Malcolm Rivera
The role of the vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) has changed significantly since the office was created during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Originally, the vice president had few duties and little power. The vice president's role began to grow in importance during the 1930s, with the creation of the Office of the Vice President in 1939, and has since expanded further. The vice president is the second-highest ranking office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. In the event of the president's removal, death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the office, the vice president assumes the role of president. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as the president of the Senate, and is responsible for presiding over Senate meetings, maintaining order and decorum, recognizing members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Position in the executive branch | Second-highest ranking office in the executive branch |
| Position in the legislative branch | Officer in the legislative branch |
| Election | Indirectly elected at the same time as the president by the people of the United States through the Electoral College |
| Term of office | Four years |
| Eligibility | Natural-born Citizen or Citizen of the United States, at least 35 years old, and a 14-year resident within the United States |
| Oath of office | "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 States." |
| Role | President of the Senate, responsible for maintaining order and decorum, recognizing members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules |
| Voting rights | Can only vote to break a tie |
| Vacancy | Can be filled by presidential nomination and confirmation by a majority vote in both houses of Congress |
| Presidential vacancy | Serves as president temporarily or for the remainder of a presidential term when there is a vacancy in office, or an inability or disability on the president's part |
| Eligibility after insurrection or rebellion | A person who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States or given aid and comfort to its enemies is disqualified from the office of vice president, but this disqualification can be removed by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress |
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What You'll Learn
The vice president is second-in-command
The vice president of the United States is the second-highest-ranking office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president. They are also an officer in the legislative branch, as the president of the Senate. The vice president is indirectly elected at the same time as the president to a four-year term by the people of the United States through the Electoral College.
The role of the vice presidency has changed significantly since the office was created during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Originally, the vice presidency was considered an insignificant office, and the vice president had very few duties and little power. The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, further diminished the role of the vice president by ensuring that vice presidents were no longer runners-up in the presidential election.
The vice president's role began to grow in importance during the 1930s, with the establishment of the Office of the Vice President in the executive branch in 1939. The Twenty-fifth Amendment, ratified in 1967, further enhanced the vice president's role by formalizing the process of determining presidential vacancies and the inability or disability of a president or vice president. The amendment stated that the vice president becomes president in the event of the president's removal from office, death, or resignation.
In addition to their primary role of serving as president temporarily or for the remainder of a presidential term in the event of a vacancy, the vice president has several other constitutional roles. They are responsible for presiding over Senate meetings, maintaining order and decorum, recognizing members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules. The vice president can also break a tie vote in the Senate. The vice president, along with the speaker of the house, officially signs or attests to bills sent to the president for signature.
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The vice president is elected at the same time as the president
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest-ranking office in the executive branch of the US federal government, after the president. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as the president of the Senate. The role of the vice presidency has changed significantly since the office was created during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Originally, the vice presidency was considered an insignificant office, and the vice president was elected indirectly at the same time as the president.
The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, revised the procedure for electing the president and vice president, specifically outlining that they were to be elected together. This was a response to the 1800 election, in which Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, running mates from the same party, received the same number of Electoral College votes. The House of Representatives eventually voted to break the tie, choosing Jefferson. The Twelfth Amendment sought to prevent such an occurrence from happening again by requiring distinct ballots for the election of the president and vice president.
The vice president is elected to a four-year term of office by the people of the United States through the Electoral College. The vice president's primary role is to serve as president temporarily or for the remainder of a presidential term when there is a vacancy in office or an inability or disability on the president's part. The Twenty-fifth Amendment, ratified in 1967, further clarified the process of determining presidential vacancies and the inability or disability of a president or vice president.
In addition to their role as president of the Senate, the vice president has several unique constitutional roles in the federal government. The vice president can preside over Senate meetings, maintain order and decorum, recognise members to speak, and interpret the Senate's rules. They can also break a tie vote in the chamber, although they may not vote on any other occasion.
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The vice president is the president of the Senate
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS or veep) is the second-highest-ranking office in the executive branch of the US federal government, after the president. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch as the president of the Senate.
The vice president's role as president of the Senate is to preside over Senate meetings. In this capacity, the vice president is responsible for maintaining order and decorum, recognizing members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules. The vice president may not vote except to cast a tie-breaking vote.
The vice presidency was created during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, but it was considered an insignificant office for much of the nation's history. The role began to grow in importance during the 1930s, and it has since become a stepping stone to the presidency.
The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, outlines the procedure for how presidents and vice presidents are elected, specifically so that they are elected together. The amendment also addresses the issue of ties and deadlocks, stating that if no candidate has a majority, the Senate shall choose the vice president from the two highest numbers on the list.
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The vice president has a four-year term
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS or informally veep) is the second-highest-ranking office in the executive branch of the US federal government, after the president. The vice president is elected indirectly by the people of the United States through the Electoral College, at the same time and for the same four-year term as the president. However, the electoral votes are cast separately for these two offices.
The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, outlines the procedure for electing the president and vice president, specifically stating that they are elected together. It also addresses the issue of having no leader during the inter-term phase, stating that the newly-elected vice president will handle the responsibilities of the president until Congress chooses a new president.
The Twenty-fifth Amendment, ratified in 1967, further clarifies the process of determining presidential vacancies and the inability or disability of a president or vice president. It states that the vice president becomes president in the event of the president's removal from office, death, or resignation. It also allows the president and Congress to nominate and confirm a new vice president when that office is vacant.
The role of the vice presidency has evolved significantly since its creation during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Initially considered an insignificant position, the vice presidency has gained power and prestige over time, with the Office of the Vice President being established within the executive branch in 1939. Today, the vice president has several constitutional roles, including serving as president temporarily or for the remainder of a presidential term when there is a vacancy or inability on the president's part.
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The vice president can become president in the event of a vacancy
The role of the vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) has changed significantly since the office was created during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. The vice president is the second-highest-ranking office in the executive branch of the US federal government, after the president, and first in the presidential line of succession.
The vice president's role began to grow in importance during the 1930s, with the establishment of the Office of the Vice President in 1939, and has continued to expand since then. Due to this increase in power and prestige, the vice presidency is now often viewed as a stepping stone to the presidency.
The vice president has several unique constitutional roles in the federal government. Their primary role is to serve as president temporarily or for the remainder of a presidential term when there is a vacancy in office, or an inability or disability on the president's part. This is known as the Tyler Precedent, which was formalised by the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1967. The amendment states that the vice president becomes president "in case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation".
The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, also stipulates that the newly elected vice president will handle the responsibilities of the president while a proper candidate is chosen by Congress, in the event that no presidential candidate receives a majority vote.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution gave the vice president the power to serve as the Senate's presiding officer and cast a tie-breaking vote in the chamber. The vice president is also empowered to take on the role of president temporarily or for the remainder of a presidential term if the office becomes vacant or the president is unable to fulfil their duties.
The vice presidency was originally created to fill a need for a second office during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. The office was considered an afterthought and was not well understood, so it was given few duties and little power.
The role of the vice president has changed significantly since the office was created. The Twelfth Amendment meant that vice presidents were no longer the runners-up in the presidential election. The Twenty-Fifth Amendment, ratified in 1967, further altered the role by better defining the process of determining presidential vacancies and the inability of the president to serve. The role of the vice president began to grow in importance during the 1930s, and it is now often considered a stepping stone to the presidency.
The requirements to become vice president are outlined in the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that no person who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States or given aid to its enemies can serve as vice president. Additionally, no person who is ineligible to be president can become vice president.
The vice president is indirectly elected at the same time as the president to a four-year term by the people of the United States through the Electoral College. The Twelfth Amendment outlines the procedure for electing the vice president, stating that electors must cast distinct votes for the president and vice president, and that one of the selected candidates must not be from the same state as the elector.
