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Vice President Of The United States

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John Adams once stated, “I am vice president. In this I am nothing, but i may be everything.” From its conception, the Vice President of the United States was a position of little relevance. However, over the course of the nation’s history, the vice presidency evolved from a position of irrelevance to one of power. No longer does the vice president operate in obscurity and possess little governing ability. The position’s transformation was not an instant one; mind you the position has been in existence for nearly two and a half centuries. The position of vice president can be seen as a stepping stone to the presidency. After all, when most people think of the vice president, they think, “Oh, he becomes the president when the incumbent …show more content…

Amendment XII, ratified in 1804, took care of the issue of the election of the President and Vice President. According to the amendment, “The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President … they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President …” Double balloting still remained in effect, but electors now had to specify who they were casting their vote for. Other than being seen as a “president-in-waiting”, the Vice President has a few duties outlined in the Constitution. Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution outlines what will take place in the event of the President no longer being able to fulfill the duties of his office. “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 …” The other constitutional duty, outlined in Article I, Section 3, Clause 4, places the Vice President as the President of the U.S. Senate, having no vote in the Senate, unless it is to break a tie. Formerly, the vice president oversaw Senate proceedings, but that is rarely the case, especially with modern vice presidents. The President pro tempore is who presides over day to day Senate proceedings. In addition to those duties, the vice president also presides over the counting and

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