7.1-The President and 7.1-The President and Vice PresidentVice President

The Office of the The Office of the PresidentPresident

• The President heads the The President heads the ExecutiveExecutive Branch and is Branch and is described in Article II of the Constitutiondescribed in Article II of the Constitution

The Office of the The Office of the PresidentPresident

• The US Constitution The US Constitution lists three rules about lists three rules about who can become who can become president:president:

• 1. The person must be 1. The person must be at least at least 3535 years old years old

• 2. A native-born 2. A native-born AmericanAmerican citizen citizen

• 3. A resident of the US 3. A resident of the US for at least for at least 1414 years years

Presidential ElectionsPresidential Elections• Presidential elections take place every Presidential elections take place every 44 years years

Presidential ElectionsPresidential Elections

• The Constitution does not provide for direct The Constitution does not provide for direct popular election of the president; it set up popular election of the president; it set up an indirect method of election called the an indirect method of election called the ElectoralElectoral CollegeCollege

Presidential ElectionsPresidential Elections

• The Constitution says each state shall appoint The Constitution says each state shall appoint electorselectors who then vote for one of the major who then vote for one of the major candidates candidates

Washington D.C.- 3 electors casting ballots in the 2008 election

Presidential ElectionsPresidential Elections

• The Twentieth Amendment (1933) shortens the The Twentieth Amendment (1933) shortens the time between an election and inauguration day; time between an election and inauguration day; moved from March 4moved from March 4thth to January 20 to January 20thth

Electoral College Electoral College SystemSystem

• Each state has as many electoral votes as the Each state has as many electoral votes as the total of its US total of its US SenatorsSenators and and RepresentativesRepresentatives (Washington, DC has 3 electoral votes)(Washington, DC has 3 electoral votes)

Equal Representation- 2

Representation by Population

Electoral College Electoral College SystemSystem

• The Electoral College includes The Electoral College includes 538538 electors; it is electors; it is mostly a mostly a ““winner-take-allwinner-take-all”” system; if a candidate system; if a candidate wins the popular vote by a tiny majority, that wins the popular vote by a tiny majority, that candidate gets all the statecandidate gets all the state’’s electoral votess electoral votes

Electoral College Electoral College SystemSystem

• To be elected president a candidate must To be elected president a candidate must receive at least receive at least halfhalf of the 538 electoral of the 538 electoral votes, a candidate needs votes, a candidate needs 270270 votes to win votes to win

Electoral College Electoral College SystemSystem

• If no candidate receives a majority in the If no candidate receives a majority in the electoral college the electoral college the House of House of RepresentativesRepresentatives elects the winner elects the winner

• The formal election by the Electoral The formal election by the Electoral College doesnCollege doesn’’t take place until December t take place until December when electors meet in each state when electors meet in each state capitalcapital to to cast their ballots cast their ballots

Term of OfficeTerm of Office

• Presidents serve Presidents serve 44 year year terms terms

• George WashingtonGeorge Washington served served two four year terms and two four year terms and refused to run again; many refused to run again; many later Presidents followed later Presidents followed his example, this is known his example, this is known as a as a precedentprecedent

Term of OfficeTerm of Office

•No president No president served more served more than two terms than two terms until 1940, until 1940, when when Franklin Franklin D. RooseveltD. Roosevelt ran for and won ran for and won a third term; he a third term; he won a 4th term won a 4th term in 1944in 1944

Term of OfficeTerm of Office

• The The 22nd22nd Amendment Amendment (1951) limits (1951) limits each President each President to 2 elected to 2 elected terms in office, terms in office, or a maximum or a maximum of ten years if of ten years if his presidency his presidency began during began during another another presidentpresident’’s terms term

Salary and BenefitsSalary and Benefits

• The president receives a salary of $400,000 per The president receives a salary of $400,000 per year plus money for expenses and travel; he lives year plus money for expenses and travel; he lives and works in the and works in the White HouseWhite House

Salary and BenefitsSalary and Benefits

• He also has the use of He also has the use of Camp DavidCamp David, an , an estate in Maryland 60 miles north of estate in Maryland 60 miles north of Washington, D.C.; it serves as a retreat and Washington, D.C.; it serves as a retreat and a place to host foreign leaders a place to host foreign leaders

Salary and BenefitsSalary and Benefits• When presidents travel, they command a When presidents travel, they command a

fleet of special cars, helicopters, and fleet of special cars, helicopters, and airplanes; for long trips the president uses airplanes; for long trips the president uses Air Force OneAir Force One a specially equipped jet a specially equipped jet

The Vice PresidentThe Vice President

• The Vice President is elected with the President by The Vice President is elected with the President by the Electoral College; the qualifications are the the Electoral College; the qualifications are the same as those for the same as those for the PresidentPresident

The Vice PresidentThe Vice President• Article I states the VP shall preside over the Article I states the VP shall preside over the

SenateSenate and vote in case of a tie and vote in case of a tie

Since 1789, 244 tie-breaking votes have been cast.

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/four_column_table/Tie_Votes.htm

The Vice PresidentThe Vice President

• If the president dies, is removed from office, falls If the president dies, is removed from office, falls seriously ill, or resigns, the seriously ill, or resigns, the Vice PresidentVice President becomes presidentbecomes president

The Vice PresidentThe Vice President

• The Twelfth Amendment (1804) states that The Twelfth Amendment (1804) states that electors should cast separate ballots for President electors should cast separate ballots for President and Vice President and Vice President

Election of 1796- John Adams (Federalist) was President, Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) was VP

Presidential SuccessionPresidential Succession

• In 1841 In 1841 William Henry William Henry HarrisonHarrison became the became the first President first President to die in office, to die in office, his VP John his VP John Tyler became Tyler became PresidentPresident

Presidential SuccessionPresidential Succession• In 1947 Congress passed the In 1947 Congress passed the Presidential Presidential

Succession ActSuccession Act which indicates the line of which indicates the line of succession after the VPsuccession after the VP

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_line_of_successiUnited_States_presidential_line_of_successionon

Presidential SuccessionPresidential Succession• According to this law, if the president and According to this law, if the president and

VP die or leave office, the VP die or leave office, the Speaker of the Speaker of the HouseHouse becomes president becomes president

• Next in line is the Next in line is the President Pro TemporePresident Pro Tempore of of the Senate, then the Secretary of State the Senate, then the Secretary of State and other members of the cabinetand other members of the cabinet

Presidential SuccessionPresidential Succession

• The The 25th25th Amendment Amendment (1967) says if the (1967) says if the president dies or leaves president dies or leaves office the VP becomes office the VP becomes president, he then president, he then chooses another VP chooses another VP who must be approved who must be approved by the Senate and by the Senate and House of House of RepresentativesRepresentatives

Joint Resolution proposing the 25th Amendment

2525thth Amendment Amendment• Gerald Rudolph Ford, Gerald Rudolph Ford,

Jr.Jr. (born July 14, 1913 – (born July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006) was December 26, 2006) was the thirty-eighth President the thirty-eighth President of the United States, of the United States, serving from 1974 to serving from 1974 to 1977, and the fortieth 1977, and the fortieth Vice President of the Vice President of the United States serving United States serving from 1973 to 1974. He from 1973 to 1974. He was the first person was the first person appointed to the vice-appointed to the vice-presidency under the presidency under the terms of the 25th terms of the 25th Amendment, and became Amendment, and became President upon Richard President upon Richard Nixon's resignation on Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974August 9, 1974..

Presidential SuccessionPresidential Succession

• It also gives the VP a role in determining whether It also gives the VP a role in determining whether a president is a president is disableddisabled and unable to do the job, if and unable to do the job, if that occurs the VP serves as acting President until that occurs the VP serves as acting President until the President is ready to go back to work the President is ready to go back to work

1985- George H. Bush was acting President while Reagan underwent surgery; 2002 and 2007- Dick Cheney was acting

President while Bush underwent surgery