On the ballot I filled out and mailed in yesterday, there was only a single "bubble" next to the names of Trump and Pence. I was thus completely overlooking the fact that these provisions of the Constitution pertained to the Electoral College!
Thanks and regards,
P.S. Any idea why the Constitution requires this?
It's a holdover from the original text in Article II. Before the 12th amendment, the Electors voted for two people; the top vote-getter became President and the runner-up became Vice President. It was because of this that the Framers said the Electors couldn't vote for TWO people from their own state, essentially "packing" the ticket -- only one was allowed.
Since the 12th amendment split the vote for President and Vice-President, the "packing" of the ticket from large states is effectively eliminated. By keeping the Elector requirement of voting for at least one candidate from another state, it encouraged building an administration that wouldn't be dominated by any one state.
-PJ