THE UNITED STATES.

xv

transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United
States, directed to the president of the Senate. The president
of the senate shall, in the presence of the senate and house of
representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall
then be counted. The person having the greatest number of
votes shall be the president, if such number be a majority of
the whole number of electors appointed ; and if there be more
than one who have such majority, and have an equal number

Their votes
counted in
congress.

of votes, then the house of representatives shall immediately
choose, by ballot, one of them for president; and if no person
have a majority, then from the five highest on the list the said
house shall, in like manner, choose the president. But in

Represen-
tatives to
choose if
electors fail

choosing the president, the votes shall be taken by states, the
representation from each state having one vote ; a quorum for
this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-
thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be

Votes by
states.

necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the
president, the person having the greatest number of votes of the
electors shall be the vice-president But if there should remain
two or more who have equal votes, the senate shall choose from
them by ballot the vice president.*

Vice-presi-
dent.

The congress may determine the time of choosing the elec-
tors, and the day on which they shall give their votes ; which
day shall be the same throughout the United States.

Election
and meeting
of electors.

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the
United States at the time of the adoption of this constitution,
shall be eligible to the office of president ; neither shall any
person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to
the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident
within the United States.

Qualifica-
tions of
president.

In case of the removal of the president from office, or of his
death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and
duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the vice-
president, and the congress may by law provide for the case of
removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the president
and vice-president, declaring what officer shall then act as pre-
sident, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability
be removed, or a president shall be elected.

Removal,
death, &c.
of president

The president shall, at stated times, receive for his services,
a compensation which shall neither be increased or diminished
during the period for which he shall have been elected, and he
shall not receive within that period any other emolument from
the United States, or any of them.
Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take
the following oath or affirmation : —

* This clause of the constitution has been amended

See twelfth article of the
amendments,

Compensa-
tion of
president