The executive officials on the national level of government are the President, the Vice-President, and the members of the President's cabinet. In order for a person to become President, he or she must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years of age, and have resided in the United States for at least 14 years. Once elected, by voters from all 50 states, the President serves a term of four years and may be re-elected only once. In addition to overseeing the various agencies and departments of the federal government, the President also serves as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
Each candidate (someone running for office) for President chooses a person as "running mate" or vice-presidential candidate. The Vice-President is, therefore, determined by who is elected President.
The Vice-President of the United States becomes President if for any reason the President cannot complete the term of office. The Vice-President also serves as president or presiding officer of the United States Senate, one of the legislative bodies of government, when it is conducting its business.
The person elected President also chooses the cabinet members. Cabinet members, called Secretaries, are in charge of the major departments of the federal government such as the Department of Labor, Department of Agriculture, etc. The cabinet members advise the President, especially on matters in their special field of responsibility. Cabinet members must be confirmed by the Senate.
For more information on each of these secretaries and their departments, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/.
The legislative branch of the federal government consists of the Congress, which is divided into two chambers -- the Senate and the House of Representatives, and their job is to make laws that are to be followed by citizens in all the states.
The Senate has 100 seats, made of up two U.S. senators from each of the 50 states. These senators are elected by voters from their state and serve six-year terms.
The House of Representatives has 435 seats. This number is based on the population of each of the 50 states, and each representative comes from a certain area or district of the state. Only voters in that district choose their representative, and once elected, the representatives serve two-year terms.
In North Carolina, there are 12 U.S. Congressional Districts, so North Carolina has 12 U.S. representatives. Only three of these districts, the 8th, 9th, and 12th, include parts of Mecklenburg County.
If you want to know the name of the representative from your U.S. Congressional District, you must first know the number of the district you live in. That information will be on a voter registration card, so if there is a registered voter at your home, that person can give you the information.
If no one at your home can help, then you must call the Mecklenburg Board of Elections (704-336-2133), tell the person there your address, and ask the person for the number of your U.S. Congressional District.
The judicial branch of the U.S. government is composed of the Supreme Court and other federal judges that are assigned to various areas of the United States. Unlike state Supreme Court Judges who are elected in North Carolina, U.S. Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President and then confirmed (approved) by the U.S. Senate. There are eight associate justices and a chief justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, and their main job is to decide if all other branches of government throughout the country are following the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court also hears cases involving disputes between two or more of the 50 states.
Supreme Court justices serve for life or until they voluntarily resign or retire. The President appoints replacements as needed. For more information on the history of the Supreme Court, biographical information on the justices, or information on specific cases, see the website: http://www.supremecourtus.gov.
Washington, DC, where all of these important United States officials work, is a very special city - it is a city that is not in a state. Rather than have the nation's capitol in a state, a special area, the District of Columbia was set aside for it. Because Washington, DC, is a city, the citizens who live there have a mayor and other elected city officials, but they have no state or U.S. officials to vote for. Instead, their city is where the President, the Vice-President, the U.S. Senators and Representatives from all 50 states, and the Supreme Court have their offices and carry out their work.
Locate Washington, DC, and the state of Washington on the map of the United States. Notice how far apart they are. Perhaps seeing that the state is on the west coast of our country and that our nation's capitol is on the east coast will help you to remember the difference between two places both named Washington.
For more information on how our federal government operates, as well as biographical information on our national leaders, be sure to check out the website: http://www.whitehouse.gov.
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