pick Cheney even if it were divided 50-50, provided that Bush was president. Somebody on the Democratic side would say, “What’s the point, let’s let Dick have the job.” It’s not like Cheney is unpopular with other Senators.
If Bush ends up losing, the point is moot.