Directory: Regional: North America: United States: Government: Legislative Branch: Senate: Senate President (9)
Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate) - US Senate Historical Office's compendium of information about the office and the people who have held it, including detailed discussion of the role of the Vice President in presiding over the Senate.Vice President of the United States - White House website official home page for this office. Includes biography, speeches, and photos.
Constitutional Role of the Vice President of the United States - The Framers of the Constitution explain why they designated the Vice President of the United States as President of the Senate, in Article I, Section 3, Clause 4 of the Constitution.
Vice Presidential Tie-Breaking Votes - The Constitution gives the Vice President of the United States power to vote when the Senate is equally divided, and the Senate Historian has listed all of those occasions when the Senate President has broken a tie vote.
Federalist No. 68 by Alexander Hamilton - Hamilton wrote that "to secure at all times the possibility of a definite resolution of the body, it is necessary that the President [i.e. the Vice President of the U.S.] should have only a casting vote."
Jefferson's Manual of Parliamentary Practice, Section XVII - Thomas Jefferson was the second Senate President. Section XVII of his Manual covers debate, and says that no one is to speak superfluously or tediously, and that the Senate President's decision is without appeal. This rule has since been modified.
Senate Precedents Regarding the Vice President of the United States - Details about historical Senate precedents regarding the President of the Senate are provided by Riddick's Senate Procedure, in adobe acrobat (pdf) format.
The Senate and the United States Constitution - The position of the Vice President as President of the Senate was borrowed from the New York Constitution.
Definition of "Casting Vote" in Oxford English Dictionary - The President of the Senate has what is called a "casting vote," defined as the decisive vote of a presiding officer, when the votes of the assembly or house are equally divided.
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