Two President Seves as Vice President but Becomespresident Again

7c. Option and Succession of the President

The founders feared the masses. Cautious about granting powers to the general voting public, they created a safety valve against popular volition. The American people exercise not technically elect their President. Electors do.

Grover Cleveland, shown on a $xx Federal Reserve Note from 1914, won the popular vote in his second election, merely lost the presidency considering he failed to win the electoral college.

Selection

According to the Constitution, the President serves a four-year term of role. The 22nd Amendment further requires that a President may not be elected more than twice, nor serve more a total of ten years. The Constitution also created an electoral college to select the President.

Some of the founders wanted to select a President by popular vote, just others did non want to put that much ability into the hands of the voters. Others believed that Congress should select the President, merely then, what would happen to separation of powers and checks and balances? And so they compromised and created a special trunk of electors to be selected by the states. The number of electors would be equal to the sum of a states Senators and Representatives, so that large states would accept more electors than the small ones.

Some people believe that the electoral college organization gives some states more or less than their fair share of votes. For example, California'due south population makes up almost 12% the total U.S. population, but they receive only ten% of the nation'southward electoral votes. This map shows the changes made to the Electoral Higher based on the 2000 demography.

Today many people believe that the Electoral College is out of date and that Presidents should be chosen past direct election, just equally members of Congress are selected. By convention, land electors vote for the candidate that the people select in the full general ballot, only they are not necessarily bound to exercise so.

The Balloter College too adds ane nettlesome wrinkle — it is possible for a President to win more of the popular vote and lose the election. For example, if the Republican candidate gets fifty-fifty one more vote than the Democrat, all the state's electoral votes go to the Republican. Therefore, if a candidate wins a number of states with big electoral higher members past small pluralities and carries enough states with small electoral college members to proceeds the necessary 270 electoral college votes, it is possible for a candidate to receive less popular votes than an opponent, and yet win the Presidential election. Five presidents — John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, George Due west. Bush and Donald Trump — have been elected in this fashion.

Succession

Vice President Dan Quayle became the butt of many jokes when he misspelled the give-and-take "potato" while judging an unproblematic school spelling bee. Like almost Vice Presidents before him, Quayle failed to win the next presidential ballot.

The Constitution originally said little about presidential succession. It only specified that powers and duties should "devolve on the Vice President." Numerous succession situations over the years accept shaped the current policy, defined in the 25th Subpoena, adopted in 1967.

25th Amendment

Section i.

In case of the removal of the President from office or of his expiry or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Department ii.

Whenever there is a vacancy in the function of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation past a bulk vote of both Houses of Congress.

Section iii.

Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written announcement that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his function, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged past the Vice President as Acting President.

Section 4.
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body equally Congress may by police provide, transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Business firm of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his function, the Vice President shall immediately presume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Firm of Representatives his written declaration that no disability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a bulk of either the chief officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by constabulary provide, transmit inside iv days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall determine the issue, assembling within twoscore-eight hours for that purpose if non in session. If the Congress, within xx-i days afterwards receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is non in session, within twenty-1 days afterward Congress is required to gather, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same every bit Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

What happens when the presidency is vacated before an election? The Vice President becomes President, then selects a Vice President that must be confirmed past both houses of Congress. What if something should happen to the President and Vice President at the same time? And then the Speaker of the House takes the presidency, and the President pro tempore of the Senate becomes Vice President. The line of succession then goes to the Cabinet members, in the order of their cosmos.

Order of Succession to the Presidency

1 — President of the United States

2 — Vice-President of the United states

3 — Speaker of the House of Representatives

4 — President of the Senate Pro Tempore (becomes VP when Speaker becomes President)

(Cabinet Secretaries in Order of Post'due south Creation — see Unit of measurement 7)

v — Secretary of Country

six — Secretarial assistant of the Treasury

7 — Secretarial assistant of Defence

8 — Attorney General

9, etc. — Remaining Cabinet Secretaries

The Vice President

What does the Vice President practise? The only given constitutional duty is to preside over the Senate, a job with virtually no power since the Vice President can but vote in the event of a necktie. Indeed, the nation'south first Vice President, John Adams, called the post "the nigh insignificant part that always the invention of man contrived."

The President, then, has almost full control over what the Vice President does. If he chooses to give him many responsibilities, The Vice President can have a significant amount of power if the President is willing to consul it.

In contempo years Presidents take given their Vice Presidents more than and more than to exercise. They accept headed commissions and organized major projects. The Vice President frequently makes goodwill missions and attends ceremonies and celebrations. If the President regularly asks for advice, then the Vice President has some real, though indirect, power.

This dependency on the President has made it very difficult for a Vice President to successfully run for President. Merely twice in American history has a seated Vice President been elected to the presidency. In 1837, Vice President Martin Van Buren succeeded Andrew Jackson, and in 1989, Vice President George Bush-league succeeded Ronald Reagan. In neither example, did they win reelection.

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Source: https://www.ushistory.org/gov/7c.asp

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