High School US Government on the Executive Branch

2. The executive branch carries out the
laws created by the legislative branch.
The president of the United States is
the leader of the executive branch.
The executive branch is established
under Article II of the Constitution.
The president makes sure all of the
groups within the executive branch are
carrying out their duties. Assistants
work with the president to help carry
out the laws. The vice president is the
president’s main assistant. The
president has a staff of advisers that
help the president gather
information, answer mail, and plan
schedules.

3. The president oversees all of the agencies and
departments. The men and women in the agencies
and departments carry on the daily functions
of the executive department.
The Cabinet of 2009
A division within the executive branch that serves a
special purpose.
A group that carries out certain activities.

4. The following are the qualifications for being a candidate
For president of the United States. You must be:
• A natural-born American citizen
• At least 35 years old
• A resident of the United States for at least 14
years

5. Every four years on the first
Tuesday of November, the people
vote for the president of the United
States and the Vice President. On
election day, voters go to a polling
place where American citizens are
guaranteed the right to vote in a
secret ballot. The secret ballot is a
private space where no one can
see your choices.
The voters know the day of voting
who won, however, the Electoral
College meets in December to
make the election official.
“The Twenty-fourth Amendment (Amendment XXIV) prohibits both Congress
and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment
of a poll tax or other types of tax.”~Wikipedia 2013

6. The Electoral College is a group of
electors who vote for the president
and vice president. The number of
votes that citizens cast in a
presidential election is called the
popular vote.
Although citizens vote for the
president and vice president by
name, they are actually voting for an
elector. The elector who wins the
most popular votes will vote for that
president and vice president when the
Electoral College meets about one
month later.
Each state has electors that include
senators and representatives. Each
state has two senators and the number
of representatives depends on a state’s
population. Notice how California has 55
electors.

7. 2000 Presidential Election
Candidates
There are a total of 538 electoral votes. A candidate
needs 270 electoral votes to win the election. All the
votes for a state are given to the candidate who wins
the state’s popular vote.
The Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution set up the
Electoral College system. Today, many people think
the Electoral College is confusing and no longer
needed. They think the president and vice president
should be elected by popular vote without the electors.
In several elections, a candidate has won the popular
vote and lost the electoral college.
Question
Explain why you think the
electoral college existed in the
first place.
George W.
Bush
Republican
Party
Popular
Vote
Al Gore
Democratic
Party

8. What happened in the 2000 presidential election?
In the 2000 election, Al Gore won the popular
vote nationally, but George W. Bush won the
electoral vote. All states but Florida were decided.
Florida’s 25 electoral votes would decide the
election. Bush was only a few hundred popular
votes ahead in Florida. By Florida state law, if an
election is that close, the votes must be
recounted.
After recounts, Bush had even fewer votes but
still had more votes than Gore. Gore requested
another recount in four counties. Bush wanted no
more recounts. Gore took the issue to the Florida
State Supreme Court. In the end it was
determined by the Supreme Court a recount was
unconstitutional. Bush won 271 electoral votes.
Gore had 500,000 more popular votes than Bush.
2000 Presidential Election
Candidates
George W.
Bush
Republican
Party
Popular
Vote
Al Gore
Democratic
Party

9. The Twenty-Second
Amendment to the
Constitution was created in
1951. The amendment
limited the number of terms
a president could be in
office to two terms of four
years each. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt was
the only president to serve
more than two terms.
Question
The only
president
elected four
times!
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democrat and 32
president.
Please answer the following question:
Why do you think there is a limit to the
number of terms a president may serve?

10. If you were looking up the job description of the president, the job description
would look like this:
Diplomat
Commander
in Chief
World
Leader
Legislator
Political
Party
Leader

11. Diplomatic Duties
Diplomatic means to
deal with people
skillfully or tactfully.
President makes
decisions about
relations with other
nations. Appoints
ambassadors to
represent US in other
countries.
Leader
Carries out the
plan of the party.
Follow parties
plan. Appoints
people to jobs.
Legislative
Duties
As chief
legislator, the
president signs or
vetoes bills. Gives
State of the Union
Address. Balances
the budget.
World Leader
Helps and guides
smaller nations.
Other leaders
follow and study
president’s actions.
Ideally, promotes
peace.
Commander in
Chief
Commander in chief
of the armed forces.
The Constitution
states that only
Congress can declare
war. Congress has
declared war five
times. The president
can send troops

12. 1. The president is______________ of the armed forces.
2. As chief diplomat of the United States, the president appoints __________to
foreign countries.
3. ____________has the power to declare war.
4. What actions of the president could change the president’s popularity with
citizens?

13. PRESIDENT
I appoint
the
cabinet
members!
The President’s Cabinet
15 Executive
Departments
Must be approved by
Senate.

14. Executive Office
The White
House
Office
Council of
Economic
Affairs
The Office of
Budget and
Managemen
t
The
National
Security
Council
Council on
Environme
ntal
Quality

15. Insert the main agencies of the executive
department and NAME at least one task
each agency does. Ask for help or refer to prior
slides.