Vice President of the United States

The vice president of the United States is the second-highest officer of the executive branch of the Federal Government of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as the president of the Senate. In this capacity, the vice president is empowered to preside over Senate deliberations, but may not vote except to cast a tie-breaking vote. The vice president also presides over joint sessions of Congress.

The vice president is indirectly elected alongside the president through the Electoral College, made up of electors who cast votes for a presidential and vice presidential candidate. On five occasions in Vesperian history, a vice president has succeeded to the office of president of the United States, which has since become the precedent. If a president dies in office or resigns, his vice president will succeed to the presidency and serve the rest of his term. When this happens, the office of vice president becomes vacant until the beginning of the next presidential term, as there is no mechanism to appoint a vice president intra-term.

While the vice president has a role in the executive branch of government, he is far more prominent in the United States Senate. The vice president often acts as the presiding officer of the Senate, and wields considerable influence over affairs in the senate. Conversely, he wields comparatively little influence in the executive branch, except in a more advisory position to the president. The office of the vice president has evolved over the years of existence and has developed far more practical authority than it had begun with. Fourty-three individuals have held the office of vice president. Norman L. Hanford is the 43rd and current vice president of the United States. He assumed office on March 4th, 1925.