The head of the Executive Branch of the Federal government, the President, is limited to two terms. Originally this was enforced by tradition alone, following the precedent established by George Washington; however, after Franklin D. Roosevelt exceeded this limit during World War Two and the Great Depression, the limit was codified into the Constitution with the passage of the Twenty-Second Amendment.

A Presidential election takes place every four years so if an election takes place in 1860 the next election will be in 1864. The most recent election was in 2012, so the next election will be in 2016.