Ch. 7.1
The Executive Branch
Qualifications for
President
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The president heads the executive
branch—the top political job in the
country and possibly the world
Some say the president is the “leader
of the free world”
George Washington was the first to
hold this office (1789-1797)
Qualifications for
President
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To become president, a person must
be:
At least 35 years of age
A native-born American citizen
A resident of the United States for at
least 14 years
Qualifications for
President
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So far most U.S. presidents has fit a certain mold
Male, Protestant, and Caucasian
There have been some exceptions:
Catholic president---JFK
Female V.P. candidate---Geraldine Ferraro (1984)
African American president---Barack Obama (2008)
Jewish presidential candidate---Joe Lieberman
(2000)
Electing a President
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Presidential elections take place every
four years in years evenly divisible by
4 (Congressional Bill 1845) *later
revised
Ex. 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008
The Constitution set up an indirect
method of election called the
Electoral College
Electing a President
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By marking their ballots for a
particular candidate, voters are
actually selecting their state’s
electors
The electors are pledged to vote for
the chosen candidate
Electing a President
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Each state has as many electoral votes as the total number of
members in Congress
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States with the larger populations have more electoral votes
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In almost all states, the winning candidate receives all the
electoral votes, even if the person wins by only a small
majority (winner take all)
As a result, candidates focus their campaigns on states with
the most electoral votes; It takes 270 of the 538
electoral votes to win
Electing a President
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The media announces the winner the
evening of the election (November)
However, the outcome is not official
until the Electoral College casts the
ballots and Congress counts them in
December/January at each state
capitol
Term of Office
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The president serves four year terms
Every one from George Washington served
no more than 2 four year terms until FDR
won a 4th term in 1944.
The 22nd Amendment (1951) limits each
president to two elected terms or a
maximum of 10 years if the president took
office during another president’s term
Term of Office
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The president receives a yearly salary of $400,000 plus
expenses
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He lives and works at the White House; a large staff of 80
tends to the needs of the president and his family
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The White House has a private movie theater, gym, bowling
alley, and heated pool; now a outdoor basketball court
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Camp David, Maryland serves as the president’s retreat and
place to host foreign leaders; motorcade for the president is
huge (Air Force One)
The Vice President
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The vice president is elected with the president, and the
qualifications are the same for both jobs
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Except the V.P’s job is more political than administrative
(campaign fundraising)
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The U.S. Constitution gives little authority to the V.P.
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The vice president votes in the Senate in case of a tie, but
otherwise has little authority
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Yet if the president dies, is removed from office, becomes
seriously ill, or resigns, he becomes president.
Presidential Succession
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The Constitution was not clear about whether the
V.P. would become president or just take over the
president’s duties if the president could no longer
serve ex. John Tyler 1841
The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 established
the line of succession
If both the president and vice president die or leave
office, the Speaker of the House would be next in
line followed by the President Pro Tempore, then
the Secretary of State
Presidential Succession
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Later the 25th Amendment further established that
the vice president, after becoming president, would
choose another V.P.
Both Houses of Congress must approve the choice
The amendment gives the V.P. a role in
determining whether a president is disabled and
unable to do the job; the vice president would then
act as president until the president is able to go
back to work