The executive Power
shall be vested
in a President
of the United States
of America.
He shall hold
his Office
during the Term
of four Years,
and,
together with
the Vice President,
chosen
for the same Term,
be elected,
as follows9:
[9. Number of terms limited to two
by Twenty-second Amendment.]
Each State
shall appoint,
in such Manner
as the Legislature
thereof may direct,
a Number
of Electors,
equal to
the whole Number
of Senators
and Representatives
to which the State
may be entitled
in the Congress:
but no Senator
or Representative,
or Person
holding an Office
of Trust or Profit
under the United States,
shall be appointed
an Elector.
The electors
shall meet
in their respective States,
and vote
by ballot
for two Persons,
of whom
one at least
shall not be an Inhabitant
of the same State
with themselves.
And they shall make
a List
of all the Persons
voted for,
and
of the Number of Votes
for each;
which List
they shall sign
and certify,
and transmit
sealed
to the Seat
of the Government
of the United States,
directed
to the President
of the Senate.
The President
of the Senate shall,
in the Presence
of the Senate
and House of Representatives,
open all
the Certificates,
and the Votes
shall then be counted.
The Person
having
the greatest Number
of Votes
shall be the President,
if such Number
be a Majority
of the whole Number
of Electors appointed;
and if there be
more than one
who have
such Majority,
and have
an equal Number
of Votes,
then
the House of Representatives
shall immediately chuse
by Ballot
one of them
for President;
and if no Person
have a Majority,
then
from the five highest
on the List
the said House
shall
in like Manner
chuse the President.
But in chusing
the President,
the Votes
shall be taken
by States,
the Representation
from each State
having one Vote;
A quorum
for this Purpose
shall consist
of a Member
or Members
from two thirds
of the States,
and a Majority
of all the States
shall be necessary
to a Choice.
In every Case,
after the Choice
of the President,
the person
having
the greatest Number
of Votes
of the Electors
shall be
the Vice President.
But if
there should remain
two or more
who have equal Votes,
the Senate
shall chuse from them
by Ballot
the Vice President.10
[10. Modified by Twelfth and Twentieth Amendments.]
The Congress
may determine the Time
of chusing the Electors,
and the Day
on which
they shall give
their Votes;
which Day
shall be the same
throughout the United States.
No Person
except
a natural born Citizen,
or a Citizen
of the United States,
at the time
of the Adoption
of this Constitution,
shall be eligible
to the Office
of President;
neither
shall any Person
be eligible
to that Office
who shall not have attained
to the Age
of thirty five Years,
and been fourteen Years
a Resident
within the United States.
In Case
of the Removal
of the President
from Office,
or his Death,
Resignation,
or Inability to discharge
the Powers and Duties
of the said Office,
the Same
shall devolve
on the Vice President,
and the Congress
may by Law
provide for
the Case of Removal,
Death,
Resignation
or Inability,
both of the President
and Vice President,
declaring
what Officer
shall then act
as President,
and such Officer
shall act accordingly,
until the Disability
be removed,
or a President
shall be elected.
The President shall,
at stated Times,
receive
for his Services,
a Compensation,
which shall neither
be increased
nor diminished
during the Period
for which
he shall have been elected,
and
he shall not receive
within that Period
any other Emolument
from the United States,
or any of them.
Before he enter
on the Execution
of his Office,
he shall take
the following Oath
or Affirmation:
-- "I do solemnly swear
(or affirm)
that I
will faithfully execute
the Office of President
of the United States,
and will
to the best
of my Ability,
preserve,
protect and defend
the Constitution
of the United States."
The President
shall be
Commander in Chief
of the Army and Navy
of the United States,
and of the Militia
of the several States,
when called
into the actual Service
of the United States;
he may require
the Opinion,
in writing,
of the principal Officer
in each of
the executive Departments,
upon any Subject
relating to the Duties
of their respective Offices,
and
he shall have Power
to grant Reprieves
and Pardons
for Offences
against the United States,
except
in Cases
of Impeachment.
He shall have Power,
by and with
the Advice and Consent
of the Senate,
to make Treaties,
provided two thirds
of the Senators present
concur;
and
he shall nominate,
and by and with
the Advice and Consent
of the Senate,
shall appoint
Ambassadors,
other public Ministers
and Consuls,
Judges
of the supreme Court,
and all other Officers
of the United States,
whose Appointments
are not herein
otherwise provided for,
and which
shall be established
by Law:
but the Congress
may by Law
vest
the Appointment
of such inferior Officers,
as they think proper,
in the President alone,
in the Courts of Law,
or in the Heads
of Departments.
The President
shall have Power
to fill up
all Vacancies
that may happen
during the Recess
of the Senate,
by granting
Commissions
which shall expire
at the End
of their next Session.
He shall
from time to time
give to the Congress
Information
of the State of the Union,
and recommend
to their Consideration
such Measures
as he shall judge
necessary and expedient;
he may,
on extraordinary Occasions,
convene both Houses,
or either of them,
and in Case
of Disagreement
between them,
with Respect
to the Time
of Adjournment,
he may adjourn them
to such Time
as he shall think proper;
he shall
receive Ambassadors
and other public Ministers;
he shall take Care
that the Laws
be faithfully executed,
and shall Commission
all the Officers
of the United States.