Month: November 2018

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The Constitution Project

The WHY

I had always thought that I should read the Constitution.  Sure, I have read bits and pieces here and there and memorized sections for school tests, but I have never really sat down and paid attention.

The best way I could figure to motivate and hold myself accountable was to type it out.

I started typing it on Twitter and made it to Article II.  That is where this post picks up. Most of the rest of this is just an exercise in making sure I read something I took for granted.  I am not correcting every mistake I make while typing, because it does not really matter with this exercise, and it will also keep me from being tempted by copy/paste :).  My goal is to finish….

Article II

The executive Power shall be vested in a POTUS of America.  He shall hold his Office during the Term of 4 years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an office of Trust or Profit under the US, shall be appointed an Elector.

The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for 2 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 the number of Votes for each; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the US, 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 Certificated, 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. the the HOR 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 the Manner chuse the President.  But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by the States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from 2/3 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 2 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 US.

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the US, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of the President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of 35yrs , and been 14yrs a Resident within the US.

In case of the Removal if 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 VP, and the Congress may by Law provide for the case of removal. Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and the VP, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a Continue reading →