The President

QUALIFICATIONS. There are only three qualifications to serve as President. A President must be a natural-born citizen. A President must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. And, a President must be at least 35 years old.

ELECTION AND TERMS. Presi­dents are chosen every four years in general elections. The elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Remember, however, that the election marks the end of months or even years of campaign­ing. The candidates first run for their party's nomination. The nomination is made at each party's national convention. Then, the parties' candidates run against each other in the general election.

Keep in mind, however, that when Election Day finally comes, the voters are not really voting for President. Instead, they are choosing electors who will vote for President for them. Each state is given a certain number of votes in the Electoral College. This number is based on the number of Senators and Representatives the state has in Congress. After the general election, members of the Electoral College meet in their state capitals. There, they cast their votes for President. Although they are not required to do so, the electors almost always vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in their state.

The President is elected to a four-year term in office. Until 1951, the Constitution did not limit the number of terms a President could serve. According to a tradition that began with George Washington, however, no President had served more than two terms in office. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to break this tradition. He was elected not only to a third term, but also to a fourth term in office. This situation led to passage of the Twenty-second Amend­ment. This amendment says that a President may not serve more than two terms in office.