| Office of the President-Elect | |
|---|---|
| Formation | Functioning periodically since 1968, title first used in 2008 |
| Legal status | Temporary, established by P.L. 88-277, 100-398, 106-293 |
| Purpose/focus | To provide for a smooth Presidential transition |
| Current President-Elect of the United States | None; most recently Barack Obama |
| Parent organization | GSA |
| Budget | None |
The Office of the President-Elect was a title used by Barack Obama to reference to the body coordinating the transition activities of the President-elect of the United States. The office is not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, nor is it a statutory office of the Federal Government[1]; however, under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (P.L. 88-277)[2], amended by The Presidential Transitions Effectiveness Act of 1998 (P.L. 100-398) [3] and The Presidential Transition Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-293)[4][5], the President-Elect is entitled to request and receive certain privileges from the General Services Administration as he prepares to assume office.
Section 3 of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 was enacted to help smooth transitions between incoming and outgoing presidential administrations. To that end, provisions such as office space, payment of transition staff members, postal services, and telecommunication services are allotted, upon request, to the President-Elect, though the Act grants the President-elect no official powers and makes no mention of an "Office of the President-Elect."[2]
In 2008, President-elect Barack Obama gave numerous speeches and press conferences in front of a placard emblazoned with "Office of the President Elect"[6] and used the same term on his website[7]. Some journalists, like British journalist Tony Allen-Mills, disputed the office as "a bogus concoction that has no basis in the US Constitution."[8]