The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (PTA) authorizes funding for the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide suitable office space, staff compensation, and other services associated with the presidential transition process (3 U.S.C. §102 note). The act has since been amended in response to evolving understandings of the role of the government in the transition … Read more
Presidential Transitions Are you ready for a presidential transition? Whether you work for a federal agency, embassy, or NGO, efforts at planning a 2020 transition, regardless who wins the presidential election, are starting to take shape well before November. Presidential transitions have a unique set of rules and practices, and can create important opportunities. … Read more
What would happen in 2020 if a candidate for President or Vice President were to die or leave the ticket any time between the national party conventions and the November 3 election day? What would happen if this occurred during presidential transition, either between election day and the December 14, 2020, meeting of the electoral … Read more
Succession to the office of President of the United States is provided for by the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Title 3, Section 19 of the U.S. Code (3 U.S.C. §19). The Twenty-Fifth Amendment states in Section 1 that when the office of President of the United States becomes vacant due to “removal … Read more
Several states have implemented new election administration processes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that could affect how and when ballots are counted. Even under normal circumstances, finalizing federal election results takes days or weeks after election day. Among other steps, state, territorial, and local election officials canvass votes to ensure that ballots are valid … Read more
The 12th Amendment to the Constitution requires that presidential and vice presidential candidates gain “a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed” in order to win election. With a total of 538 electors representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 270 electoral votes is the “magic number,” the arithmetic majority necessary to … Read more
Presidential Transitions Are you ready for a presidential transition? Whether you work for a federal agency, embassy, or NGO, efforts at planning a 2020 transition, regardless who wins the presidential election, are starting to take shape well before November. Presidential transitions have a unique set of rules and practices, and can create important opportunities. … Read more
Presidential Transitions Are you ready for a presidential transition? Whether you work for a federal agency, embassy, or NGO, efforts at planning a 2020 transition, regardless who wins the presidential election, are starting to take shape well before November. Presidential transitions have a unique set of rules and practices, and can create important opportunities. … Read more
The crux of a presidential transition is the transfer of executive power from the incumbent to the President-elect. Yet the transition process encompasses a host of activities, beginning with pre-election planning and continuing through inauguration day. The process ensures that the federal government provides resources to presidential candidates’ transition teams, and, eventually, the President-elect’s team; … Read more