Summary

The office of President has special requirerments. The President serves a term of four years and, according to the 22^nd Amendment, may be elected to the office twice. The Constitution establishes the basic qualifications for who may serve as President. However, other factors such as a person’s experience in government, access to money for campaigning, political beliefs, and personal qualities are also important requirements for election. If the Presidency becomes vacant through death or resignation, the Vice-President becomes President. The office of Vice-President has few specific duties and is only as important as the President wishes it to be.

The President is elected through the Electoral College. The Founders established an indirect method of electing the President in the Electoral College system. The President and Vice-President are elected by electors selected by the voters in each state. There are many problems with the Electoral College system: A candidate can lose the popular vote yet win the electoral vote and be elected President. A third political party may win enough electoral votes to force the election into the House of Representatives. Several reform proposals have been suggested, but none has been accepted. Once elected, the President takes office on January 20.

There are several sources of presidential powers. Although the Constitution grants specific powers to the President, the extent of presidential powers is not clearly stated. Other sources of presidential power include the actions of past Presidents, grants of power from Congress, and the President’s use of the mass media to influence the American people. Over the years, the trend has been toward increased power in the office of the President.

The President is chief executive and chief foreign-policy leader. The President serves a dual role as head of state and chief executive. The President also serves in several other roles – as chief legislator, chief diplomat, Commander-in-Chief, economic planner, and political party leader. Because of all these duties, tremendous power resides in the office of President. However, as with the other two branches of government, there are important limitations on the powers of the President. These include Congress’s power to override vetoes and impeach Presidents, and the powers of public opinion, the bureaucracy, and the federal courts.