What Are the Functions of the Vice President From the United States Constitution?
Though it was once described as a position "not worth a bucket of warm spit," the vice presidency of the United States is a constitutionally mandated office. Article II of the Constitution establishes the office of the president and vice president of the United States, their qualifications to run for office and the manner in which they are to be elected. The Constitution also designates two specific functions for the office of vice president.
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President of the Senate
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Article I, section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states, "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided." This designation, though mandated by the Constitution, has been largely a ceremonial role, and in many instances a junior senator is chosen to preside when the Senate is in session. A total of 222 tie-breaking votes have been cast by vice presidents since 1789.
Receiving Electoral Ballots
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Article II, section 1 of the Constitution reads, "...the President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted." This duty requires the vice president to receive all the electoral ballots cast by states for a presidential election. Since 1789, only four vice presidents have been able to declare their own election to the presidency, while many others were forced to speak the name of their opposition.
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Succeeding the President
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Though the Constitution does not mandate succession as a specific function of the vice president, the Founding Fathers' main objective for the office of vice president was to establish a successor to the president in the event that he was incapable of completing his full term. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 established the Speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate next in line after the vice president, in the event of a president's death, disability, impeachment or resignation. A vice president must be able and willing to assume the office of the presidency and to discharge all the duties of Commander-in-chief.
Other Duties
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The vice president aids the president in formulating policy, attends important meetings with other members of the Cabinet and expresses the White House's view on a number of issues. The vice president also acts as a liaison between members of Congress and the president, performing "shuttle diplomacy" as he tries to push the president's legislative agenda while balancing the needs and concerns of House and Senate members. A vice president is often a former governor, senator or representative who has developed expertise in an area such as foreign policy that might help shore up a perceived weakness of the elected president.
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