Who can become President of the United States?
To be eligible to become President of the United States, the candidate must:
- be a natural-born citizen of the United States
- be over thirty-five years old
- have resided in the United States for at least 14 years
Who can become Vice President of the United States?
The above rules for presidential eligibility also apply to the vice president, since he or she would succeed the president. The Twelfth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that no person that is ineligible to become president can be the vice president. This rule stems from the original election system, in which the candidate who came in second place would become the vice president.
How many terms can a president be in office?
Since the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment in 1947, the President of the United States can be elected to a maximum of two terms as president. Further, if any president has finished out more than two years of another president’s term, that is considered one term.
Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only president to have served more than two terms as president, though not many former presidents even attempted to serve a third term. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to serve four terms as president, but he died before he could finish out his fourth term.
Who can vote in Presidential elections?
To be eligible to vote, you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be a legal resident of the state in which you register
- Be at least 18 years old at the time of the election
Most states have additional requirements that prohibit people who have been judged mentally incapable by a court, or those currently serving time in prison or on parole for committing a felony from voting. In some cases, convicted felons in general are prohibited from voting until their rights are legally restored. Voters must be registered to vote in only one place, and must submit the registration form before the deadline designated by the state.
What Constitutional Amendments changed voter eligibility?
The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1870, allowed free men of any race or color to vote. Women were not eligible to vote until 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, making it illegal to deny the right to vote based on sex. The Twenty-third Amendment allowed citizens of the District of Columbia to vote in presidential elections, and the Twenty-fourth removed poll taxes from the voting process.
How are presidential candidates chosen?
Each of the major political parties chooses a candidate in several ways.
Statewide elections, either primary elections or caucuses are held in every state to determine the nominee from the Republican and Democratic parties, while some third parties choose their nominee using other methods.
Political parties usually have national conventions in the months leading up to the election, in which they officially select their best candidate to compete in the presidential election, based on the results of the primaries. Delegates from the political parties are elected to attend the convention to cast their ballots.
How is the vice president chosen?
In our current system, the president chooses a vice president to be his or her running mate, and they run on the same ticket. This way, voters cast votes for the president and vice president with the same vote. However, the Electoral College casts separate votes for the president and vice president.
Earlier in U.S. history, the candidate who received the second highest number of votes became the vice president, but this changed in 1804, with the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment.
How is the president elected?
After the parties have chosen their nominees in the statewide primaries and caucuses, a nationwide vote is conducted, in which American voters cast their ballot for the next President of the United States. However, this is not a direct vote for a candidate. Instead, voters select delegates, called electors, who pledge their vote to the popular winner of their district. Electors of each state attend a meeting of the electoral college in their state capital, in which they cast official votes for the president, representing their states. The candidate that receives more than 270 electoral votes – just over half of the total number – is the winner.
When does the new President of the United States take office?
The President-elect takes office on January 20, known as Inauguration Day. On Inauguration Day, the new President must take the oath of office, as specified in Article Two, Section One of the U.S. Constitution:
I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States – Presidential Oath of Office
Presidential Trivia
- Which US President before becoming President negotiated the Treaty of Peace in Paris granting independence to the British colonies in America?
John Adams. The other two American negotiators in Paris were Benjamin Franklin and John Jay. - To whom did General Lord Cornwallis surrender?
On 19th Oct 1781, Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia thus ending the Revolutionary War. - Which President purchased the Louisiana Territory?
President Thomas Jefferson from Napoleon in 1803. - Which President purchased Alaska?
President Andrew Johnson purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. - In which Presidential election did an electoral tie result?
In the presidential election of 1800 between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, an electoral tie resulted. It was resolved by the US House of Representatives which elected Thomas Jefferson as President and Aaron Burr as Vice-President. - Who was the first President to live in the White House?
President John Adams. - In whose presidency did the British enter Washington and set fire to the White House?
During President James Madison presidency in the War of 1812. - Who was the first President who was the son of a President?
The sixth President John Quincy Adams, son of the second President John Adams. - Who was the second President who was the son of a President?
The 43rd President George W. Bush, son of the 41st President George Bush. - Which President was called the “Old Hickory”?
President Andrew Jackson. - Who was the first President to die in office?
The ninth President William Henry Harrison died a month after his inauguration of pneumonia and has the shortest presidency, a total of 31 days; and was the first president to die in office.
- Who was the second President to die in office?
The twelfth President Zachary Taylor was the second president to die in office. He died in 1850 after serving 16 months in office. - Who was the third President to die in office of natural cause?
The 29th President Warren Gamaliel Harding passed away on 2 Aug 1923 of a heart attack. - Who was the fourth President to die in office of a natural cause?
The 32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed away on 12 Apr 1945 of a cerebral hemorrhage. - Who was the president who was the grandson of a president?
The only grandfather and grandson pair of presidents were the 9th President William Henry Harrison and his grandson the 23rd President Benjamin Harrison. - Who was the youngest elected President?
President John F. Kennedy, 43y 236d (when taking office). - Who was the oldest elected President?
President Ronald Reagan, 69y 349d (when taking office). - Who was the youngest President ?
President Theodore Roosevelt, 42y 322d (when taking office); succeeding to the office upon the assassination of President William McKinley. - In whose presidency was the Mexican-American War fought followed by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?
President James Knox Polk. - In whose presidency was the Spanish-American War fought resulting in America annexing Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico?
President William McKinley. - In whose presidency did Commodore Matthew Perry force Japan to open to American trade?
President Millard Fillmore. - Which President ordered the combat use of nuclear weapon?
President Harry S. Truman ordered the dropping of Atom Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force the Japanese Emperor to surrender unconditionally to end World War II. - Which President served two non-consecutive terms?
President Grover Cleveland served as the 22nd President (1885-1889) and as the 24th President (1893-1897). - Which President married while in office?
The only President to be married in the White House was President Grover Cleveland. On June 2, 1886 he married Frances Folsom. - Which President did not marry?
The fifteenth President James Buchanan did not marry and died a bachelor. - Who was the first President to be assassinated?
On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth. Thus, the sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated. - Who was the second President to be assassinated in office?
The twentieth President James A. Garfield. On 2 July 1881 he was shot by Charles Guiteau who was upset on being passed over as the US consul. President Garfield died on 19 Sept due to the infection caused by the shot wound. - Who was the third President to be assassinated in office?
The 25th President William McKinley was shot by Leon Czolgosz on 6 Sep 1901 and died from his wounds on 14 Sept 1901. - Who was the fourth President to be assassinated in office?
The 35th President John F. Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald on 22 Nov 1963 and died from his wound the same day. - Who was the first President to be impeached by the House of Representatives?
The seventeenth President Andrew Johnson was the first President to be impeached by the House of Representatives. He was subsequently acquitted in the Senate by a single vote. - Who was the second President to be impeached by the House of Representatives?
The 42nd President Bill Clinton was the second President to be impeached by the House of Representatives. - Which President resigned his presidency rather than face the impeachment procedure over the Watergate scandal?
President Richard Nixon. - Who was the only President to serve as President without being elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency?
President Gerald Ford. - Which President after his term in office later served on the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice of the United States?
President William Howard Taft. - Which President after his term in office was elected to the House of Representatives?
President John Quincy Adams. - Which President after his term in office was elected to the US Senate?
President Andrew Johnson. - Who was the US President during World War I?
The 28th President Woodrow Wilson. The US declared war against Germany on 6 April 1917 under his presidency.
- Who was the US President during World War II?
The 32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt till his death on 12 April 1945 and then the 33rd President Harry S. Truman. - In whose presidency did the 1929 Stock Market Crash took place which ushered in the Great Depression?
President Herbert Clark Hoover. - Which President was elected to an unprecedented four terms of office?
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. - Who was the first President to be awarded the Noble Peace Prize?
President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. - Who was the second President to be awarded the Noble Peace Prize?
President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. - Which President was awarded the Noble Peace Prize after the tenure of his presidency?
Jimmy Carter in 2002. - Which four Presidents won the electoral majority for the presidency but did not win the largest popular vote?
President John Quincy Adams won the presidency but did not win the largest popular vote, which was won by Andrew Jackson in 1824.President Rutherford Birchard Hayes won the presidency but did not win the largest popular vote, which was won by Samuel J. Tilden in 1876.President Benjamin Harrison won the presidency but did not win the largest popular vote, which was won by Grover Cleveland in 1888.President George W. Bush won the presidency but did not win the largest popular vote, which was won by Al Gore in 2000.
US Early Voting States Map