CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 7

1 [The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot
for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same
State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted
for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and
certify, and 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 of Votes,
then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse 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 chuse the Presi-
dent. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the
Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Pur-
pose shall consist of a Member or Members from two-thirds of the States,
and a Majority of all the States shall be 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 chuse
from them by Ballot the Vice President. ]

The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the
Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same
throughout the United States.

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 four-
teen Years a Resident within the United States.

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 President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability
be removed, or a President shall be elected.

The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Com-
pensation, which shall neither be increased nor 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 follow-
ing Oath or Affirmation: —" 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 United States. "

1 This clause has been superseded by the twelfth amendment, p. 14.