Congress decided the election of 1800 because there was a tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, both of whom were members of the same Democratic-Republican Party. The Constitution at that time stipulated that if there was a tie, the election would be decided by the House of Representatives. Each state delegation in the House was given one vote, and the candidate who gained the majority of the state delegations' votes would be elected President. After 36 ballots, Thomas Jefferson finally secured enough votes to win the presidency.
