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The United States

Government Manual

2004/2005

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

OCT 14 '04 04-0467 P

ALDERMAN-GOV'T DOCUMENTS

Office of the Federal Register
National Archives and Records Administration

Revised June 1, 2004

Raymond A. Mosley,
Director of the Federal Register.

John W. Carlin,

Archivist of the United States.

On the cover: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is proud
to acknowledge its role in the Presidential election process. NARA's Office of the
Federal Register (OFR) acts as the administrator of the Electoral College on behalf
of the States, the Congress, and the American people. In this role, the OFR is charged
with helping the States carry out their election responsibilities, ensuring the
completeness and integrity of the Electoral College documents submitted to
Congress, and informing the public about the Presidential election process.

The Electoral College system was established under Article II (section 1) and
Amendment 12 of the U.S. Constitution. In each State, the voters choose electors to
select the President and Vice President of the United States, based on the results of
the November general election.

Prior to the general election, the OFR sends an informational package to each
State's Governor to officially notify them of their electoral responsibilities. As the
results of the popular vote are finalized in each State, election officials send to the
OFR Certificates of Ascertainment, which establish the credentials of their electors.
In December, the electors hold meetings in each State to cast their votes for
President and Vice President. Those choices are documented in Certificates of Vote,
which are sent to the OFR for review on behalf of the Congress. In January, the
Congress sits in joint session to certify the election of the President and Vice
President, based on the documentary evidence assembled and reviewed by the OFR.
In the year after the election, electoral documents are held at the OFR for public
viewing, and then transferred to the Archives of the United States for permanent
retention and access.

In this Presidential election year, the cover of the book shows a representation of
the Electoral College system in celebration of the spirit of the American democratic
process.

For more information on the Electoral College, visit NARA's Web site at: http://
www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/.

Our thanks are extended to Creative Services at the U.S. Government Printing
Office for its assistance in developing this cover.

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800
Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001

ISBN 0-16-051455-X

Preface

As the official handbook of the Federal Government, The United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Manual also includes information on quasiofficial agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees.

A typical agency description includes a list of principal officials, a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal Government, a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority, a description of its programs and activities, and a "Sources of Information" section. This last section provides information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and many other areas of public interest.

The 2004/2005 Manual was prepared by the Presidential and Legislative Publications Unit, Office of the Federal Register, under the supervision of Gwendolyn J. Henderson. Alfred W. Jones was Managing Editor; Stephen J. Frattini was Chief Editor, assisted by Stacey A. Mulligan and Maxine L. Hill.

THE FEDERAL REGISTER AND ITS SPECIAL EDITIONS

The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register (see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the Federal Register or one of its other special editions, described below. Issued each Federal working day, the Federal Register provides a uniform system for publishing Presidential documents, regulatory documents with general applicability and legal effect, proposed rules, notices, and documents required to be published by statute.

The Code of Federal Regulations is an annual codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register. The Code is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. The Code is kept up to date by the individual issues of the Federal Register.

The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents serves as a timely, up-to-date reference source for the public policies and activities of the President. It contains remarks, news conferences, messages, statements, and other Presidential material of a public nature issued by the White House during the week reported.

A companion publication to the Weekly Compilation is the Public Papers of the Presidents, which contains public Presidential documents and speeches in convenient book form. Volumes of the Public Papers have been published for every President since Herbert Hoover, with the exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose papers were published privately.

OTHER OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL REGISTER PUBLICATIONS

The Office of the Federal Register publishes slip laws, which are pamphlet prints of each public and private law enacted by Congress. Slip laws are compiled annually as the United States Statutes at Large. The Statutes volumes contain all public and private laws and concurrent resolutions enacted during a session of Congress;