Overview
- The 22nd Amendment bars anyone from being elected president more than twice and caps service at 10 years in cases of succession, per its 1951 ratification text.
- Congress proposed the amendment in 1947 after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four elections, cementing a formal rule that followed George Washington’s two‑term precedent.
- HISTORY notes an unresolved question created by the word “elected,” leaving open whether a twice‑elected president could return by winning the vice presidency and succeeding to the office.
- A column highlighted by Diane Ravitch argues there is no legitimate loophole for a third term, pointing to the amendment’s intent to limit overall presidential tenure.
- The explainer also recounts repeated but unsuccessful efforts since 1956 to repeal or revise the rule, including proposals for a single six‑year term that never reached a vote.