Which amendment sets the start dates for presidential and congressional terms and moves the inauguration date?

Which amendment sets the start dates for presidential and congressional terms and moves the inauguration date?

• A. 19th Amendment
• B. 20th Amendment
• C. 21st Amendment
• D. 22nd Amendment

Answer: (B)

This question tests how constitutional amendments regulate when elected leaders take office. The amendment in question was ratified in 1933 and is often called the Lame Duck Amendment. It changed the timing of when terms begin and when the presidency is inaugurated: the President and Vice President take office at noon on January 20, and members of Congress begin their terms on January 3. This movement shortened the interval between the November election and the new leaders’ swearing-in, reducing the long lame‑duck period. It also lays out what happens if there is no President-elect or Vice President-elect on January 20. The other amendments mentioned deal with different topics—women’s suffrage, repeal of Prohibition, and presidential term limits—so they don’t address the start dates or inauguration timing.

This question tests how constitutional amendments regulate when elected leaders take office. The amendment in question was ratified in 1933 and is often called the Lame Duck Amendment. It changed the timing of when terms begin and when the presidency is inaugurated: the President and Vice President take office at noon on January 20, and members of Congress begin their terms on January 3. This movement shortened the interval between the November election and the new leaders’ swearing-in, reducing the long lame‑duck period. It also lays out what happens if there is no President-elect or Vice President-elect on January 20. The other amendments mentioned deal with different topics—women’s suffrage, repeal of Prohibition, and presidential term limits—so they don’t address the start dates or inauguration timing.