Amendment 20 — Presidential Succession

Twentieth Amendment , Section 3:

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.

Pursuant to the authority conferred upon it by Section 3 of the Twentieth Amendment , Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act of 1948[1](https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-20/presidential-succession#fn1amd20 " Ch. 644, 62 Stat. 672, as amended, 3 U.S.C. § 19. For a discussion of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, see . ") to address the situation that would arise if both the President-elect and Vice President-elect failed to qualify on or before the time fixed for the beginning of the new Presidential term.

Footnotes

1

Ch. 644, 62 Stat. 672 , as amended, 3 U.S.C. § 19. For a discussion of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment , see .