TEXT 3: THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Article II of the Constitution describes the second of the three branches of national government. This is the executive branch. According to this article, "The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." The President, then, is the head of the executive branch of government.

THE PRESIDENT

QUALIFICATIONS. There are only three qualifications to serve as President. A President must be a natural-born citizen. A President must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. And, a President must be at least 35 years old.

ELECTION AND TERMS. Presi­dents are chosen every four years in general elections. The elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Remember, however, that the election marks the end of months or even years of campaign­ing. The candidates first run for their party's nomination. The nomination is made at each party's national convention. Then, the parties' candidates run against each other in the general election.

Keep in mind, however, that when Election Day finally comes, the voters are not really voting for President. Instead, they are choosing electors who will vote for President for them. Each state is given a certain number of votes in the Electoral College. This number is based on the number of Senators and Representatives the state has in Congress. After the general election, members of the Electoral College meet in their state capitals. There, they cast their votes for President. Although they are not required to do so, the electors almost always vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in their state.

The President is elected to a four-year term in office. Until 1951, the Constitution did not limit the number of terms a President could serve. According to a tradition that began with George Washington, however, no President had served more than two terms in office. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to break this tradition. He was elected not only to a third term, but also to a fourth term in office. This situation led to passage of the Twenty-second Amend­ment. This amendment says that a President may not serve more than two terms in office.

THE VICE-PRESIDENT

Along with the President, Americans elect another leader of the executive branch. This leader is the Vice-President.

The most important duty of the Vice-President is spelled out in the Constitution. If a President should die, become disabled, or be removed from office, the Vice-President be­comes President.

The Vice President also serves as the President of the United States Senate, where he or she casts the deciding vote in the case of a tie. Except in the case of tiebreaking votes, the Vice President rarely actually presides over the Senate. Instead, the Senate selects one of their own members, usually junior members of the majority party, to preside over the Senate each day.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1077