National Executive Branch Study Guide
Understand each of the following concepts for the test.
 Be able to define and use each of the executive branch
vocabulary words
 Describe how the Electoral college process is used to select the
president and vice president
Primaries
Campaigning
popular vote counted
General Election takes
place
candidate who wins the
popular vote gets all of
the state's electoral vote
Winner Take All system
slate of Electors chosen
for each state based on...
 Identify the 3 qualifications for president
 Name the length of term, number of terms allowed, term limit
amendment of a president
 Describe the purpose of the presidential line of succession
 List the people who can succeed the president, succession
amendment
Total congressional
representation
( 2 senators +
representatives in the
House
Electos cast the state's
electoral vote
 Describe the structure of the national executive branch
Candidate needs to win
majority of electoral vote
270 of 538
Vice President
President
Cabinet
Agencies and
regulatory groups of
the federal
bureaucracy
 Winner-take- all system leads candidate to campaign in the
states with a higher population and therefore have more
electoral votes
 Candidate still need to pay attention to the less populated states
because those electoral votes may make a difference in close
elections
 The requirement for a majority vote to win the Electoral
College favors the 2 party system
 Name and be able to recognize examples of the powers of the
president
1. Executes the laws of the land
2. Prepares the annual budget for congressional action
3. Appoints cabinet officers, ambassadors and federal
judges for Congress to approve
4. Administers the federal bureaucracy
5. Call Congress into special session
6. Approve and veto legislation
7. Proposes legislation to Congress
 Name and be able to recognize examples of the 7 roles (hats)
of the president (note- most of the unit vocabulary will be
relevant to these roles)
Chief Diplomatarchitect
(creates) of
American foreign
policy
Commander-inchief- head of
the nation’s
armed forces
Chief Citizenrepresentative of
all the people
Chief of Partyleader of the
party that
controls the
executive branch
Chief Legislatorproposes the
legislative
agenda
Chief of Stateceremonial head
of the
government
Chief Executivehead of the
executive branch
of government
 Describe the ways the president can influence policymaking
 Propose legislation in an annual speech to Congress
called the State of the Union Address
 Appeal directly to the people for support
 Approve or veto legislation
 Appoint officials who carry out the laws (political
appointees)
 Recognize that the federal bureaucracy is made up of all the
cabinet departments, agencies and regulatory groups that help
the president in his role to execute the laws of the land
 Identify the purpose of each of the 15 Cabinet departments
Department of….
1. State
2. Treasury
3. Defense
4. Justice
5. Interior
6. Agriculture
7. Commerce
8. Labor
9. Health and Human Services
10. Housing and Urban Development
11. Transportation
12. Energy
13. Education
14. Veteran Affairs
15. Homeland Security