CONSTITUTION      OF THE UNITED       STATES.          15

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,
di-
rected 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 cer-
tificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the great-
est 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 a majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of
Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them President;
and if no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list
the
said House shall in like manner choose the President. But in choosing the
President, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each
State having one vote; a quoruam for this purpose 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 cho'ce. In every cae. at:er the choice of the Presi-

dent, the person having the rreaest numnber of vo:es of the electors. shaL
be the Vice-PreSident. But if there should re0:i-n o or more who have
equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice President.*
   The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the
day
 on which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same through-
 out 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 fourteen years
a
 resident within the United States.
   In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death,
resigna-
 tion, 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 pro-
 vide for the case of removal, death, resignation or inability both of the
Pres-
 ident 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 compensa-
   tion which shall be neither 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 enters on the execution of his office, he shall take the following
   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."
    Siecmoo 2. The President shall be commander-in-chief of the army and
    *This clause of the Constitution has been amended. See 12th article of
the
  amendments, p. 22-