The amendment responded to Franklin Roosevelt's four electoral victories and formalized a two-election tradition. It does not shorten a second term, remove an unpopular president, decide presidential inability, or fill a vice-presidential vacancy. Those problems belong to elections, impeachment, the Twentieth Amendment, or the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. Its text focuses on being elected, which is why unusual succession scenarios can raise questions different from the simple two-election rule tested most often.

Imagine a vice president becomes president with eighteen months left in the predecessor's term. Because the service is two years or less, that person may later be elected president twice. If the succession occurs with thirty months remaining, the person has served more than two years and may be elected only once. The key is the amount of the predecessor's term served, not the calendar year in which succession occurred.

When a question mentions a term limit, count elections and then measure any inherited service. Do not confuse the Twenty-Second Amendment with the Twenty-Fifth: the former limits election, while the latter governs succession, vice-presidential vacancies, and inability during a term.

Video lesson: Presidential Power: Crash Course Government and Politics #11