The United States of America Constitution Executive Branch Article II

Vocabulary Execute To do the job of

To enforce or carry out the laws Vocabulary Executive To enforce or carry out the laws

Executive Branch Major Job To enforce the laws made by the Legislative Branch

Executive Branch Leader President of the United States --also known as “Chief Executive” --currently George W Bush Elected for a 4-year-term --can serve 2 terms Second-in-command is the Vice President --currently Dick Cheyney --both elected at same time

Qualifications of President Executive Branch Qualifications of President Must be a natural-born citizen of the United States Must be at least 35-years-old Must be a resident of the United States at least 14 years

Executive Branch Electoral College How the President is chosen Each state gets a certain number of electors Number of electors are determined by the number of Senators and Representatives Missouri has 9 Representatives and 2 Senators So Missouri has 11 Electors

Executive Branch Electoral College When we vote we decide who we want The Electoral College votes the way of the people If the people’s votes are split then the Electoral College votes are usually split

Executive Branch Electoral College Reason for Electoral College The writers of the Constitution thought the common people and the poorly educated and informed people could not make a wise choice The writers of the Constitution thought this would keep from selecting a disastrous leader

Executive Branch Electoral College If a tie of the Electoral College votes occur or there is no clear majority The House of Representatives chooses the President with each state having only one vote

Line of Succession to President Executive Branch Line of Succession to President If the President dies or becomes unfit to serve (According to the 25th Amendment) 1. Vice President 2. Speaker of the House 3. President Pro Tempore from the Senate 4. Cabinet department heads in order of the establishment of the department --begins with the Secretary of State

Salary of the President Executive Branch Salary of the President The salary is set by Congress The salary does not change during the term of the President Currently $200,000 ?

Executive Branch Election Date Inauguration Day The President is elected: The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November Inauguration Day Date to swear the President into office January 20

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Executive Branch Oath of Office Administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court “I do solemnly swear 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.” “So help me God” added by Presidents