The Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution sets the beginning and end of terms for federal officials, including the president and vice president. It shortens the time between the election and inauguration of a new president to ensure smooth government activity. It also requires Congress to meet at least once a year. The amendment was ratified in 1933 and includes provisions for circumstances in which there is no president-elect.
The Twentieth Amendment is an amendment to the United States Constitution, the principal government document of the United States, and was ratified on January 20, 23. It applies specifically to federal officials and sets the beginning and end of their terms. It also has provisions for circumstances in which there is no president-elect.
The purpose of this amendment is mainly to specify the exact moment of transition from one body of elected officials to the next. Specifically, the terms for the sitting president of the United States and the sitting vice president expire at precisely noon on January 20 every four years. The term of office of the president-elect and vice-president-elect begins at the same time.
The terms of serving members of the United States House of Representatives and the terms of serving United States Senators expire on January 3 of the year in which the term is intended to end. Incoming officials take office at the same time. Members of the United States House of Representatives serve two-year terms and United States Senators serve six-year terms. Both are elected by rotation.
These dates have significantly shortened the time between the election of a new president and when he takes office. Prior to the ratification of the 20th amendment, the president and vice president did not take office until March 20. The main purpose of the shortening of the deadlines was to ensure that the activity of the government was not hampered by a delay in taking office. Additional sections of the amendment require Congress to meet at least once a year and for session to begin on January 4.
One provision of the amendment stated that it could not be considered law unless ratified within seven years of its proposal. The amendment was proposed on March 2, 1932 and ratified by the first state, Virginia, on March 4 of the same year. Utah ratified it on January 23, 1933, providing enough states to formally amend the United States Constitution. By April 26, 1933, all 48 then-existing states had ratified the amendment.
Another important provision of the amendment concerns the president-elect. It stipulates that if the president-elect dies before taking office, the vice president-elect takes office in his place. If a new president has not been chosen, or if the president-elect does not qualify before taking office, the vice president-elect will become president pro tem until a new president is elected.
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