Its aim was to take from the States the power now confided in them by the Constitution, to direct the manner in which electors of President and Vice-President shall be chosen.

The declared motive for the change was to prevent the possibility of the electors being chosen by the State Legislatures, as had been done in some cases, and to guarantee the certainty of a popular vote in their selection in every State of the Union.

To insure this result it was proposed in the amendment that the entire power over the choice of electors should be transferred to Congress.
After a brief debate the amendment was agreed to,( 1) and the two proposed articles, included under one resolution, were adopted by _ayes_ 39, _noes_ 16, and sent to the House for concurrence.
The House not being willing to accept the Senate's Amendments, refused by formal vote to concur, and asked for a conference.

The Senate took the unusual step of declining a conference, promptly receded from its own Amendments, and sent to the House the original proposition of that body.

The House, not to be outdone by the Senate in capricious change of opinion, now refused to agree to the form of amendment it had before adopted, and returned it to the Senate with the added requirement of nativity, property, and creed, which the Senate had originally proposed.