# What if no one wanted to be the VP nominee? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 11, 2012, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185 "2012-08-11T11:34:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/1 "2012-08-11T11:34:52Z")
Vice President John Nance Garner once famously referred to his office as “not worth a bucket of warm piss”. And really, it seems like kind of a boring job. The VP’s only constitutional responsibilities seem to be staying alive and breaking a tie in the Senate. Now, obviously, I’m sure the VP does a great deal more than that. And the perks are nice. Plus, if you’re on the winning ticket twice in a row, you’re the presumptive nominee for president. But let’s take a purely hypothetical scenario. What if no one stepped up to the plate to be the VP nominee (VPN) of one of the major parties? And what if that presidential nominee ended up winning anyway? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/2 "2012-08-11T11:37:44Z")
I would accept, that’s what. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/3 "2012-08-11T12:01:58Z")
There are at least 100 million people and probably more who are _eligible_ for the office of Vice President. In the event that a candidate ever arose whose candidacy was such a complete trainwreck that none of the major movers and shakers were willing to sign on with him, i’d sure he could at least start auto-dialing people and asking “So, you doing anything for the next couple months?” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/4 "2012-08-11T14:20:33Z")
Off the top of my head I don’t know whether it’s mandatory for the candidate to pick a VP, but it isn’t and the president and got into office without one, the Speaker of the House is next in line of succession and would automatically bob upwards into the spot. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/5 "2012-08-11T16:32:41Z")
The presidential candidate isn’t required to pick a Veep candidate. If there’s no Veep candidate on the ticket, the electors could vote for whomever they wanted. If no person got a majority of the electoral college, the election of the Veep goes to the Senate. See the Twelfth Amendment. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/6 "2012-08-11T22:40:27Z")
Yeah, SOMEONE would have to be VP. But I think the answer to your question constitutionally is that the electoral college would be considered uncommitted for a VP vote if the candidate with no VP won. So then the electoral college would elect a VP. If they didn’t reach a majority decision, then the Senate would do so(I think, maybe it’s the House?) Presumably by then electing a VP wouldn’t be a problem. Most people turn it down because they don’t want to be on a losing ticket. If the candidate won, then I bet 99 Senators would want the job. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/7 "2012-08-12T03:09:53Z")
It’s not really that bad of a job. You get a nice salary & great benefits, a nice home with full domestic staff, a car, you get to travel all over the world on a private jet, have no real responsibities, but get to be privy to all manner of government secrets, and get to hob nob with heads of state & government & royalty at fancy parties and elaborate funerals from a varity of cultures. And if your boss does happen to die you automatically become the most powerful human being on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/8 "2012-08-12T04:33:57Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > It’s not really that bad of a job. You get a nice salary & great benefits, a nice home with full domestic staff, a car, you get to travel all over the world on a private jet, have no real responsibities, but get to be privy to all manner of government secrets, and get to hob nob with heads of state & government & royalty at fancy parties and elaborate funerals from a varity of cultures. And if your boss does happen to die you automatically become the most powerful human being on Earth. Yeah I think the hypothetical requires not being able to find anyone willing to take a job that requires you do nothing for $230,700 a year. If we come across that situation it’s time to close up shop and hope Canada will take us as a territory. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/9 "2012-08-12T04:49:09Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > It’s not really that bad of a job. You get a nice salary & great benefits, a nice home with full domestic staff, a car, you get to travel all over the world on a private jet, have no real responsibities, but get to be privy to all manner of government secrets, and get to hob nob with heads of state & government & royalty at fancy parties and elaborate funerals from a varity of cultures. And if your boss does happen to die you automatically become the most powerful human being on Earth. > [@boytyperanma](#): > > Yeah I think the hypothetical requires not being able to find anyone willing to take a job that requires you do nothing for $230,700 a year. If we come across that situation it’s time to close up shop and hope Canada will take us as a territory. - “I don’t know - what kind of benefits are you offering? Do I get some kind of retirement plan? I don’t like to get up too early so I may come in a little late - that’s cool right? How much vacation do I get ‘cause I’m gonna need the first 2 weeks in January off, I promised my kid I’d take her to Disneyland (my ex has been bustin’ my balls to spend some time with her :rolleyes:)”\* ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/10 "2012-08-12T06:00:51Z")
If no one wants to be a candidate’s VP, I find it doubtful that candidate will win, and the question will be moot. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-no-one-wanted-to-be-the-vp-nominee/631185/11 "2012-08-12T08:14:12Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Yeah I think the hypothetical requires not being able to find anyone willing to take a job that requires you do nothing for $230,700 a year. If we come across that situation it’s time to close up shop and hope Canada will take us as a territory. Hahahahaha! Too true, too true! I just meant _in theory,_ constitutionally. 😉