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- The Constitution provides for the office of Vice- President of the United States as well. He is elected along with the President in the same manner. The Presidential electors cast two votes one for President and the other for the Vice-Presidential candidate. A candidate for Vice-Presidency securing absolute majority of votes is declared elected. In case, no candidate secures an absolute majority of votes, the Senate elects one out of the two candidates securing the highest votes. The qualifications of a Vice-presidential candidate are the same as for the presidential candidate.
- Two principles are kept in view in the election of the Vice-President. First is that the President and Vice-President should not belong to the same state, and the second is that the parties while nominating their candidates for the two offices should keep in view the fact that both the candidates belong to different wings of the party.
Function of the Vice President:
- The Vice-President of America is the ex-officio chairman of the Senate. He has a casting vote which can be used in case of a tie. Otherwise as presiding officer, he has very little authority, because the Senate has its own rules and customs which the presiding officer must follow. It does not even appoint senatorial committees. His duties as chairman are formal and perfunctory.
- The Vice-President is to succeed the President in case he dies, resigns, or is removed by impeachment. In this case he occupies the President's office for the remainder of the term and exercises all powers of presidential office. On eight occasions, Vice-Presidents succeeded to the presidential office on account of the death of the Presidents. It can happen otherwise too. To quote an example, Gerald Ford became President in August 1974 following Nixon's resignation.
- Sometimes the Presidents include the Vice- Presidents in their Cabinet as a matter of courtesy. For example, President Roosevelt included Vice-President Henry Wallace in his Cabinet. President Eisenhower sent Vice-President Nixon on a tour of the Middle-East, India and Pakistan. The object of associating the Vice-President with the administration is to give him some training in this regard so that he may be able to handle the presidential office if the opportunity arises.
