The United States Constitution
Amendment XX
Ratified 1/23/1933
- The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January,
and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of
January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been
ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.
- The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin
at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
- If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President
elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not
have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President
elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President
until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case
wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified,
declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall
be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President
shall have qualified.
- The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from
whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of
choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons
from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice
shall have devolved upon them.
- Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the
ratification of this article.
- This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.
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